The most common culprits behind fast battery drain
Your iPhone battery drains quickly because of one or more of these things: a background app refreshing constantly, location services running all the time, a display brightness set too high, or an app with a bug that keeps the processor working even when you are not using the phone. The fastest way to find out which one is the problem is to open Settings, tap Battery, and look at Battery Usage — that list shows you which apps have used 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 app is the problem. If the drain is spread across many apps, or if Battery Usage shows "Screen" or "System" at the top, the issue is usually a setting rather than a single app.
Key Takeaways
- Check Battery Usage in Settings > Battery to see which apps consumed the most power in the last 24 hours or 10 days.
- Apps using 30 percent or more of your battery while you rarely open them are likely running background tasks that should be turned off.
- Location services, background app refresh, and screen brightness are the three settings that drain battery fastest when left on for all apps.
- Turning off background app refresh for specific apps (rather than all apps) usually solves the problem without breaking notifications.
- If Battery Usage shows "Screen" or "System" at the top, the drain is caused by a setting or a hardware issue, not a single app.
How to turn off background app refresh for the apps that drain battery
Background app refresh lets apps update their content even when you are not looking at them — this is how Mail can show a badge with new message count, or how Weather can refresh without you opening it. But if an app is refreshing every few minutes, it drains battery fast.
Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. You will see a list of every app on your phone. The toggle next to each app name controls whether that app can refresh in the background. Turn off the toggle for any app that does not need to update when you are not using it — for example, a game, a news reader you check once a day, or a social media app. Keep it on for Mail, Messages, and any app that needs to alert you to something urgent.
Do not turn off Background App Refresh entirely using the toggle at the top of the screen — that disables it for all apps at once and breaks notifications for apps that need them. Instead, turn it off app by app.
Location services and why they drain battery faster than you think
Location services use your phone's GPS, which is one of the most power-hungry features on any iPhone. Some apps ask for location permission and then check your location constantly, even in the background. Maps does this by design. Weather, social media apps, and fitness apps often do it too.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. You will see a list of apps with location permission. Tap each app and choose "Never" if you do not need location, "While Using" if the app only needs to know where you are when you have it open, or "Always" only if the app genuinely needs your location in the background — Maps for navigation is a good example, but most apps do not.
Changing an app from "Always" to "While Using" usually cuts its battery drain by half or more. If you use Maps for navigation, leave it on "Always" — the battery cost is worth the feature. For everything else, "While Using" is almost always the right choice.
Screen brightness and why it matters more than you think
Your iPhone screen is the single biggest battery drain on most phones. If you have Auto-Brightness turned off and your brightness slider is set above 50 percent, the screen alone can drain your battery in 4 to 6 hours of active use.
Go to Settings > Display & Brightness and turn on Auto-Brightness. This setting adjusts your screen brightness based on the light around you — it is dimmer indoors and brighter in sunlight. It uses less battery than a fixed high brightness because you rarely need maximum brightness indoors.
If Auto-Brightness is already on and your battery still drains fast, lower the brightness slider manually. Many people find that 30 to 40 percent brightness is comfortable indoors and cuts battery drain noticeably. You can also enable Low Power Mode in Settings > Battery, which reduces screen brightness, limits background activity, and extends battery life by a day or more.
What to do if one app is using most of your battery
Open Settings > Battery and look at Battery Usage. If one app shows 40 percent or higher and you barely use it, that app has a bug or is misconfigured. The first step is to force-close the app: swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or swipe down from the top right on newer iPhones) to open the app switcher, find the app, and swipe it up to close it.
Then open the app again and use it normally for a few minutes. Close it again and check Battery Usage after a few hours. If the drain is gone, the app had a temporary glitch. If it comes back, uninstall the app and reinstall it from the App Store — this clears out any corrupted data. If the problem persists after reinstalling, the app itself has a bug and you should contact the app maker or switch to a different app that does the same thing.
When the problem is iOS itself, not an app
If Battery Usage shows "Screen" or "System" at the top of the list, or if no single app is using more than 15 percent, the drain is caused by a setting or by iOS itself. This usually happens after you update to a new version of iOS — the system rebuilds its search index and does other background work for the first day or two, which drains battery faster than normal.
Leave your phone plugged in overnight and check Battery Usage again the next day. If the drain is still there, restart your iPhone: press and hold the power button and either volume button, then slide to power off, wait 10 seconds, and press the power button again to turn it back on. If Battery Usage still shows System at the top after a restart, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and delete apps you do not use — a full storage drive can slow down iOS and drain battery.
If none of these steps work, your iPhone may have a hardware issue with the battery itself. Batteries degrade over time and eventually hold less charge. You can check your battery health by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and looking at the Maximum Capacity number — if it is below 80 percent, the battery is degraded and may need replacement by Apple.
Low Power Mode and when to use it
Low Power Mode is a built-in setting that reduces power consumption across your entire phone. It lowers screen brightness, limits background app refresh, reduces animation speed, and caps processor performance. When you turn it on, your iPhone can last 1 to 2 days longer on a single charge.
Go to Settings > Battery and tap Low Power Mode to turn it on. Your status bar will turn yellow to show it is active. You can also add Low Power Mode to Control Center — go to Settings > Control Center and tap the plus sign next to Low Power Mode — so you can turn it on with one swipe from the top right of your screen.
Low Power Mode is safe to use all the time, though some features like iCloud syncing and some visual effects will be slower. Most people turn it on when their battery drops below 20 percent, but you can turn it on whenever you want to extend battery life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does closing apps in the app switcher save battery?
No. Closing an app does not save battery because apps in the background are not using much power — they are suspended. Closing them and reopening them later actually uses more battery because your phone has to reload them from storage. Only force-close an app if it is misbehaving or draining battery visibly in Battery Usage.
Will turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth save battery?
Turning off Wi-Fi saves a small amount of battery, but turning off Bluetooth saves almost nothing unless you have a Bluetooth device connected and actively using it. If you want to save battery, focus on screen brightness, background app refresh, and location services instead.
What is the difference between Battery Usage and Battery Health?
Battery Usage shows which apps consumed power in the last 24 hours or 10 days. Battery Health shows the overall condition of your battery — specifically, its Maximum Capacity, which is the percentage of charge it can hold compared to when it was new. A battery at 80 percent capacity is degraded and may drain faster than normal.
Can I replace my iPhone battery myself?
Apple does not recommend it, and opening your iPhone yourself voids the warranty. If your battery health is below 80 percent, take your iPhone to an Apple Store or an authorized repair shop and ask for a battery replacement. The cost varies, but Apple charges around $69 for most models.
Why does my battery drain faster in cold weather?
Batteries work less efficiently in cold temperatures — the chemical reactions inside them slow down. Your iPhone may show a lower battery percentage in cold and then jump back up when it warms. This is temporary and does not mean your battery is damaged. Avoid leaving your phone in very cold places for long periods.