iPhone Battery Draining Fast? Here's How to Fix It

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Few things are more frustrating than an iPhone that hits 20% before lunch. The good news: most fast battery drain comes from a handful of settings and habits you can change in a few minutes. This guide walks through the fixes in order, starting with the quickest checks, so you can find what's eating your battery without guesswork.

First, find out what's using your battery

Before changing anything, look at the data your iPhone already collects.

1. Open Settings and tap Battery.
2. Scroll down to the activity chart and the list of apps.
3. Tap between Last 24 Hours and Last 10 Days to see trends.
4. Tap an app to see how much time it spent on screen versus in the background.

If one app is using a large share of your battery, especially in the background, you've likely found your culprit. Consider updating it, restricting it (steps below), or deleting and reinstalling it.

Check your Battery Health

Lithium-ion batteries wear out over time. If your battery is old, no setting will make it last like new.

1. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health (on some models it's Battery Health & Charging).
2. Look at Maximum Capacity.

Apple considers a battery in good shape when it holds about 80% of its original capacity within its rated number of charge cycles. If yours is well below that, or you see a "Service" message, a battery replacement may be the real fix. Apple and authorized service providers can replace it.

Update iOS and your apps

Software updates often include bug fixes that affect battery life.

1. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install any available update.
2. Open the App Store, tap your profile picture, and update all apps.

Turn down screen brightness and use Auto-Brightness

The display is one of the biggest power users on any phone.

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center and lower the brightness slider.
2. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and make sure Auto-Brightness is on.

Use Dark Mode (especially on OLED iPhones)

iPhones with OLED screens (iPhone X and most later models, apart from the XR, 11, and SE) use less power showing dark pixels. Turn on Dark Mode in Settings > Display & Brightness > Dark.

Limit Background App Refresh

Background App Refresh lets apps fetch new content when you're not using them. That's handy for some apps but unnecessary for most.

1. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
2. Turn it off for apps that don't need to update in the background, such as games and shopping apps.
3. Or tap Background App Refresh at the top and choose Wi-Fi or Off entirely.

Review Location Services

GPS can drain battery fast when many apps use it constantly.

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
2. Tap each app and choose Never, Ask Next Time, or While Using the App instead of Always.
3. Turn off Precise Location for apps that don't need your exact spot, like weather apps.
4. Scroll to System Services and switch off items you don't use, such as location-based suggestions.

Shorten Auto-Lock

A screen that stays on longer than needed wastes power. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and pick 30 seconds or 1 minute.

Consider the Always-On display

On iPhone models that support it (Pro models from the 14 Pro onward, and some newer models), the Always-On display uses a small but steady amount of power. To turn it off, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On Display.

Cut down on notifications

Every notification lights up your screen and may wake your phone's radio.

1. Go to Settings > Notifications.
2. Tap apps that notify you too often and turn off Allow Notifications, or switch them to Scheduled Summary.

Use Low Power Mode when you need it

Low Power Mode temporarily reduces background activity like mail fetch, some visual effects, and automatic downloads.

1. Go to Settings > Battery and turn on Low Power Mode.
2. Or add it to Control Center for one-tap access.

Your iPhone will also suggest it automatically when you drop to 20%.

Restart your iPhone

It sounds too simple, but a restart can stop a stuck process that's quietly burning power. Press and hold the side button and either volume button until the power slider appears, slide to power off, wait 30 seconds, then turn it back on.

Charge smarter

Heat is a battery's enemy. Avoid leaving your iPhone in a hot car or charging it under a pillow. On supported models, keep Optimized Battery Charging turned on (in Settings > Battery > Charging or Battery Health & Charging), which learns your routine and delays charging past 80% until you need it.

A reliable charger and cable also matter. Stick with Apple's own accessories or certified "MFi" (Made for iPhone) cables and reputable chargers.

Still draining? Last resort steps

If you've tried everything above and battery life is still poor:

1. Reset All Settings: Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings. This resets settings like Wi-Fi passwords and wallpaper but does not delete your data.
2. Run Apple diagnostics: Contact Apple Support, which can run a remote diagnostic on your battery.
3. Replace the battery: If Battery Health is low, a new battery is often cheaper than a new phone.

Quick checklist

• Check Settings > Battery for power-hungry apps
• Check Battery Health
• Update iOS and apps
• Lower brightness and use Dark Mode
• Limit Background App Refresh and Location Services
• Shorten Auto-Lock
• Trim notifications
• Use Low Power Mode when needed

Work through these one at a time, give your phone a day to settle, and you'll usually see a noticeable improvement.