How to Fix Battery Drain on iPhone: 20 Easy Ways

Battery draining fast on an iPhone is one of those problems that can annoy anyone whether your device is brand new or a few years old. One day it’s working fine, and suddenly you’re charging it twice a day.

The good news? You don’t need to panic or rush to replace your iPhone. Most battery drain issues can be fixed with the right settings, habits, and quick tweaks.

This guide breaks everything down in simple, actionable steps you can follow right now.

1. Restart Your iPhone (The Quickest Fix Most People Skip)

A restart clears temporary background processes that might be stuck and draining power.

How to restart:

• For Face ID models → Hold Side Button + Volume Up → Slide to power off
• For Touch ID models → Hold Side Button → Slide to power off
• Turn it back on after 10 seconds

You’ll be surprised how often this alone fixes random battery drops.

2. Check Battery Health (The Most Important First Check)

Apple gives a built-in tool to check if your battery is worn out.

Go to: Settings → Battery → Battery Health & Charging

Look at two things:

Maximum Capacity

• 90%+ = Good
• 80%–89% = Aging
• Below 80% = Replace battery recommended

Important Battery Message

If you see “Service Recommended”, no settings tweak will fully fix the issue. It needs a battery replacement.

3. Disable Background App Refresh (Key Cause of Overnight Drain)

Background App Refresh lets apps update even when you’re not using them.
Handy? Yes.
Battery killer? Absolutely.

Go to: Settings → General → Background App Refresh

You can:

• Turn it off completely, or
• Disable for battery-hungry apps like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Gmail, etc.

This step alone can increase battery life by 20–25%.

4. Turn Off Location Services for Non-Essential Apps

Apps constantly checking your location can drain your iPhone faster than you think.

Go to: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services

Change unnecessary apps to:

• While Using the App
• Never

Apps like weather, Uber, Maps are fine but social media apps don’t need your location 24/7.

5. Check Which Apps Are Draining Battery

Apple shows a breakdown of what’s sucking your battery.

Go to: Settings → Battery

You’ll see:

• Which apps drained battery
• Whether the drain was screen time or background time
• 24-hour or 10-day view

If you see an app unnecessarily at the top, force-stop it or delete/reinstall.

6. Disable Push Email (A Big Hidden Drain)

If your email is set to Push, your iPhone fetches mail constantly.

Switch to Fetch.

Go to: Settings → Mail → Accounts → Fetch New Data

Set:

• Push → OFF
• Fetch → Every 15 minutes or manually

This makes a huge difference, especially for Gmail or Outlook accounts.

7. Update iOS to the Latest Version

Apple often fixes battery bugs in updates.

Go to: Settings → General → Software Update
Install the update if available.

Tip: After updating, give your iPhone 24–48 hours to stabilize. New indexing happens in the background.

8. Enable Low Power Mode (When You Need Quick Boost)

Low Power Mode cuts background activity and visual effects.

Go to: Settings → Battery → Low Power Mode

OR
Ask Siri: “Turn on Low Power Mode”

Great for travel, long days, or when you’re under 20%.

9. Reduce Screen Brightness (The #1 Battery Killer)

Your screen uses more battery than any app.

Do this:

• Enable Auto-Brightness
• Reduce manual brightness from the Control Center
• Disable Raise to Wake if not needed
  (Settings → Display & Brightness → Raise to Wake)

If your screen stays on too long, reduce Auto-Lock to 30 seconds.

10. Turn Off Unnecessary Notifications

Every notification lights up your screen → more drain.

Go to: Settings → Notifications

Turn off notifications for apps you don’t need. Especially:

• Shopping apps
• Games
• Social media
• News apps

This reduces distractions and saves battery.

11. Disable 5G (Optional but Effective)

5G uses more power, especially in low-signal areas.

Go to: Settings → Cellular → Voice & Data → LTE

Your battery life will improve instantly if you’re in an area with unstable 5G.

12. Turn Off Bluetooth & Wi-Fi When Not Needed

When Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is scanning for connections, your battery drops.

Important: Turning them off in the Control Center doesn’t fully disable them it just disconnects.

To truly turn off: Settings → Bluetooth / Wi-Fi → Toggle Off

13. Stop Apps from Tracking You

Apps tracking your behavior uses network + background power.

Go to: Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking → Allow Apps to Request to Track → OFF

Battery + privacy win.

14. Clear Safari Tabs & Website Data

Safari can use background resources if too many tabs stay open.

Go to:
Safari → Tabs → Close All Tabs
Then:
Settings → Safari → Clear History & Website Data

If you frequently browse, clearing data helps with performance and battery.

15. Turn Off Unnecessary System Services

Apple hides several system-level settings under Location Services that drain power quietly.

Go to:
Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → System Services

Turn off:

• Location-Based Ads
• Location-Based Alerts
• iPhone Analytics
• Significant Locations (optional)

Keep ON:

• Find My iPhone
• Emergency calls & SOS
• Networking & Wireless (recommended)

16. Stop iCloud from Syncing Everything

If iCloud is syncing large files or photos, your battery drains quickly.

Go to: Settings → Your Name → iCloud

Turn off sync for apps you don’t use.

For photos:
Photos → iCloud Photos
Turn off if you don’t need real-time sync.

17. Turn Off Live Wallpapers & Unnecessary Widgets

Live wallpapers = constant animation = battery drain.
Widgets refresh data often.

Switch to a static wallpaper and remove widgets you don’t use.

18. Use Optimized Battery Charging

Apple slows overnight charging to reduce battery wear.

Go to:
Settings → Battery → Battery Health → Optimized Battery Charging

Keeping this ON extends long-term battery life.

19. Factory Reset as a Last Resort

If nothing works, your system may have corrupted settings.

Backup first →
Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings

Battery issues often disappear after a clean restore.

20. When You Should Replace the Battery

Replace your battery if:

• Battery health is under 80%
• iPhone shuts down randomly
• Battery drops 20–30% within minutes
• You see Service Recommended message
• Your iPhone gets unusually hot

Apple replacement is safest and affordable.

Final Thoughts

iPhone battery drain issues are frustrating, but they’re usually easy to fix. In most cases, a few settings tweaks, clearing background activity, and optimizing location and network use can extend battery life dramatically.

But if your battery health has dropped too low, replacing it is the most effective long-term fix.

Try these steps one by one you’ll easily get an extra few hours of battery life every single day.

FAQs

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