The most common reason: background app refresh and location services running constantly
Your iPhone drains battery fastest when apps refresh in the background even when you are not using them, and when location services stay on all the time. These two features alone account for most rapid battery loss on newer iPhones. Background app refresh lets apps update their content — checking email, loading news, syncing photos — without you opening them. Location services power maps, weather, and fitness tracking, but they also run for apps you may have forgotten you installed.
The second major drain is screen brightness and screen-on time. Your display uses more power than any other component. If you keep brightness at maximum or leave your phone on for hours without locking it, the battery will empty in half the time it should. Older iPhones with LCD screens drain faster than newer models with OLED, but both are affected by constant use.
Key Takeaways
- Background app refresh and location services drain battery even when you are not actively using your phone, and turning them off for specific apps can extend battery life by hours per day.
- Your screen brightness and how long the display stays on account for the largest single drain on most iPhones, and lowering brightness or enabling auto-brightness saves significant battery.
- Older iPhones and those with degraded batteries lose charge much faster than newer models, and you can check your battery health in Settings to see if age is the cause.
- Cellular signal strength, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi searching all consume power, and turning off these radios when you do not need them extends battery life noticeably.
- You can see exactly which apps are using the most battery in Settings under Battery, which tells you whether a single app is the problem or whether drain is spread across many.
How to check which apps are draining your battery the fastest
Open Settings, then tap Battery. You will see a list of apps ranked by how much battery they have used in the last 24 hours or the last 10 days — tap the toggle at the top to switch between the two views. The percentage next to each app shows how much of your total battery that app consumed. If one app is using more than 20 percent of your battery and you do not use it that often, that app is likely the problem.
Tap Battery Health to see the overall condition of your battery. If your Maximum Capacity is below 80 percent, your battery is degraded and will not hold a charge as long as it did when new. iPhones with batteries below 80 percent capacity drain noticeably faster, and below 50 percent the phone may shut itself down even when the battery shows 20 or 30 percent remaining. If your battery health is poor, the drain you are seeing is normal for a worn battery, not a software problem.
Turn off background app refresh for apps that do not need it
Open Settings, then tap General, then Background App Refresh. You will see a list of every app on your phone. Toggle off Background App Refresh for any app you do not need to update constantly. Most people can turn it off for social media apps, news apps, and games without losing anything important — email and messaging apps are worth leaving on if you want notifications to arrive quickly.
This single change often saves two to four hours of battery life per day, depending on how many apps you had running in the background. Start by turning it off for the apps that showed the highest battery use in the Battery settings screen.
Disable location services for apps that do not need your location
Open Settings, then tap Privacy, then Location Services. You will see a list of apps with permission to use your location. Tap each app and change the setting from "Always" or "While Using" to "Never" for any app that does not genuinely need to know where you are. Maps and weather need location. Social media apps, games, and shopping apps do not.
Some apps will ask for location permission the first time you use a feature that needs it — you can allow it just for that moment instead of giving permanent permission. Turning off location for even three or four apps can extend battery life by one to three hours per day.
Lower your screen brightness and enable auto-brightness
Open Settings, then tap Display & Brightness. Turn on Auto-Brightness so your screen adjusts its brightness based on the light around you instead of staying at maximum. Then manually lower the brightness slider to around 40 to 50 percent for indoor use. You will adjust it up when you go outside, but most of the time you do not need full brightness.
If you spend most of your day indoors, lowering brightness to 40 percent and enabling auto-brightness can add four to six hours to your battery life. The screen is the single largest power consumer on your phone, so this change has the biggest impact of any adjustment you can make.
Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you are not using them
Your iPhone constantly searches for Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth devices even when you are not connected to anything. This searching uses power. If you are away from home or the office for most of the day, turn off Wi-Fi in Settings under Wi-Fi. Turn off Bluetooth in Settings under Bluetooth. You can also use Control Center — swipe down from the top right corner and tap the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth icons to toggle them off.
Turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you do not need them saves one to two hours of battery per day. If you use Bluetooth headphones or a car connection regularly, leave Bluetooth on but turn off Wi-Fi when you are away from your home or office network.
Enable Low Power Mode to extend battery life when ready
Open Settings, then tap Battery, then tap Low Power Mode and toggle it on. Low Power Mode reduces performance, limits background activity, and lowers screen refresh rate to extend battery life. Your phone will feel slightly slower, but most people do not notice the difference in daily use. Low Power Mode typically adds four to eight hours to your battery life depending on how much you use your phone.
You can also set your iPhone to turn on Low Power Mode automatically when your battery reaches a certain level. In the same Battery settings screen, tap Low Power Mode and choose the percentage at which you want it to turn on automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does closing apps in the background actually save battery?
No. Closing apps by swiping them away in the app switcher does not save battery because iOS suspends apps automatically when you are not using them. The only way to reduce battery drain from apps is to turn off background app refresh for specific apps or uninstall apps you do not use.
Why does my battery drain faster in cold weather?
Cold temperatures slow down the chemical reactions inside your battery, so it cannot deliver power as quickly. Your iPhone may also shut down at a higher battery percentage in cold weather to protect the battery. The drain is temporary — your battery will return to normal when the phone warms up.
Should I leave my iPhone plugged in overnight?
Modern iPhones are designed to charge overnight safely. Once your battery reaches 100 percent, the phone stops charging and switches to trickle charging to maintain the level. Leaving it plugged in overnight does not damage the battery, but charging to 100 percent and keeping it there for hours does wear the battery slightly faster over years of use.
Can a single bad app drain my battery completely?
Yes. If an app has a bug or is designed poorly, it can use 30 to 50 percent of your battery in a single day. Check your Battery settings to see if one app stands out. If it does, uninstall that app and see if your battery life returns to normal. If the problem continues, the issue is likely your battery health or a system setting, not a single app.
Does turning off notifications save battery?
Turning off notifications saves a small amount of battery because your phone does not have to light up the screen or play sounds. The savings are minimal — usually less than 30 minutes per day — unless you receive hundreds of notifications. Turning off background app refresh and lowering screen brightness have much larger effects.