3 Must-Use Apps That Drain Your Phone's Battery
Understanding the Impact of Apps on Your Phone's Battery Life
Apps are essential to our daily lives, serving as tools that keep us connected, entertained, and productive. However, not all apps are created equal when it comes to their effect on your phone’s battery life and storage. Some apps run in the background, consuming power and taking up space without you even realizing it. If you’ve noticed your battery draining faster than usual, certain apps might be contributing to the issue. Here are three apps that are known for being particularly demanding on your phone’s resources.
1. Facebook: A Major Battery Drainer
Facebook is one of the most popular apps on smartphones, but it can also be a significant drain on your battery. Even when you're not actively using the app, it continues to refresh content, run background processes, and track your location for features like check-ins or targeted advertisements. Additionally, the app auto-plays videos and loads images as you scroll, which consumes a lot of power.
If you’re not ready to delete Facebook from your device, there are several steps you can take to reduce its impact on your battery. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and either turn off Facebook or set it to “Wi-Fi only.” You can also disable location access by navigating to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, selecting Facebook, and setting it to “Never” or “While Using the App.” Turning off video autoplay in the app’s settings and using the mobile browser version instead can also help conserve battery life.
2. Maps: Power-Hungry Navigation Tools
Navigation apps like Apple Maps and Google Maps are incredibly useful, but they are also among the most power-hungry applications on your smartphone. These apps rely heavily on real-time GPS tracking, background location services, and constant screen use—especially during long drives or when using turn-by-turn directions. Even having the app open in the background can significantly drain your battery.
To conserve power while still using these apps effectively, consider lowering your screen brightness manually when using maps. If you're using your phone for extended navigation, plug it in to keep it charged. You can also limit how often the app accesses your location by going to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, selecting your map app, and changing the setting to “While Using the App” instead of “Always.”
3. Snapchat: A Battery Hog with Addictive Features
Snapchat is known for being fun and addictive, but it also has a reputation for being a major battery drainer. The app constantly refreshes snaps, loads filters, runs the camera, and syncs with your location for features like Snap Map. It also has background activity and auto-play stories that can quietly drain your battery over time.
To continue using Snapchat without draining your phone’s battery, start by enabling Travel Mode within the app’s settings. This feature reduces the automatic downloading of snaps and stories. You can also limit location access by going to Settings > Location Services and setting Snapchat to “While Using the App” or turning it off altogether.
By understanding which apps are most taxing on your phone’s battery and making adjustments to their settings, you can extend your device’s battery life and make more efficient use of your smartphone.