iPhone Battery Draining Fast? Causes and Fixes That Work

If your iPhone battery is draining fast, start by opening Settings > Battery to see which app is using the most power, then check whether you recently installed an iOS update. Most sudden drain comes from one busy app, a fresh update still working in the background, or an aging battery, and each has a different fix.

The fixes below run from the quickest checks to the ones that take more effort. Work down the list and stop when your battery behaves again.

A new iOS update is still finishing setup

Did the drain start right after an update? That timing matters. Apple has said, as reported by Macworld, that after a major iOS update you might notice a temporary hit to battery life and some extra heat, because the phone is finishing setup in the background. That work includes indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets and updating apps.

What to do: plug the phone in, connect to Wi-Fi and leave it alone for a while, ideally overnight. Then judge battery life over the next full day of normal use. If the drain is still bad after a couple of days, move on to the fixes below.

While you are at it, make sure you are on the latest version in Settings > General > Software Update. Apple often fixes battery bugs in point releases that follow a big update.

One app is eating the battery

The Battery screen tells you a lot. Go to Settings > Battery and look at the usage list. It breaks power use down by app, and Apple notes it can show messages such as Background Activity, Location and Background Location, Home & Lock Screen, and No Cell Coverage and Low Signal.

How to read it:

• An app you barely opened sitting near the top with "Background Activity" is doing work when you are not looking.
• A navigation, ride share or fitness app with high "Background Location" use is tracking you even when closed.
• A big share for "Home & Lock Screen" usually means lots of notifications waking the screen.

Fixes depend on the culprit. Update the app from the App Store first, since a buggy version is a common cause. If that does not help, delete and reinstall it. For apps you rarely use, deleting them entirely is the cleanest answer.

Apps refresh in the background all day

Background App Refresh lets apps fetch new content while you are doing something else. It is handy for messaging apps and wasteful for most others.

1. Open Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
2. Tap Background App Refresh at the top and choose Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi & Cellular Data, or Off.
3. Back on the list, turn it off for apps that do not need fresh data the second you open them (games, shopping apps, news apps you check once a day).

Location Services run more than you need

GPS is one of the hungriest features on any phone. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and review the list app by app.

• Set most apps to While Using the App or Never instead of Always.
• Turn off Precise Location for apps that only need a rough idea of where you are, such as weather.
• Open System Services at the bottom of the list and switch off items you do not use, such as Significant Locations & Routes.

Leave Find My on. It is worth the small cost.

The screen and notifications are working overtime

The display is usually the single biggest power user. Two changes help:

• Drag the brightness slider down in Control Center, and keep Auto-Brightness on in Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size.
• Cut noisy notifications in Settings > Notifications. Pick an app and turn off Allow Notifications if you never act on its alerts. Fewer wake-ups means less screen time you did not ask for.

If your model has an always on display and you rarely glance at it, turning that off is another easy win.

Weak signal makes the radio work harder

If the battery tanks in a basement office, on the subway or out in the country, poor coverage is a likely cause. Your iPhone boosts power to hold on to a weak signal, and the Battery screen may flag "No Cell Coverage and Low Signal."

When you know you will be out of range for hours, turn on Airplane Mode from Control Center. You can still turn Wi-Fi back on while it is enabled. Just remember you cannot make regular calls in Airplane Mode.

Your iPhone gets hot while draining

Battery draining fast and getting hot is a combination people search for a lot, and the two feed each other. Apple's battery life and lifespan guide says iPhone works best between 62 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit and recommends avoiding temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, which can permanently reduce battery capacity.

Warmth for a short time after an update or during a long video call is normal. Constant heat while the phone is idle is not. Take it out of a thick case while charging, keep it out of direct sun and hot cars, and check the Battery screen for an app running in the background. If nothing explains the heat, contact Apple Support.

Low Power Mode as a stopgap

Low Power Mode buys time while you track down the cause. Turn it on in Settings > Battery, or tap the prompt iPhone shows at 20% and 10%. Apple says it reduces display brightness, optimizes performance, minimizes system animations and stops Mail from downloading in the background. It switches off on its own once the phone is charged enough.

The battery itself has worn down

If none of the software fixes help, the battery may simply be old. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health (on iPhone 14 and earlier, the screen is labeled Battery Health & Charging). Look at Maximum Capacity and the Peak Performance Capability message.

According to Apple's iPhone battery and performance page, batteries in iPhone 14 models and earlier are designed to keep 80 percent of their original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles under ideal conditions, while iPhone 15 models are rated for 1,000 cycles. Real results depend on how you use and charge the phone. If the screen reports that your battery's health is significantly degraded, a replacement will help more than any setting. Our guide to what your iPhone battery health numbers mean explains each reading.

To slow future wear, keep Optimized Battery Charging on, or on iPhone 15 and later set a Charge Limit under Settings > Battery > Charging. Apple notes it needs at least 14 days to learn your charging habits before optimization kicks in.

When to get the battery replaced

Book a battery service when:

• Battery Health shows a degraded battery or a capacity well below 80%.
• The phone shuts down unexpectedly at 20% or 30%.
• The battery looks swollen or the screen is lifting. Stop using the phone and get it looked at right away.

Apple's standard one year warranty covers a defective battery but not normal wear. Apple says AppleCare plans replace the battery at no extra charge if capacity drops below 80%. Out of warranty, Apple charges a fee that varies by model, so check the current price on the Apple battery replacement page before you book. An Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider can do the work.

A sudden change with no obvious cause

If the phone runs hot, uses data you cannot account for and shows apps you do not recognize, it is worth ruling out something worse. See how to know if your phone is hacked and how to remove a virus from an iPhone.

If your phone also feels sluggish, our tips to speed up a slow iPhone pair well with the fixes above. More phone guides live in our Gadgets section.

One last habit worth building: glance at Settings > Battery once a week. Catching a misbehaving app on day one is much easier than wondering where your afternoon charge went.