Your iPhone battery drains fast because one or more apps, settings, or hardware features are using power faster than normal
The most common culprits are apps running in the background, location services turned on all the time, high screen brightness, and features like Bluetooth or cellular data staying active when you're not using them. Less often, a battery that has aged past its useful life will drain noticeably faster than it did when new. The good news is that you can usually find the cause yourself by checking a few specific places in Settings, and most fixes take less than a minute.
Your iPhone keeps a record of which apps have used the most battery in the last 24 hours or the last 10 days. That record is your starting point. Once you know which app is the problem, you can decide whether to close it, adjust its permissions, or uninstall it.
Key Takeaways
- Check Settings > Battery to see which apps have used the most power in the last 24 hours or 10 days, and start by addressing the top offender.
- Background App Refresh, location services, and push notifications can drain battery even when you're not actively using an app — turn these off for apps you don't need them for.
- Screen brightness, Bluetooth, and cellular data left on when you're on Wi-Fi all consume power; lowering brightness and turning off unused connections saves significant battery life.
- If your iPhone is more than three years old, the battery itself may have degraded; check Settings > Battery Health & Charging to see the maximum capacity.
- Restarting your iPhone clears temporary processes and often fixes sudden drain; if drain persists after checking these settings, the battery may need replacement.
How to find which app is draining your battery
Open Settings, then tap Battery. You will see a list of apps ranked by how much battery they have used. The timeframe at the top lets you choose the last 24 hours or the last 10 days. Start with the 24-hour view to see what happened most recently.
Look for any app that is using significantly more battery than the others. If an app you use constantly — like Messages or Maps — is at the top, that is normal. If an app you barely use, or one you do not recognize, is high on the list, that is your problem. Tap on the app name to see more detail about how much of that battery use was from the app running in the background versus when you were actively using it.
If you see an app using a lot of battery in the background, the next step is to turn off Background App Refresh for that app. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh, find the app, and toggle it off. This prevents the app from checking for updates or running tasks when you are not looking at it.
Turn off location services for apps that do not need it
Location services use your phone's GPS, which is one of the most power-hungry features on an iPhone. Many apps request location permission but do not actually need it all the time. Weather apps, social media, and games often ask for location but work fine without it, or with it turned on only while you are using the app.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. You will see a list of every app that has asked for location access. Tap each app and choose "Never" if you do not need it to know where you are, or "While Using" if the app only needs your location when you are actively using it. Avoid "Always" unless the app genuinely needs to track you in the background — navigation apps like Maps or Waze are the main exception.
If you turn off location for an app and it stops working the way you expect, you can always turn it back on. But for most apps, location is optional and turning it off will noticeably extend your battery life.
Reduce screen brightness and manage display settings
Your screen is the second-largest battery drain on an iPhone after the processor itself. Lowering brightness saves power when ready. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness and turn on "Auto-Brightness" so your phone adjusts brightness based on the light around you instead of staying at full brightness all the time.
If you spend a lot of time on your phone, also check Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and set it to a shorter time — 1 or 2 minutes instead of 5. This turns off your screen faster when you are not using it, which saves battery. You can also enable Low Power Mode in Settings > Battery, which reduces performance slightly but extends battery life by several hours. Low Power Mode turns off background refresh, reduces animation, and lowers screen brightness automatically.
Turn off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular data when you do not need them
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular data all use power even when you are not actively downloading or streaming. If you are at home on Wi-Fi, turn off cellular data by going to Settings > Cellular and toggling "Cellular Data" off. If you are not using Bluetooth headphones or a watch, turn off Bluetooth in Settings > Bluetooth. These connections will reconnect automatically when you need them.
Wi-Fi uses less power than cellular data, so leaving Wi-Fi on when you are home is usually fine. But if you are somewhere without Wi-Fi and you are not using the internet, turning off cellular data will extend your battery noticeably.
Check your battery health if your iPhone is older
iPhones have a battery health rating that tells you how much capacity your battery has left compared to when it was new. After about three years of regular charging, most iPhone batteries drop to around 80 percent capacity. At that point, you may notice the phone drains faster than it used to.
Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging to see your maximum capacity percentage. If it is below 80 percent, your battery is aging normally. If it is below 50 percent, the battery is significantly degraded and you should consider having it replaced. Apple and many third-party repair shops can replace the battery for a fee that varies by model.
You will also see a "Condition" line that says either "Normal" or describes a problem. If it says anything other than "Normal," the battery may need service. If you see a message about "Peak Performance Capability," your phone has throttled its processor to protect the battery — this is normal for older batteries, but it also makes your phone slower.
Restart your iPhone to clear temporary processes
Sometimes apps or background processes get stuck and drain battery even after you close them. A straightforward restart clears these temporary issues. Press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons until the power-off slider appears, then drag it to turn off your phone. Wait a few seconds, then press and hold the side button again until you see the Apple logo.
After your phone restarts, check your battery usage again in Settings > Battery. If drain has improved, a stuck process was the problem. If drain is still fast, move on to checking individual app permissions and settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my battery drain fast even when I am not using my phone?
Background App Refresh, location services, push notifications, and Bluetooth left on all drain battery when your phone is in your pocket. Check Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off for apps you do not need it for. Also check Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and set apps to "While Using" instead of "Always."
Does closing apps in the background actually save battery?
Closing apps manually does not save much battery because iOS suspends apps automatically when you are not using them. What matters is turning off Background App Refresh and location services for specific apps. Closing apps repeatedly actually uses more battery because your phone has to reload them from scratch each time.
Will Low Power Mode slow down my iPhone?
Yes, Low Power Mode reduces performance slightly — animations are slower and some features are limited — but it extends battery life by several hours. You can turn it on and off anytime in Settings > Battery. Most people find the trade-off worth it when battery is running low.
What should I do if my battery drains fast even after trying these steps?
Restart your iPhone first, as stuck processes sometimes cause sudden drain. If drain persists and your battery health is below 50 percent, the battery itself is likely degraded and needs replacement. If battery health is normal but drain is still fast, a specific app may be the problem — check Settings > Battery again and look for any unfamiliar app using unusual amounts of power.
Can I replace my iPhone battery myself?
iPhones are difficult to open safely without damaging the screen or internal components. Apple and authorized repair shops can replace the battery for a fee. Third-party repair shops also offer battery replacement, often for less money, but quality varies. If your phone is still under warranty or AppleCare, Apple may replace the battery for free if it is defective.