Your phone battery does not only drain when you are actively using it. Many apps continue running in the background — checking for new messages, refreshing their content, tracking your location — even when you are not looking at them. This guide shows you how to identify and stop the worst offenders.
Why Apps Run in the Background
Some background activity is useful. Your email app, for example, needs to check for new messages so you get notified when one arrives. A navigation app needs to keep updating your position. However, many apps run in the background unnecessarily — a cooking app refreshing its content when you have not opened it in weeks, for instance.
On an iPhone: Background App Refresh
Apple has a feature called Background App Refresh that controls which apps can update their content when you are not using them. To manage it:
- Go to Settings › General › Background App Refresh.
- You will see a list of all your apps with toggles next to them.
- Turn off Background App Refresh for apps that do not need to stay up to date — games, shopping apps, recipe apps, and most social media apps are good candidates.
- You can also set the top-level option to “Wi-Fi” so apps only refresh when you are on Wi-Fi, saving both battery and mobile data.
On Android: Battery Optimisation and Background Usage
Android handles this slightly differently, but the principle is the same:
- Go to Settings › Battery › Battery Usage (the exact path varies by phone maker).
- You will see a list of apps and how much battery each has used.
- Tap an app that is using a lot of battery and look for options like “Restrict background activity” or “Optimise battery usage.”
- Enable battery optimisation for apps you rarely use.
Check Location Permissions Too
Apps that track your location in the background are some of the biggest battery drains. Both iPhones and Android phones let you control this:
- iPhone: Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services. Change any app from “Always” to “While Using” or “Never” if it does not genuinely need your location at all times.
- Android: Settings › Location › App Permissions. Change apps from “Allow all the time” to “Only while using the app” where possible.
The Quickest Win: Delete Apps You No Longer Use
The simplest solution is often the most effective. If you have apps you downloaded once and never returned to, delete them. An app you do not have cannot drain your battery. Go through your apps every few months and remove anything you have not used in the past few weeks.
Making these changes once should give you a noticeable improvement in how long your battery lasts through the day — without needing to buy a new phone or a battery case.