Your iPhone battery drains fastest when one app or background process is running constantly, or when your screen brightness is set high and stays on for long periods
The most common culprits are location services left on for apps that don't need them, background app refresh running for dozens of apps at once, and push notifications waking your phone constantly. Less obvious drains include Bluetooth staying connected to devices you're not using, Wi-Fi searching for networks in the background, and your battery health degrading over time if your phone is more than two or three years old.
The fastest way to find out what's actually draining your battery is to open Settings, tap Battery, then Battery Usage. This screen shows you which apps consumed the most power in the last 24 hours or the last 10 days. If one app is using 30 percent or more of your battery while you barely use it, that's your problem. If the drain is spread across many apps, the issue is usually your settings, not a single app.
Key Takeaways
- Check Battery Usage in Settings to see which specific apps are consuming the most power, which tells you whether one app is the problem or your overall settings are.
- Background App Refresh, location services, and push notifications drain battery even when you're not actively using an app, and you can turn them off per app in Settings.
- Screen brightness, screen-on time, and Bluetooth left connected to devices you're not using account for a large portion of daily drain in most iPhones.
- Battery health below 80 percent means your battery can no longer hold a full charge, and Apple's battery replacement costs between $50 and $70 depending on your model.
How to read the Battery Usage screen and spot the real drain
Open Settings, scroll down to Battery, then tap Battery Usage. You'll see a list of apps ranked by how much battery they used. The percentage next to each app shows what portion of your total battery that app consumed. If Safari is at 45 percent and you barely use it, Safari is your drain. If the top five apps are each between 8 and 12 percent, your battery is being used normally and the problem is something else—usually your settings or screen time.
Tap the clock icon at the top of the Battery Usage screen to switch between Last 24 Hours and Last 10 Days. The 10-day view is more useful because it shows patterns. If an app spikes to 40 percent one day and 5 percent the next, something unusual happened that day. If it's consistently high, that app is the problem.
One important note: if you see "System Services" or "Other System Processes" at the top of the list, that's normal. iOS itself uses battery for core functions. If it's above 20 percent, your phone may be indexing files or installing updates in the background, which is temporary.
Turn off Background App Refresh for apps that don't need it
Background App Refresh lets apps update their content even when you're not using them. Mail can check for new messages, weather can refresh the forecast, and news apps can read headlines. This is useful for a few apps and wasteful for most.
Go to Settings, tap General, then Background App Refresh. You'll see a toggle at the top to turn it off entirely, or you can scroll down and turn it off for individual apps. Keep it on for Mail, Messages, and any app you genuinely want to notify you of updates. Turn it off for games, social media apps you check manually, and any app you don't use daily. This alone can reduce battery drain by 10 to 15 percent depending on how many apps you have.
Disable location services for apps that don't need your location
Location services use your phone's GPS, which is one of the most power-hungry features available. Many apps request location permission and then use it constantly in the background, even though they don't need it.
Go to Settings, tap Privacy and Security, then Location Services. You'll see a list of every app that has requested location access. Tap each app and choose "Never" unless you actually need that app to know where you are. Maps needs it. Your weather app might. Your flashlight app does not. For apps you use occasionally, choose "While Using" instead of "Always"—this means the app can use your location only when it's open, not in the background.
If you turn off Location Services entirely, some apps will stop working properly, but your battery will last noticeably longer. Most people find a middle ground: turn it off for 10 to 15 apps and leave it on for the ones that genuinely need it.
Reduce screen brightness and screen-on time
Your screen is the second-biggest battery drain after the processor. A bright screen left on for hours uses far more power than any app running in the background.
Go to Settings, tap Display and Brightness, and turn on Auto-Brightness. This adjusts your screen brightness based on the light around you, so you're not running at maximum brightness indoors. You can also lower the maximum brightness by dragging the slider down—most people don't need brightness above 60 percent for daily use.
If you find yourself checking your phone constantly, the real drain is screen-on time, not the phone itself. Try setting a screen time limit in Settings under Screen Time, or straightforward putting your phone down more often. Thirty minutes of screen-on time per day uses far less battery than three hours, regardless of which apps are running.
Turn off push notifications and Bluetooth when you're not using them
Push notifications wake your phone's screen and processor every time an app sends you a message. If you have 50 apps with notifications enabled, your phone is waking up dozens of times per hour.
Go to Settings, tap Notifications, and turn off notifications for apps you don't need to hear from when ready. You can still check those apps manually. Keep notifications on for Messages, Mail, and anything time-sensitive, but turn them off for games, social media, and news apps.
Bluetooth drains battery when it's searching for devices or staying connected to a device you're not actively using. If you have AirPods paired but in their case, or a smartwatch you're not wearing, turn off Bluetooth in Control Center until you need them. You can swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen, long-press the network settings card, and tap the Bluetooth icon to toggle it off.
Check your battery health and consider a replacement if it's degraded
Every iPhone battery loses capacity over time. After 500 full charge cycles—roughly two to three years of normal use—most batteries drop to 80 percent of their original capacity. At that point, your phone can't hold a full charge no matter what settings you change.
Go to Settings, tap Battery, then Battery Health and Charging. Look at the Maximum Capacity percentage. If it's above 85 percent, your battery is still healthy. If it's between 75 and 85 percent, your battery is degraded but still usable. If it's below 75 percent, a battery replacement will noticeably improve your battery life.
Apple offers battery replacements at Apple Stores and authorized repair shops. The cost varies by model but typically ranges from $50 to $70. If your phone is still under warranty or AppleCare+, the replacement may be covered. Third-party repair shops often charge less, but using an unauthorized repair may void your warranty.
Enable Low Power Mode as a temporary fix
Low Power Mode reduces processor speed, limits background activity, and dims your screen slightly. It extends your battery life by 15 to 25 percent but makes your phone noticeably slower.
Go to Settings, tap Battery, then toggle on Low Power Mode. You can also enable it from Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner and tapping the battery icon. Use Low Power Mode when you're away from a charger for a long time, not as a permanent solution. If you find yourself using it every day, your battery health is probably degraded and needs replacement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my battery drain faster in cold weather?
Cold temperatures slow down the chemical reactions inside your battery, so it can't deliver power as quickly. Your phone may shut down at 20 percent battery in cold weather even though the battery isn't actually empty. The battery recovers when it warms up. This is temporary and not a sign of damage, but avoid leaving your phone in freezing temperatures for long periods.
Does closing apps in the background actually save battery?
No. Closing apps uses more battery than leaving them suspended because your phone has to reload them from storage the next time you open them. iOS automatically suspends apps you're not using. The only reason to close an app is if it's visibly misbehaving or stuck in a loop—check Battery Usage first to confirm it's actually draining power.
Should I turn off Wi-Fi to save battery?
No. Wi-Fi uses less power than cellular data, so leaving Wi-Fi on actually saves battery if you're in range of a network. Turn off Wi-Fi only if you're in an area with weak signals and your phone is constantly searching for networks. In that case, the searching uses more power than the connection itself.
Can a virus or malware cause fast battery drain?
iPhone malware is extremely rare because iOS is closed and heavily restricted. If your battery is draining fast, it's almost certainly a setting, an app, or degraded battery health—not malware. Check Battery Usage to confirm. If one app is using an unusual amount of power, uninstall it and see if the drain improves.
Why does my battery drain faster after an iOS update?
After an update, iOS indexes files and optimizes your system in the background, which uses extra battery for a few hours or days. This is temporary. If battery drain is still high after a week, restart your phone or check Battery Usage to see if a specific app is the problem.