The 9 Reasons Why Your Phone Battery Is Draining So Fast (2024)

A flat phone battery is beyond frustrating, especially when you're out of the house and in need of your smartphone.

You might not know that several things can drain your battery without you even realizing it, and taking control of them can keep your battery fuller for longer. So, here are the most common causes of a quick-draining phone battery.

High Display Brightness

We'll start with one of the more obvious causes of a fast-draining phone battery: screen brightness.

It may seem convenient to have your brightness on max, especially when you're outside, but this has a large negative impact on your battery.

You can also adjust your phone's brightness settings to adjust to external light differences. This will allow it to darken in low-light environments and brighten in environments exposed to a lot of light. To do this, you'll need to first head into your phone's settings and then to the Display or Display & Brightness section (depending on whether you're using an Android or iOS phone).

Here, you can set your phone's brightness to adjustable, saving you a good deal of battery life in the long run.

Alternatively, on iPhone, access your quick control hub by swiping down on the upper right portion of the device screen. This action will allow you to quickly and easily adjust your phone screen brightness via the Brightness Slider.

But a dimmer screen isn't always convenient, especially if you have impaired eyesight. So, what else can you do instead of lowering your screen's brightness?

One alternative is to switch your frequently used apps' display to dark mode, as well as your phone's general display. It doesn't darken your phone screen drastically but switches your phone's standard white menu and app backgrounds to black. You'd be surprised how much battery this can save without compromising brightness.

You can switch your phone's general display mode following the same steps as shown in the screenshots above.

We have a guide on important display settings you should change if you'd like to learn more.

Background Apps

Background apps essentially function even when you're not directly using them. Examples include VPN, antivirus, health, and calendar apps. These apps monitor or control certain aspects of your phone without you intervening, which, while convenient, drains your battery significantly.

What's more, you probably don't need a good number of these apps to be working in the background. So, how can you disable background apps?

• iOS: Head to Settings > Battery. Now, toggle Low Power Mode.
• Android: Head to Settings > Device Care, and toggle the Battery Optimization mode. You may also see this labeled as Adaptive Battery, and it may also be hidden in the Power Saving Mode options.

Picture-in-Picture Mode

If you use YouTube Premium, Twitch, or a similar app, you may have used picture-in-picture mode before. This mode involves watching any video or stream in a small viewing box on your screen while using other apps. While this is convenient, using multiple apps simultaneously can drain your phone battery.

To disable picture-in-picture mode on chosen apps, go to your phone's settings and head to the Apps section on an Android or Picture in Picture on an iPhone within the General section.

Then, click on your chosen app from the list provided. You can now view the app's permissions and general settings. Here, you can select the Picture in Picture option (if it applies to the app) and activate or deactivate it using the toggle.

Staying Connected 24/7

Keeping your Wi-Fi or data activated at all hours might seem like a no-brainer. But this can significantly drain your phone battery, as you constantly get notifications and background updates when you don't need them.

During your sleeping hours, it is a great time to switch off your Wi-Fi. You could switch your phone to airplane mode, but if you're worried about missing an urgent call, you can instead turn off your Wi-Fi and data in your phone's dropdown list to still accept cellular phone calls.

• iOS: You can do this through the quick menu on iOS by swiping down from the upper right corner. Additionally, it can be accessed through the Settings app by selecting the Wi-Fi section and toggling that selection off.
• Android: Similarly, use the Android Quick Settings menu to toggle airplane mode on and off.

See Also

How to Revive a Cell Phone Battery (with Pictures)

Keep in mind that switching your phone to Do Not Disturb mode does not turn off your Wi-Fi or data.

An Old Phone Battery

Sometimes, it's not an app or a setting but the battery itself that affects your phone's battery life. For this reason, it is important to maintain your phone's battery health. After about two or three years (depending on the phone's model), your battery will no longer be able to achieve its original maximum capacity, which can lead to your battery draining fast.

Sometimes, your phone will notify you when it detects a decrease in battery quality, but sometimes, it won't. The most common sign of a degrading battery without any notification is shorter battery life in general. So, what can be done about this?

The first and most obvious option is battery replacement. This is usually far cheaper than a total smartphone replacement and could fix your fast-draining battery problem quickly and easily. Battery prices will vary depending on the specific phone you have.

The other option, of course, is to replace your phone entirely, especially if it's getting on in years. Phone repairs can be very costly nowadays, so if you're dealing with multiple faulty parts and your phone is getting on in years, it might be time for an upgrade.

Location-Tracking Apps

There are a huge number of apps that can track your location. Google Maps, Bumble, Postmates, Uber, the lot. And while you may think apps solely track your location when you're directly using them, this isn't always the case. This constant location monitoring requires energy and can take a toll on your phone's battery life.

So, how can this be avoided?

The easiest way to deactivate location tracking is to turn off your phone's location altogether. You can do this in your Android phone's dropdown menu. You can also hold down the location icon in your phone's dropdown list to access your full location settings, as shown below.

If you own an iPhone, navigate to the Privacy & Security section of the settings section, as seen in the image below. Once there, adjust your Location Services as needed.

However, if you want certain apps (maybe a safety or navigation app) to keep tracking your location, you can disable location tracking individually via the "Permissions" section of each app's settings. Doing so might take a while, but it'll give you total control over which apps do and don't have access to your real-time location.

Check Which Apps Are Using Up Your Battery Life

Some apps eat up more battery life than others, so it's worth tracking them down and deleting them (or resetting them). To determine which apps are using the most power, navigate to your phone's battery settings section.

• iOS: Head to Settings > Battery. Next, select Show Battery Usage. This will display a list of the applications that use the most battery life and their percentages. If you see an app on this list that you deem unnecessary, consider deleting it to prolong your phone's battery life.
• Android: Head to Settings and input battery usage. This will bring up the Battery Usage by App settings, from which you can check app battery usage. As with all Android settings, the precise Settings will differ, but it'll be roughly the same.

Surplus Notifications

When you install a new app on your phone, its notification settings are likely to be automatically activated. However, you can deactivate certain notifications to save battery life.

To do this, open the Notifications section to your Android or iOS device's settings. Here, you'll be able to view the notification settings for all the apps installed on your phone.

You can now alter the notification settings of any app by quickly turning them on and off entirely via the toggle or tapping on the app itself to alter more specific settings. For example, you may want to receive notifications for Instagram messages but not for Likes or Follows.

Malware

A more nefarious possible cause for your phone's fast-draining battery is malware. This is particularly a concern for non-iPhone users. Because malware runs in the background, monitoring activity, conducting remote functions, or stealing data, it takes a toll on your device's battery life.

Slow processing and frequent crashes can also signal malware on your phone. Even if you're not downloading files from suspicious websites or opening random links, malware can still make it onto your phone via malicious apps. Malicious apps can bypass the security measures of even the top app stores (including Google Play and Apple App Store), so you're never 100 percent safe.

If your phone's battery is draining quickly, it's wise to uninstall any suspicious apps, install an antivirus client, and turn on your phone's Safe Mode feature.

Additional Tips and Tricks

You can also try to use the original charger your phone came with when charging it, as this will give the battery a greater chance of reaching optimum capacity. This could also help with charging speed.

Also, check that your charger is in good shape. If your charger isn't charging your phone very quickly, there may be an issue with a plug or the cable, and you may need to find a replacement.

It's always a pain to have your phone die unexpectedly, but with the suggestions above, you can optimize your phone's battery and stop it from draining so quickly. Who knows, you might not even need to carry that portable charger around anymore.