Why Does My iPhone Battery Drain So Fast? Here’s the Real Fix!
Many things cause an iPhone battery to drain quickly. Battery issues are one of the most common complaints from iPhone users, but especially recently due to the iOS 15 update. However, if your iPhone battery is draining fast every day, it could be an indicator of your iPhone battery health.
Here’s a guide to the most common causes of iPhone battery draining, how to make your battery life last longer, and how to know when to replace your iPhone battery.
Does Updating iPhone Drain Battery Life? iPhone iOS 15 Battery Drain Issues
iPhone users have noticed that the new iOS 15 is causing battery drain issues. It’s not uncommon for an iOS update to cause battery life issues because an update involves installing new software on your device. Typically, the bigger the update, the more battery life is drained.
Unfortunately, the iOS 15 update is affecting iPhone battery life more than usual and is likely caused by a bug or poor software optimization. This means it won’t be fixed until the next iOS update. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t update your software. Software updates install more than just new features on your iPhone, they can add additional security and protection and using older software can leave your device more vulnerable.
However, although the iOS 15 battery effects will likely not be fixed until a new software update, there are still some things you can do to preserve your iPhone battery health.
7 Easy Ways to Stop Battery Draining on iPhone
These seven best practices are the perfect place to start to preserve your iPhone battery for everyday use, many of which Apple support agents have recommended to users complaining about the iOS 15 update draining battery life.
- Enable recommended settings
The first step to save your iPhone battery life is to check your recommended settings in Battery Health. To do this:
- Go to Settings
- Scroll to Battery
- Tap Battery Health
- Click on each suggestion
If your iPhone doesn’t have any suggestions for saving battery life, there are always a few things you can do. Keep reading for six more tips.
- Turn down screen brightness
Leaving your brightness set to full every day is a common culprit of battery drain. In fact, full-screen brightness is one of the most draining options on your iPhone.
To dim iPhone brightness:
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen
o Note: if you have a model with a home button, swipe up
- Drag the Brightness slider down as close to the bottom as possible while allowing you to comfortably see your screen
- Turn on Auto-brightness
Auto-brightness is an iPhone setting that will automatically adjust the brightness setting on your phone based on ambient light levels. Enabling this setting can help preserve your battery life by preventing too much screen brightness when it’s not necessary. So, you can save battery but still see your screen.
To turn on Auto-brightness:
- Open the Settings app
- Scroll to Accessibility
- Tap Display & Text Size
- Switch Auto-Brightness at the bottom to on
- Keep your apps up to date
Setting your apps to automatically update is a good security practice anyways, but it also helps save your battery.
To set your apps to update automatically:
- Open the Settings App
- Tap App Store
- Scroll to Automatic Downloads and switch App Updates to on
Once that is turned on, you will no longer need to worry about updating your apps manually.
However, if you prefer the manual route, here’s the step to do that. To update apps manually:
- Open the App Store
- Click your account image/icon in the top-right corner
- Select Update All
- Click Done
- Remove widgets
Widgets can drain the battery on your iPhone as well, and you may have some widgets you don’t need that you could get rid of to save battery.
To remove widgets:
- Open Today View by swiping right on the lock screen
- Scroll to Edit
- Tap the – icon to remove unnecessary widgets
- Tap Done when finished
- Turn off location services
Location services are often draining a lot of your iPhone battery without you even realising it. Many apps track your location and, depending on your settings, can even track your location when they are closed. You can select to allow apps to see your location Always, While Using the App, Ask Next Time or Never.
To turn off location services:
- Open the Settings App
- Scroll and tap Privacy
- Tap Location Services
- Select individual apps to Never where possible
- Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, or better yet, turn on aeroplane mode
One way to preserve juice if your iPhone battery is draining fast is to turn off your Wi-Fi connection. This can especially help preserve iPhone battery from draining when you’re on the go because searching for a connection takes up battery life. You can also save battery by turning off Bluetooth when you’re not using it.
To turn off Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth on an iPhone:
- Swipe down from the top-left corner of your screen
Note: if you have a model with a home button, swipe up
- Tap the Wi-Fi symbol
- Tap the Bluetooth symbol
Or, even better, you can turn on airplane mode to save battery. To do this:
- Swipe down from the top-left corner of your screen
Note: if you have a model with a home button, swipe up
- Tap the airplane symbol
When all else fails, it might be time to buy a battery for your iPhone.
How to Know When to Buy a New Battery for iPhone
An iPhone battery typically lasts around 300 to 400 battery cycles, or full charges, before it drops to only 80% of its capacity. That typically lasts for two years of use. A good rule of thumb is that if you’ve had your iPhone for more than two years then you should replace the battery. Older batteries will require more frequent charging, and you can’t live your life on the end of a charging cable.
Apple iOS doesn’t show how many battery cycles your phone has gone through, but you can check on your battery health.
To view your iPhone battery health:
- Open the Settings app
- Scroll to Battery
- Tap Battery Health
- View the Maximum Capacity
Older iPhones tend to have a lower capacity. Anything under 80% should be replaced for better performance.
- Check Peak Performance Capability
Your iPhone will display a message here to let you know if it is supporting peak performance or not.
Find the Right Battery for Your iPhone Model
If your iPhone battery is draining fast and your iPhone battery health is poor, it might be time for a replacement battery. At Loctus, we have quality iPhone batteries for all different iPhone models. Get in touch with our 5-start support if you need any help selecting or installing your battery and enjoy free shipping on orders over $100. Search for your iPhone model to find the right battery for you.