How do I fix my iPhone battery that drains from 100% to 20% in 4 hours?
My iPhone 14 was fine for the first year. Now the battery dies incredibly fast. I charged it to 100% this morning, used it normally (some texting, 30 min of YouTube, browsing Reddit), and by 1pm it was at 20%. I have battery saver on and I closed all my apps. I'm really tired of carrying a charger everywhere. Is there a fix or do I just need a new phone?
1 Answer(s)
Before you spend $800 on a new phone, try these fixes—they solve the problem for most people:
1. **Check battery health**: Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. If it's below 80%, your battery is degraded and needs replacement ($89 at Apple). This is the most common cause of sudden drain.
2. Background app refresh: Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off for apps you don't need real-time updates from. This alone can save 15-20% battery daily.
3. Location services: Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and set most apps to "While Using" instead of "Always." Constant GPS tracking kills battery.
4. 5G toggle: If you don't need 5G, turn it off in Settings > Cellular. 5G uses significantly more power.
5. Reset all settings: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings. This fixes weird software glitches that cause drain.
Try these in order. Step 1 alone fixes 90% of cases. If battery health is good but drain continues, it might be a software bug—wait for the next iOS update.