Is your iPhone battery running out faster than usual? Before blaming the battery itself, check which apps are using the most power. Your iPhone has a built-in Battery section that shows exactly where your battery is going.
Here’s how to find battery-hungry apps and what you can do about them.
Step 1: Open Battery Settings
Start by opening: Settings → Battery
Your iPhone shows a daily battery usage graph and information about your recent battery activity. On current iOS versions, you can also tap View All Battery Usage to see usage from the last eight days.
Step 2: Find the Apps Using the Most Battery
Scroll down to the App and System Activity section.
You’ll see apps listed along with the percentage of battery they have used.
For example, you might find that:
- Instagram is using 18%
- YouTube is using 15%
- TikTok is using 12%
- Messages is using 5%
A high percentage doesn’t automatically mean an app is problematic. If you’ve spent two hours watching YouTube, naturally it may use more battery.
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Step 3: Check Background Activity
Tap an app to see more details.
Pay particular attention to Background Activity.
If an app is using significant battery while you’re not actively using it, it could be performing tasks such as syncing information, checking for updates, using location services or refreshing content.
This is often a better clue than simply looking at the percentage.
Step 4: Check for Low Signal Usage
Your iPhone can also use more battery when you’re in an area with poor cellular coverage.
Apple notes that low or no cellular signal can increase battery consumption because the iPhone may work harder to maintain a connection.
So if your battery suddenly drains during a road trip or in a building with poor reception, an app may not actually be the main problem.
Step 5: Reduce Background Battery Usage
If one app consistently consumes too much power in the background, consider limiting its activity.
Go to: Settings → General → Background App Refresh
You can turn Background App Refresh off completely or disable it for individual apps.
You can also review an app’s Location Services access if it doesn’t need your location all the time.
Step 6: Check Apple’s Battery Suggestions
Your iPhone may provide recommendations under: Settings → Battery
You could see suggestions related to brightness, Auto-Lock or other settings that are consuming more power than necessary.
Following these recommendations can sometimes improve battery life without changing how you use your iPhone.
Step 7: Use Low Power Mode
If you need your battery to last longer, turn on Low Power Mode.
Go to: Settings → Battery → Power Mode → Low Power Mode
It reduces or disables certain power-hungry activities, including some background activity and visual effects.
Don’t Forget Battery Health
If your apps don’t appear to be using unusually large amounts of power, check the battery itself.
Go to: Settings → Battery → Battery Health
On iPhone 15 and newer models, you can see information such as maximum capacity, cycle count, manufacture date and first-use date.
If your battery is significantly degraded, changing app settings may not solve the problem.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need a third-party app to find out what’s draining your iPhone battery. Apple’s built-in Battery settings already provide useful information about app usage, background activity, cellular signal and battery health.
The next time your iPhone battery drops unusually fast, don’t immediately start deleting apps.
Instead, go to: Settings → Battery → View All Battery Usage
Find the biggest battery users, check their background activity and make a few targeted changes.
A few minutes spent checking your Battery settings could be all it takes to get noticeably more battery life from your iPhone.
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