iOS 15 Battery Drain: 20+ Tips to Improve Your Battery Life

Are you experiencing unexpected battery drain on your iPhone after installing iOS 15? iPhone’s battery life has been a heated debate and this continues to be in iOS 16. Few bugs in the initial stages as well as hidden settings might drain iPhone battery. Here are the best tips to help fix the iOS 15 battery drain issues you face on your iPhone.

Just because you have the latest and revamped iOS version, doesn’t mean you won’t have battery issues anymore! The manner in which you use it and the settings you tweak matters a great deal when it comes to the overall performance. One incorrect tweak can surely drain your iPhone’s battery. In the past, I’ve noticed that users complain about iPhone’s battery however, adjusting a couple of basic tweaks in settings can tremendously improve iOS 15 battery life.

There are numerous tweaks to implement if you want to fix iOS 15 battery drain problems and make your iPhone’s battery last a little longer. Beginning from “force quit apps” to turn off backgroung app refresh and from dark mode to low power mode, you need to use all these features wisely to improve iOS 15 battery life.

No matter what could cause the battery drain in iOS 15 on your iPhone, the following tips can fix your problem.

The tips given below are the basic tweaks as most of the iPhones’ batteries drain due to these issues. Before implementing a tip, you need to analyze what’s consuming the battery on your iPhone.

1. launchSettings.
2. Scroll down and tab Battery.
3. Scroll down to the apps section of the Battery History Window, and see the apps causing iOS 15 battery drain. Then you can delete them as needed.

Let’s now take a look at the tips to improve iOS 15 battery life:

How to improve iOS 15 battery life

Here are tips to improve iOS 15 battery life:

1. Force Quit Apps on iOS 15

How many apps do you actively use on your iPhone? Let’s say 10 to 20 on a regular basis? And furthermore, how many of you quit those apps after using them and your work is done? That’s where the majority of the iPhone users’ battery drains!
To force quit an app on your iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, or iPhone 6s Plus, you just need to double tab the Home button quickly and then swipe up on the app card to close it.
Just close those apps by double tapping home button and close those apps or Swipe one finger from the bottom to bring up app switcher if you are using iPhone X, XS, XS Max, XR iPhone 11, iPhone 12 or iPhone 13.

2. Use Automatic Dark Mode on iOS 15

Give your eyes a pleasure while reading at night by using Dark Mode in iOS 15. While dark mode can be beneficial in numerous ways, it can also maximise the lifespan of your battery compared to light mode.
To use dark mode, launch Settings app and tap on Display & Brightness option → select Dark Mode.

3. . Allow Notifications Only from Selected Apps

App notifications can be a distraction especially while at work or when you’re sleeping! While few app notifications might be crucial to you depending on the apps you use and some may be useless in case you don’t use them quite often. Simply disable notifications from those apps to improve iOS 15 battery life.

To allow notifications only from particular apps, head over to Settings, tap on Notifications, tap on any particular app, let’s say FaceBook and then toggle ON Allow Notifications option.

And in case you don’t need any app notifications, simply go to the Settings → Notifications → Show Previews → select Never as your option if you see Always or When Unlocked option active by default. Through this , you’re sure to improve iOS 15 battery life.

4. Turn Off Raise to Wake

Raise to Wake is a convenient option to swiftly view your notifications on your lock screen. However, this process can consume significant amount of battery power every time you raise your iPhone.
To turn off this option, navigate to Settings → Display & Brightness → toggle OFF Raise to Wake option.

5. Use Low Power Mode

There’s nothing wrong in keeping your device in low power mode all the time if you don’t want to receive all notifications from apps running in the background. Low Power Mode can improve iOS 15 battery life span by disabling several background activity, such as disabling “Hey Siri”, fetching mail, and decreasing Auto-Lock period. It is prompted when you reach 20% battery, and 10%.
Here’s how to enable it on iPhone:

1. OpenSettings.
2. Scroll down and tab on Battery.
3. Locate the Low Power Mode switch and turn it on.

Low Power Mode will automatically disable itself when battery level reaches 80%.

6. Turn Off Automatic Downloads and Updates

Every time you download a new app on your iPhone, you need not download it automatically on any other devices which are linked to your iCloud account. This is because , once the app is downloaded on your iPhone, it automatically downloads on other devices as well and it updates automatically too when the update rolls out. This might be a convenient feature if you want to keep all your apps updated in all your devices and of course it’s a great productivity hack too. However, it can consume lots of your devices battery in the process for sure. The apps which you’re using On your iPhone, you may not need them on your iPad sometimes therefore, there is no need of turning on automatic downloads. Instead, turn it off and improve iOS 15 battery life.

To turn off automatic downloads and updates, head over to Settings and scroll down and tap on App Store. Under Automatic Downloads section, turn off Apps and App Updates. Turn off Automatic Downloads under cellular section as well.

7. Turn Off Location Services

Location services as well as brightness are a huge battery drainer on your iPhone. It’s important to disable location service settings when you’re not using it for any purposes. At times, few apps might ask permission to access location and you grant access, but when you close the app, you forget to disable the location. And at the end of the day, the iPhone’s battery drops quickly! This can disadvantage you when you’re traveling away from home and you use Apple Maps or Google Maps a lot.

To disable location services on your iPhone, head over to Settings → Privacy→ tap on Location Services and turn the switch to OFF. In the meantime, if the location is turned ON, you can set the apps to use the location services only when you’re using them. This saves you a huge amount of battery but if you disable location services altogether, you’re certain to improve iOS 15 battery life.

8. Disable Background App Refresh

Background App Refresh is precisely what the heading says. It’s the process where apps in the background refresh their content. While it is very important , it can be a huge drainer of your battery.

It’s recommended you either disable certain apps you think are causing lots of drainage, or disable the background and refresh altogether. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tab on General.
3. Scroll down and tab on Background App Refresh.
4. Disable it with the switch, or turn off specific apps.

However, if you have already used low power mode as already explained in the third tip, background app refresh will be automatically disabled. In case you wish to enable it just on Wi-Fi, simply tap on Wi-Fi. But don’t select both Wi-Fi and cellular data if you want your iOS 15 battery to last longer!

9. Keep an Eye on Display & Brightness

There are a number of settings to tweak in Display & Brightness section. One of them was to disable Raise to Wake option as we mentioned in Previous tip. This saves you some battery since the screen does not wake each time you raise your iPhone. Moreover, make sure that the brightness is not too high and is within limits. Additionally, set the Auto-Lock option to 1 minute if possible. This will provide a substantial improvement to iOS 15 battery life. If you really want to prolong iOS 15 battery life, try to lock your iPhone when it’s not in use.

If your screen is very bright, it can lead to some battery drainage. Here’s how to adjust it. There are two methods to do this

The first method is to:

1. Launch Settings.
2. Locate Display and Brightness.
3. Locate the brightness slider and bring it down to about 20 or 30%, or you can bring it down all the way. In case you want to maintain brightness to always 0, disable Auto Brightness.

The second method is to launch Control Center. Find the Brightness slider and bring it down to your desired level.

Also reduce the auto-lock time to 30 seconds or 1 Minute maximum to save more power. This can save you at least 10% to 20% of your battery if you utilize it properly.

10. Turn Off WiFi and Bluetooth

Turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth from the Control Center doesn’t turn them off completely. Actually, they are still active in the background. So make sure to completely turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

To turn off Wi-fI, head over to Settings → WiFi → Toggle it to OFF and to turn off Bluetooth, Settings → Bluetooth → Toggle it to OFF. Therefore, make sure to use Settings app instead of Control Center to turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to extend iOS 15 battery life.

11. Disable Your Widgets

This feature may not drain iOS 15 battery life however, it’s always good to keep an eye on widgets section as well. Swipe right on the home screen to see the widgets you are currently using. Scroll all the way down on the screen and tap on Edit at the very bottom of the screen.  Here, you can remove the apps which you aren’t using from widgets by tapping the red icon on the left side of a given app or game and tap on remove which appears on the right side. This may not create a great impact but it will add a little to your battery life for sure!

12. Delete some Apps

To find which apps are causing iOS 15 battery drain issue, you need to navigate to Settings and tap on Battery. Scroll down to establish which of your iPhone’s apps are consuming more battery for no reasons.

If you spot an app which you don’t use and it’s consuming your battery, simply delete it. Keep checking your battery life if it improves, then you have taken the right steps by deleting a few apps.

13. Turn on Reduce Motion

Reduce Motion decreases the user interface effects. There’s really not much details on it, but it aids in improving iOS 15 battery life, and it makes sense

Turning reduced motion on makes UI effects less flashy.

Here’s how to set it up.

1. tap Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap on Accessibility.
3. Tap Motion.
4. Locate the switch next to Reduced Motion and switch it on.

14. Delete Unused Apps and Use Safari More

Background App Refresh handles the task of fetching new data in the background. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take care of other background activity.

As you may understand, some apps use certain amount of battery. Whether it is in the foreground or background at that time, and depending on whether the app does background / foreground activity in the first place, the app will use up your battery.

It is suggested you delete the app in the event you are not using it. If the app has a web client, it’s recommended you use that instead. You could also make it seem like an app by adding the URL as an icon on the home screen, so no background activity takes place. This is how you replace Apps with Website Icons:

1. Launch Safari.
2. enter the URL of the web client. For instant, www.facebook.com.
3. If the website request you to sign-in, do so, and keep in mind to save your password when prompted. This will ensure that you don’t have to login everytime you open the website.
4. Ensure that you are on the main page, or the main dashboard. Next, locate find the Share button located at the bottom of the Safari toolbar.
5. In the Share Sheet, tap on Add to Home Screen.
6. Rename the icon, for example, Facebook, Twitter, etc, and tap Save.
7. Navigate to your homescreen and confirm the icon has appeared on the screen of your Phone.

15. Keep an eye to personal Hotspot (iPhone)

If you keep Personal Hotspot on, it can consume huge amount of your battery. I discovered my battery was draining insanely last month, and tried to investigate why. Personal Hotspot Was the culprit. Once I turned it off, I was able to improve iOS 15 battery life. Here’s how to disable personal Hotspot on your iPhone:

1. Open Settings.
2. Locate Personal Hotspot.
3. Locate the switch and toggle it off in case it is not.

Another way of getting to the same screen is by tapping Cellular, then Personal Hotspot. That’s just a longer way of getting there though.

16. Restart Your Device

How often do we make use of this feature when it comes to unanticipated errors or something you don’t understand happening on your iPhone? I sometimes do it on my Windows PC when I face any errors and they aren’t solved! Restarting a device is a swift resolution any time.

Just Force restart your iPhoneand put iOS 15 battery drain issue to rest within no time. While this may be a speedy solution, there could be something else which might be draining your iOS 15 battery. Give it a  try!

17. Send Low-Quality Images Via iMessage

If you enjoy sharing high-quality photos over iMessage, you’ll be happy to know that the stock messaging app for iOS provides a way to send low-quality images. Save this nifty feature for the times when you want to increase your iOS 15 battery life by restricting all the power-intensive features.

Go to Settings> Messages. Now, scroll down to the bottom and then turn on the Low-Quality Images switch.

18. Disable Auto-Play iMessage Effects

iMessage effects is a great way to make messaging even more fun. You can use an array of bubble and screen effects to express your feelings in iMessage.

While auto-playing iMessaging effects are great, they can cause iOS 15 battery drain. To do this, go to Settings > Accessibility > Motion. Now, disable the Auto-Play Message Effects.

19. Disable Auto-Playing Videos in App Store

Auto-playing video previews of apps and games are a great way to enable you take a peek at what they have to offer. Though they come in handy at times, they can cause battery drain issues in iOS 15. You can disable them by going to Settings app > App Store > Video Autoplay and then choose Off.

20. Disable Auto-Playing Videos in Safari

Auto-playing videos in a browser are nothing but a source of annoyance as they tend to interfere with your browsing experience. And if they are enabled, they can drain plenty of battery life. Thankfully, iOS 15 has made it easy to turn off auto-playing videos in Safari. To do this, head to Settings> Accessibility > Per-App Settings > Add App > Safari > Auto-Play Video Previews and then choose Off.

21. Adjust 5G Setting

As a matter of fact, 5G is a huge battery drainer. While the latest iteration of the mobile network lets you enjoy fast network speed, there is no denying that it sucks up a huge amount of battery power. So, if you have allowed it to run without any check, it might be the cause of your iOS 15 battery drain issues.

Fortunately, it’s easy to manage 5G settings in iOS 15. Head over to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data. Now, either choose 5G Auto to let your device use 5G only when there won’t be a significant battery drain or select LTE to turn off 5G.

22. Reset All Settings

If you aren’t getting any helpful results despite implementing all the above-mentioned tips, it’s time to reset your iPhone settings entirely To bring it back to normal.
To reset all settings on your iPhone running on iOS 15, navigate to Settings app → tap General → scroll down to Transfer or Reset iPhone. Tap Reset and tap on Reset All Settings. Your iPhone will request for a confirmation, accept to proceed. Never worry this will not get rid of any data from your device, it only resets all the settings back to default.

This will reset any setting which you might not be aware of and could be draining your iOS 15 battery. Once you reset the settings, keep in mind to follow the above-mentioned tips right from the scratch!

Further Reads:

• 30+ Best iOS 15 Tips and Tricks to Try First
• How to Fix Common iOS 15 Problems
• 13 iOS 15 Settings You Should Turn On Right Now!

Final thoughts!

I have tested some of these tips and I’ve realized that by disabling background app refresh, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, automatic updates & downloads as well as Disabling location services improved my iOS 15 battery life. I keep the brightness level from medium to low.

If you need further assistance, let me know in the comments section and if you’re still encountering any problems even after implementing the above-mentioned tips. I will try to help you improve iOS 15 battery life.