Your iPhone is probably draining fast because of a few common culprits: apps running in the background, location services, screen brightness, or a battery that has straightforward aged
The fastest way to see what is actually using your battery is to open Settings, tap Battery, then Battery Usage. This shows you which apps have consumed power in the last 24 hours or the last 10 days. The app at the top of that list is your biggest drain. If it is an app you barely use, you can turn off its background activity. If it is an app you rely on, you may need to adjust how it works or accept that it uses power.
Before you start closing apps or changing settings, check your battery health. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. If the Maximum Capacity is below 80 percent, your battery itself is wearing out and will drain faster than it did when the phone was new. That is normal aging, not a software problem. If capacity is above 80 percent, a setting or app is the issue.
Key Takeaways
- Settings > Battery > Battery Usage shows you exactly which apps consumed the most power in the last 24 hours or 10 days.
- Battery Health & Charging tells you if your battery has degraded below 80 percent capacity, which is the main reason older iPhones drain faster.
- Background App Refresh, location services, and screen brightness are the most common settings that drain battery on phones with healthy batteries.
- Turning off notifications, reducing screen brightness, and disabling location for apps that do not need it will extend battery life without affecting most daily tasks.
How to read your battery usage report
Open Settings, tap Battery, then Battery Usage. You will see a list of apps ranked by how much power they used. The percentage next to each app shows what share of your total battery that app consumed. An app using 25 percent of your battery is a major drain; one using 2 percent is not worth worrying about.
Tap any app in the list to see two numbers: Last 24 Hours and Last 10 Days. Compare them. If an app used 30 percent of your battery in the last 24 hours but only 5 percent over 10 days, it had a heavy day yesterday but is normally fine. If it is consistently high across both periods, that app is your problem.
The report also shows whether the app was active on screen or running in the background. If an app you never use is showing high background activity, that is the first thing to fix.
Check whether your battery has degraded
Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. Look at the Maximum Capacity percentage. This tells you how much charge your battery can hold compared to when it was new. A new iPhone battery is at 100 percent. After a year or two of normal use, it typically drops to 85–95 percent. After three or more years, it may be at 70–80 percent.
If your Maximum Capacity is 80 percent or higher, your battery is still healthy and the drain is caused by settings or apps. If it is below 80 percent, your battery is aging and will naturally drain faster. Apple also shows Condition on this screen—if it says "Normal," your battery is fine. If it says "Service Recommended," the battery is degraded enough that Apple suggests replacement.
Battery degradation is not a defect; it is how lithium batteries work. Every charge cycle wears them down slightly. If your phone is more than three years old and draining quickly, battery replacement is often the simplest fix.
Turn off background app refresh for power-hungry apps
Apps can run in the background and check for updates, load new content, or track your location even when you are not using them. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. You will see a list of every app that has permission to run in the background. Toggle off the ones you do not need to update constantly.
Social media apps, email, and messaging apps are common background drains because they refresh frequently. If you do not need when ready notifications from an app, turn off its background refresh. You can still open the app and use it normally—it just will not check for new content when you are not looking at it.
Some apps, like Maps or Find My Friends, need background refresh to work properly. Leave those on. For apps you rarely open, background refresh is almost always safe to disable.
Disable location services for apps that do not need it
Location services use your phone's GPS, which is a significant battery drain. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. You will see a list of apps with permission to know your location. Tap each app and choose Never, While Using, or Always.
Most apps should be set to While Using or Never. Always means the app can track your location even when you are not using it, which drains battery constantly. Maps needs While Using so it can navigate. A weather app does not need location access at all if you manually set your city. A social media app almost never needs your location.
Turning off location for apps that do not truly need it is one of the fastest ways to improve battery life without losing functionality.
Reduce screen brightness and enable adaptive brightness
Your screen is often the single largest battery drain on an iPhone. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness. Drag the brightness slider down to a level that is comfortable but not maximum. You do not need full brightness indoors or in daylight.
Turn on True Tone (if your model has it) and Auto-Brightness. Auto-Brightness adjusts your screen brightness based on the light around you, so you use less power in dim rooms and more in bright sunlight—but only as much as you need. This saves battery without requiring you to manually adjust brightness all day.
If you want even more control, enable Low Power Mode in Settings > Battery. This reduces performance slightly and limits background activity, but it can extend battery life by several hours on a single charge.
Check for apps with location or notification issues
Sometimes an app drains battery because it is stuck trying to do something it cannot do. A fitness app might be constantly trying to access your location. A messaging app might be stuck trying to send a notification. These appear as high battery use in your Battery Usage report.
If an app is using unusual amounts of battery, try closing it completely and reopening it. If the problem continues, uninstall the app and reinstall it from the App Store. If the app is built into iOS (like Mail or Maps) and is draining heavily, restart your phone: hold the power button, slide to power off, wait 10 seconds, then power back on.
If a specific app consistently drains battery even after reinstalling, you may need to stop using it or contact the app maker to report the problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my battery drain faster in cold weather?
Lithium batteries work less efficiently when cold. Your iPhone may show lower battery percentage in winter, but the battery itself is not damaged. Once the phone warms up, the percentage usually recovers. Avoid leaving your phone in very cold places for long periods.
Does closing apps in the app switcher save battery?
No. Closing apps by swiping them away from the app switcher does not save battery and can actually use more power because iOS has to reload them from scratch when you open them again. Let iOS manage which apps stay in memory.
Should I turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to save battery?
Turning them off saves a small amount of battery, but the difference is usually minimal. If you are not using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, iOS puts them into low-power mode automatically. Only turn them off if you are in an emergency and need every bit of battery life.
What is the difference between Battery Usage and Battery Health?
Battery Usage shows which apps consumed power recently. Battery Health shows whether your battery itself is degraded. A healthy battery with a power-hungry app will drain fast. An old battery will drain fast even with no apps running. You need to check both to understand your problem.
Is it bad to use my iPhone while it is charging?
No. Using your phone while charging does not damage the battery. The phone manages charging speed automatically to prevent overheating. You can safely use your iPhone while plugged in.