Why Is My Phone Battery Draining So Fast?
Our phones do a lot for us these days, from allowing us to manage our finances to being a GPS and acting as our very own professional camera. However, when you reach for your phone and see the battery at 13%—even if you haven’t been actively using it—it can be very frustrating.
If you think your battery is draining faster than it should be, we’re here to help. In this guide, we uncover the hidden factors that may be contributing to your poor battery health and what you can do to stop it.
The Main Culprits Behind Rapid Battery Drain
There are several everyday habits secretly draining your phone’s battery life—including the usual suspects like screen brightness and location services—but what about some other not-so-common culprits?
Background app refreshing, using data over Wi-Fi, excessive push-notifications, and software updates are just some of the reasons why you might be experiencing poor battery life. Thankfully, many of these offenders can be easily fixed, and we’re here to show you how.
Diagnose Battery Health With Quick Checks
Knowing your battery's health status is the first step in addressing any potential issues. To find your battery percentage, start by going into your phone settings. Find Battery > Battery Health (this may look slightly different for different phone brands). Here you should be able to find your maximum battery capacity, as well as its peak performance capabilities. The percentage will give you an idea of the state your battery is in.
If you have a low percentage and notice the battery draining fast, reduced performance, or overheating, it could be time to think about replacing your battery. But, before you do that, follow some of our battery optimization tips and tricks.
Practical Tweaks to Extend Battery Life
Try these practical tips to see a difference in your battery life:
Turn off location services: GPS and location services are among the biggest charge drainers because they’re constantly in contact with satellites, cell towers, and Wi-Fi networks in an attempt to pinpoint your exact location.
Enable auto-lock: Turn on auto-lock so that when your phone isn’t in use, the screen will automatically lock and save power.
Reduce brightness: Turn down brightness and switch off auto-brightness. This setting adjusts your screen depending on your environment. So, if you’re in well-lit areas, it will increase screen brightness and drain your charge.
Turn off background app refresh: This prevents your apps from constantly searching for updates and refreshing content in the background, which can significantly drain your juice. Instead, set it to “Wi-Fi only” to save on power and data.
Disable push notifications: Do you really need to know every time Kanye has another tweeting frenzy on X? Probably not. Turn off any unnecessary push notifications to not only save battery power, but also give your mind a break from constant noise.
Use Wi-Fi: Mobile data typically uses more energy than when you’re connected to Wi-Fi. To save power, prioritize Wi-Fi where possible, and turn off both Wi-Fi and data connections when they’re not needed, like while you sleep.
Enable power-saver mode: Most phones have a power-saver mode that automatically applies optimizations to extend the phone’s battery life.
Turn off raise-to-wake: Newer iPhone models feature raise-to-wake, which uses motion detectors to sense when you lift your phone. It then automatically turns on the display and shows you the lock screen or Face ID. Turning this off means that when you lift your phone, you’ll simply have to tap the screen to wake it. So for us, it’s a no-brainer.
Monitor app usage: Regularly check your app usage in your phone settings to see if you have any apps you don’t use that are consuming a lot of your battery power. Delete any that you don’t use regularly and adjust your usage of any that use a lot of energy.
Check for updates: New software and app updates can be the reason why your battery is draining faster than normal. Ensure they’re up to date for maximum efficiency.
Optimize Charging Habits and Accessories
Your charging habits can significantly impact your battery life expectancy. If you want to keep your battery in good health, try following some of these best practices:
Use a good-quality charger: Knock-off chargers from third-party retailers often fail to meet certain safety requirements, resulting in issues such as overheating, slower charging, and long-term damage to your battery. Make sure to choose a reliable power bank and a genuine phone charger to avoid doing any damage.
Don’t overcharge: Try not to let your charge fall to 0% and avoid overcharging your phone. Once your phone reaches 100%, unplug it right away. Don’t leave your phone charging overnight, and aim to keep your battery between 20% and 80% for optimal performance.
Use fast-chargers wisely: Fast chargers are great for reducing charging time, and most modern fast chargers and smartphones can determine the maximum safe charging speed. This means you can charge without risk of damage to the battery. Ensure you do some research to find a good-quality fast charger, like the EcoFlow RAPID Magnetic Power Bank (10,000mAh), which can juice up your phone to 70% in just 33 minutes.
Tip: For longer trips or emergency use, a portable power station can also serve as a dependable backup to keep your phone and other devices charged when outlets aren’t available.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Hours Should a Phone Battery Last in a Day?
A typical smartphone battery can last anywhere between 8 and 12 hours per day. This will vary greatly depending on how you use your phone. Things like Maps, regularly checking Mail and certain social media apps will drain the charge significantly quicker. Background processes and things like screen brightness will also impact battery life.
What Drains the Most Battery on Phones?
Certain apps will use significant battery, especially if they’re running in the background and fetching information, like the Mail app. To find which ones are using the most, go to Settings > Battery. You should see a breakdown of which apps are using the most power. If some are using a considerable amount, try disabling background info, or uninstall if it’s not essential.
Small Habits Protect Battery Health, Extend Lifespan, and Prevent Power Loss
Having a phone that loses charge quickly isn’t necessarily an immediate cause for concern. More often than not, some small tweaks here and there can have a huge impact on your battery health.
By limiting background activity, turning off location services, and using reliable phone chargers, you can prolong your battery life. However, if your phone still can’t hold its charge, having a reliable energy source like the EcoFlow RAPID Magnetic Power Bank (10,000mAh) can be a lifesaver when you find yourself in a situation without a charger. Start implementing some of these small changes to protect your battery health today, and future you will thank you for it.