How to Stop Apps from Draining Your Battery

Edited 2 weeks ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

Battery ManagementApp ManagementSmartphoneAndroidiPhonePower ManagementPerformanceDevice ManagementMobile OSCustomization

Smartphones have become an integral part of our daily lives, and a major concern for many users is battery life. It's frustrating when the battery drains quickly, especially when you need your phone the most. Apps play a significant role in battery consumption, and managing them effectively can extend your phone's battery life. This guide will explore various strategies to prevent apps from draining your battery.

Understanding battery drain

Before we discuss the solutions, it is important to understand why apps drain the battery. Apps use battery power for many tasks such as processing, data synchronization, location services, and background activities. The complexity and frequency of these tasks causes some apps to consume more power than others. The following sections will provide detailed steps to reduce battery consumption by managing apps effectively.

Monitor battery usage

The first step to preventing battery drain is to identify the apps that consume the most power. Both Android and iOS devices have built-in tools to monitor battery usage.

For Android devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Navigate to Battery.
3. Click on Battery usage or Battery usage after full charge.
4. Here, you will see the list of apps and their battery consumption.

For iOS devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Battery.
3. Scroll down to view battery usage by different apps.

By monitoring battery usage, you can identify the apps that consume the most power and take appropriate action.

Limit background activity

Apps often run in the background, doing things like syncing data, fetching updates, or showing notifications. Limiting background activity can significantly reduce battery consumption.

For Android devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Navigate to Apps & notifications.
3. Select the app you want to restrict.
4. Tap Battery.
5. Select Background restriction and confirm.

For iOS devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Select Background App Refresh.
4. Close the apps you want to prevent from running in the background.

This way, apps will update their data only when you open them.

Disable location services

Location services can consume a lot of battery, especially when many apps are constantly accessing your location. Disabling or limiting location services for specific apps can help save battery.

For Android devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Navigate to Location.
3. Tap App permissions.
4. From here, you can select apps and choose whether they can access your location all the time, only while using the app, or deny access.

For iOS devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Privacy.
3. Select Location Services.
4. Tap individual apps and choose Never, Ask next time, While using the app, or Always.

By only allowing essential apps access to your location, you can save a considerable amount of battery life.

Disable push notifications

Push notifications can drain your battery because they wake up the device and use data every time you receive a notification. Disabling push notifications for non-essential apps can help reduce battery consumption.

For Android devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Navigate to Apps & notifications.
3. Select Notifications.
4. Tap on the apps you want to disable notifications for and turn off the Allow Notifications toggle.

For iOS devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. Select the app and turn off Allow Notifications.

By disabling unnecessary push notifications, you not only save battery but also reduce distractions.

Uninstall or disable unused apps

Keeping too many apps installed can also consume battery power unnecessarily. Some apps may run background processes or receive updates even if you don't use them often. Uninstall or disable unused apps to save battery.

For Android devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Navigate to Apps & notifications.
3. Select the app you want to uninstall or disable.
4. Tap Uninstall or Disable.

For iOS devices:

1. Press and hold an app icon until the apps begin to jiggle.
2. Tap the X or - icon on the app you want to remove.
3. Select Delete to confirm.

Removing unused apps can free up storage and reduce battery consumption.

Use Lite versions of apps

Many popular apps have "lite" versions that are designed to use less data and battery. These versions are typically stripped-down versions of the main app, providing the core functionality with reduced resource usage.

For example:

• Facebook Lite
• Messenger Lite
• Twitter Lite
• Skype Lite

Using these Lite versions can help save battery while still getting the features you need.

Keep apps updated

Developers often release updates to improve app performance and fix bugs, including those that affect battery life. Keeping your apps updated can ensure you have the latest optimizations.

For Android devices:

1. Open Google Play Store.
2. Tap the Menu icon (three horizontal lines).
3. Select My apps & games.
4. Tap Update All to update all apps, or update individual apps as needed.

For iOS devices:

1. Open the App Store.
2. Tap your profile icon in the top right corner.
3. Scroll down to view pending updates and release notes.
4. Tap Update all or update individual apps.

Regular updates can increase app performance and battery efficiency.

Manage screen brightness

Although screen brightness is not directly related to apps, it can significantly affect battery life. Managing screen brightness can help extend your battery life.

Automatic brightness:

Enabling automatic brightness allows your device to adjust screen brightness based on ambient light conditions, ensuring optimal battery usage.

For Android devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Navigate to Display.
3. Enable the Adaptive Brightness toggle.

For iOS devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Display & brightness.
3. Enable the auto-brightness toggle.

Additionally, manually lowering the screen brightness from the Quick Settings menu can save more battery.

Use battery saver mode

Most smartphones come with a battery saver mode that automatically limits background activities, reduces screen brightness, and makes other optimizations to extend battery life.

For Android devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Navigate to Battery.
3. Enable battery saver.

For iOS devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Battery.
3. Enable low power mode.

Battery saver mode can be a quick way to extend battery life when the battery is low.

Avoid using live wallpapers and widgets

Live wallpapers and widgets look cool, but they consume a lot of battery. Using static wallpapers and limiting the number of active widgets can help save battery.

Set static wallpaper:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Navigate to Wallpapers.
3. Choose a still image for your home screen and lock screen.

Remove unnecessary widgets:

1. Tap and hold the widget you want to remove.
2. Drag it to the Remove or Delete option visible at the top or bottom of the screen.

These simple changes can improve battery life without compromising functionality.

Disable automatic app updates

Automatic app updates running in the background can consume battery. Disabling automatic updates allows you to manually update apps when you have access to a charger.

For Android devices:

1. Open Google Play Store.
2. Tap the Menu icon (three horizontal lines).
3. Select Settings.
4. Tap Auto-update apps.
5. Select Don't automatically update apps.

For iOS devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap App Store or iTunes & App Store.
3. Turn off app updates.

This way, you can control when and which apps to update.

Customize app settings

Many apps have settings that can be optimized to reduce battery consumption. For example, social media apps can be set to update less frequently or only when they are opened.

Example: Facebook app

1. Open the Facebook app.
2. Go to Settings and Privacy.
3. Select Settings.
4. Tap Media and adjust the settings, from autoplay to never autoplay videos.

Similar adjustments can be made for other apps as well, limiting the need for them to frequently update or sync data.

Reduce animations

Reducing system animations can also help save your device's battery.

For Android devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Navigate to System.
3. Select Developer options. If not enabled, go to About phone and tap Build number seven times.
4. In Developer Options, scroll down to find Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale. Set these to 0.5x or Animation off.

For iOS devices:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Accessibility.
3. Select Motion.
4. Enable Reduce Motion.

This will reduce the animation effects, which will improve battery life a bit.

Make more use of Wi-Fi

Using Wi-Fi instead of mobile data can save battery life, as Wi-Fi consumes less power than cellular networks.

Whenever possible, make sure to connect to a Wi-Fi network by going to Settings > Wi-Fi and selecting an available network. Additionally, turning off cellular data when Wi-Fi is available can also help save battery.

Conclusion

Battery drain due to apps is a common problem that can be managed effectively with a few adjustments. By monitoring battery usage, limiting background activities, disabling unnecessary services, and optimizing app settings, you can significantly extend your phone's battery life. Keep these tips in mind and apply them regularly to get the most out of your smartphone without constantly worrying about battery life.

  Share This Article

If you find anything wrong with the article content, you can request an update