Do you find your iPhone battery draining faster than usual? One of the hidden culprits might be the Background App Refresh feature. While it’s designed to keep your apps up-to-date with fresh content, it can also impact your battery life. In this article, we’ll explore what Background App Refresh is, how it affects your battery, and steps you can take to reduce its impact.
What is Background App Refresh?
Background App Refresh allows apps to update their content in the background while you’re not actively using them. This means your social media feeds, email inboxes, and news apps are always current when you open them. However, this continuous updating process consumes battery power.
How Background App Refresh Affects Your Battery
When Background App Refresh is enabled for multiple apps, your iPhone is constantly using resources to update these apps. This can lead to faster battery drain, especially if you have numerous apps set to refresh in the background. The more apps you have running, the more battery power they consume.
Steps to Reduce Battery Drain
Here are some practical steps to minimize battery drain caused by Background App Refresh:
1. Use Low Power Mode
One of the best and simplest ways to limit background app refresh is Low Power Mode. It reduces overall battery consumption, including limiting Background App Refresh.
- Go to Settings > Battery.
- Toggle on Low Power Mode.
Low Power Mode reduces or disables several background processes, including automatic downloads, mail fetch, and Background App Refresh.
2. Disable Background App Refresh for Specific Apps
You don’t need every app to refresh in the background. Selectively disabling this feature for apps that don’t require constant updates can save a significant amount of battery life.
- Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
- Choose “Background App Refresh” and set it to “Wi-Fi” or “Wi-Fi & Mobile Data” depending on your preference.
- Scroll through the list of apps and toggle off Background App Refresh for those you don’t need updating constantly.
3. Manually Refresh Apps
Instead of allowing apps to update automatically, you can manually refresh them when needed. This ensures they only use power when you actively want them to update.
- Open the app you want to refresh.
- Swipe down or use the app’s refresh button to update its content.
4. Monitor Battery Usage
Keep an eye on which apps consume the most battery. If an app you rarely use is draining a lot of power, consider disabling Background App Refresh for that app.
- Go to Settings > Battery.
- Scroll down to see a list of apps and their battery usage.
Conclusion
While Background App Refresh is a useful feature for keeping your apps updated, it can also be a significant drain on your iPhone’s battery. By selectively disabling Background App Refresh for specific apps, using Low Power Mode, manually refreshing apps, and monitoring battery usage, you can extend your iPhone’s battery life and ensure it lasts throughout the day.