If your iPhone battery drains faster than expected, adjusting a few settings can significantly improve battery life. Modern iPhones are powerful, but many features run in the background and drain battery life if not managed properly.
In this guide, we’ll go through the best iPhone settings you can tweak to improve battery life and get the most out of your device.
Reduce screen brightness
The display is one of the biggest battery consumers of any smartphone. Keeping your screen brightness too high can drain your battery very quickly.
To improve battery life, manually lower your brightness or enable Auto-Brightness so that your iPhone adjusts brightness based on lighting conditions.
To enable auto-brightness:
Go to Settings → Accessibility → Display and text size → Auto-brightness
Using dark mode can help save battery, especially on OLED displays.
Turn off background app refresh
Many apps continue to refresh and update in the background even when you’re not actively using them. This consumes both data and battery.
Disabling background app refresh for unnecessary apps can greatly improve battery performance.
To adjust this setting:
Go to Settings → General → Background App Refresh
You can disable it completely or disable it for selected apps.
Optimize location services
Location services allow apps to track your location, but constant access can significantly drain your battery.
Instead of letting apps use your location all the time, set them to “while using the app” or disable location access for apps that don’t need it.
To manage this:
Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services
This small difference can significantly affect battery life.
Enable low power mode
Low Power Mode is one of the easiest ways to extend your iPhone battery life. It reduces background activity, visual effects and automatic downloads.
When enabled, your iPhone uses less power, helping you get more use out of a single charge.
To enable Low Power Mode:
Go to Settings → Battery → Low Power Mode
You can add it to Control Center for quick access.
Manage notifications
Notifications may seem harmless, but constant alerts can wake up your screen and continuously use battery power.
Reducing unnecessary notifications can save battery and reduce distractions.
To manage notifications:
Go to Settings → Notifications
Turn off alerts for non-essential apps.
Turn off unused connection features
Features like Bluetooth, AirDrop, and Wi-Fi scanning can consume battery even when not in active use.
Turn these features off when you don’t need them to save power.
You can manage these quickly from Control Center or Settings.
How to dim and automate screen brightness on iPhone:
Swipe down from the top right to open the Control Center.
Drag the brightness slider down until comfortable.
Optional: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display and text size > toggle on Auto-brightness.
That last optional step, Auto-Brightness, automatically adjusts your screen’s brightness based on ambient light. I suggest enabling it to optimize your battery life and provide a better viewing experience under various conditions.
Keep your iPhone up to date
Apple regularly releases iOS updates that include battery optimization and bug fixes. Running an outdated version sometimes causes battery drain issues.
Make sure your iPhone is updated to the latest version of iOS for best performance.
To update:
Go to Settings → General → Software Update
Check battery usage
iOS lets you see which apps are consuming the most battery. This will help you identify problematic apps.
To check battery usage:
Go to Settings → Battery
If you notice an app using too much power, consider limiting its background activity or uninstalling it.
Use dark mode
Dark mode not only looks better in low light but also helps save battery on iPhones with OLED displays.
To enable dark mode:
Go to Settings → Display & Brightness → Dark
This can reduce electricity usage, especially at night.
Darken your screen
and enable auto-brightness
The brightness of your screen can really kill your battery life. In fact, the display is one of the biggest power drains on an iPhone, so even reducing the brightness by 10 to 20 percent can significantly extend your usage.
Maximizing battery life and lifespan
“Battery life” is the amount of time your device will operate before recharging. “Battery life” is how long your battery will last until it needs to be replaced. Maximize both and you’ll get the most out of your Apple devices, no matter which ones you own.
Top settings to change immediately:
- Low Power Mode: Go to Settings > Battery and toggle it on. This reduces power consumption by limiting background tasks, email retrieval, and visual effects.
- Auto-brightness: Navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Display & text size and enable “Auto-brightness”.
- Dark Mode: Switch to Dark Mode in Settings > Display & Brightness (OLED screens use significantly less power with dark themes).
- Background App Refresh: Turn this off completely or set it to “Wi-Fi” via Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
- Location Services: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and set non-essential apps to “While Using” or “Never”.
- Always-On Display: (for iPhone 14 Pro and later) Turn off via Settings > Display & Brightness > Always-On Display.
- Auto-lock: Set to 30 seconds in Settings > Display & brightness > Auto-lock.
- Push/Fetch Mail: Change to “Fetch” or “Manual” in Settings > Mail > Accounts > Fetch New Data to prevent constant, automatic checking.
- Battery Health/Charging: Enable “Optimized Battery Charging” and set a charge threshold (eg 80% or 90%) in Settings > Battery > Charging to reduce long-term battery degradation.
Silent notifications for unwanted apps
Constant notifications drain battery and can be distracting. Disable notifications for apps you don’t use often.
Disable location services for unnecessary apps
Location services are essential for some apps, but others don’t require constant access. Limit location access to apps that really need it or disable location even when you don’t need it.
Final thoughts
Improving your iPhone battery life doesn’t require advanced knowledge. By adjusting a few simple settings, such as brightness, background activity, and location access, you can significantly extend the life of your battery.
Small changes like enabling Low Power Mode, reducing notifications, and regularly updating your iPhone can make a big difference in your daily usage.
If you apply all these tips, your iPhone will last longer throughout the day and work more efficiently without constant charging.