How to Save Battery Power on an iPhone

Co-authored by Josef Storzi

Last Updated: April 22, 2024 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to lower the amount of energy your iPhone uses and increase the length of time you can go without charging it.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using Low Power Mode

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It's a gray app that contains gears (⚙️) and is typically located on your home screen.
It's next to a green square that contains a white battery icon.

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3
Slide "Low Power Mode" to the "On" position. It will turn green.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Josef Storzi
Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist

Expert Interview. 7 December 2020.} Doing so can improve your iPhone's battery usage by as much as 40 percent.^{[2]
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Research source}
- You can also tell Siri to "Turn on Low Power Mode."
- When your iPhone's battery charges to a level above 80 percent, Low Power Mode automatically turns off.^{[3]
  X
  Research source} Turn it on after charging to save battery power.
- Using Low Power Mode affects several of your iPhone's features:
  - Email will not fetch as frequently.
  - The Hey Siri feature, which allows you to activate Siri without holding the Home button, will not function.
  - Apps will not refresh until you launch them.
  - Auto-Lock will default to 30 seconds.
  - Some visual effects will be disabled.^{[4]
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    Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Checking Battery Usage

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It's a gray app that contains gears (⚙️) and is typically located on your home screen.
It's next to a green square that contains a white battery icon.
3
Tap Last 7 Days. It's one of the tabs at the top of the "BATTERY USAGE" section.
- On this screen, your apps will be listed in descending order of the amount of battery power they've used over the last 7 days.
4
Identify the apps using the most amount of power. You can change the settings for apps with high usage percentages and the note "Background Activity" to decrease the amount of battery power the apps use.
- Keeping background apps closed on your phone can help preserve the battery. To close apps, double-click your home button if you have one, then swipe up on each app. If you don't have a home button, swipe up from the bottom and hold your finger on the screen until the menu with your background apps pops up.^{[5]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Josef Storzi
  Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist
  
  Expert Interview. 7 December 2020.}
- Turning off location services can also save power.^{[6]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Josef Storzi
  Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist
  
  Expert Interview. 7 December 2020.}
It's in the upper-left corner.
It's next to a gear (⚙️) icon.
It's near the bottom of the screen.
8
Slide "Background App Refresh" to the "Off" position. It will turn white. When this function is disabled, apps will only refresh when you open them, saving battery power.
- Background App Refresh is disabled in Low Power Mode.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Using Control Center

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Do so by swiping up from the bottom of your iPhone's screen.
2
Tap Night Shift:. It's a large button near the bottom of the Control Center. Doing so dims the brightness of your iPhone's screen and conserves power. Turn it on whenever possible.
- You can also use the brightness slider to reduce your screen's brightness and use less battery power.^{[7]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Josef Storzi
  Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist
  
  Expert Interview. 7 December 2020.}
3
Tap the "Airplane Mode" button. It's in the upper-left corner and contains the image of an airplane. When it's orange, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular service will be disabled.
- Do so when you don't need an Internet connection.
- This method is particularly useful in low-signal areas where your iPhone repeated searches for service.^{[8]
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  Research source}
- Your iPhone will charge faster in Airplane Mode, as well.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Reducing Screen "On" Time

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It's a gray app that contains gears (⚙️) and is typically located on your home screen.
It's near the top of the menu, next to a blue icon that contains two "A"s.
It's near the middle of the screen.
4
Select a duration. Tap on the amount of time you'd like your screen to stay on and idle before turning off and going into lock mode. Choose a shorter length of time to save more battery power.
- Home screen and lock screen are often two of the biggest users of battery power.
It's in the upper-left corner of the screen.
It's in the upper-left corner of the screen.
It's next to a red icon.
8
Turn off Lock Screen notifications. Do so by tapping apps that you don't need to receive notifications from when your phone is locked, then slide "Show on Lock Screen" to the "Off" (white) position.
- Notifications cause your screen to turn on. By turning off Lock Screen notifications, you will only see them when your iPhone is unlocked and in use.

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Question

How do you turn off location services?

Josef Storzi
Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist
Josef Storzi is an Apple and Mobile Phone Repair Specialist and the Owner of Imobile LA, a mobile phone repair company based in Los Angeles, California. Josef specializes in repairing screens, charging ports, batteries, water damage, speakers, and microphones on all mobile phone brands including Apple, Samsung, LG, Nokia, and Sony. He also specializes in tablet, laptop, and computer repairs as well as the pros and cons of recent mobile software updates.

Josef Storzi

Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist

Expert Answer

Open Settings and scroll down to Privacy, then click on Location Services. Toggle the slider next to Location Services to turn them on or off.

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Question

How do you turn on power saving mode?

Josef Storzi
Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist
Josef Storzi is an Apple and Mobile Phone Repair Specialist and the Owner of Imobile LA, a mobile phone repair company based in Los Angeles, California. Josef specializes in repairing screens, charging ports, batteries, water damage, speakers, and microphones on all mobile phone brands including Apple, Samsung, LG, Nokia, and Sony. He also specializes in tablet, laptop, and computer repairs as well as the pros and cons of recent mobile software updates.

Josef Storzi

Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist

Expert Answer

To enable power saving mode, navigate to Settings. Click on Battery, then toggle the slider next to Low Power Mode.

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Question

How do you close background apps on an iPhone?

Josef Storzi
Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist
Josef Storzi is an Apple and Mobile Phone Repair Specialist and the Owner of Imobile LA, a mobile phone repair company based in Los Angeles, California. Josef specializes in repairing screens, charging ports, batteries, water damage, speakers, and microphones on all mobile phone brands including Apple, Samsung, LG, Nokia, and Sony. He also specializes in tablet, laptop, and computer repairs as well as the pros and cons of recent mobile software updates.

Josef Storzi

Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist

Expert Answer

Double-click your home button if your device has one, then swipe up on each app. If you don't have a home button, use your finger to swipe up from the bottom, similar to how you swipe up to minimize an app. However, when you swipe up, don't release, but keep your finger on the display until the menu pops up revealing all your background apps. From there, you may swipe up on each app to close it.

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