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Steps checked against official help pages. Last checked: Oct 23, 2026

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How Do I Make My Phone Battery Last Longer?

What this helps with: Your phone runs out of charge before the day is done. This guide shows the few settings that help most, how to find out what is using your battery, and how to keep the battery healthy for years.

The short answer: Turn on your phone’s battery saver (called Low Power Mode on iPhone). Turn the screen brightness down a little. Check which apps use the most battery. Keep your phone out of hot cars and direct sun.

Step 1: Turn on the battery saver

Every phone has a mode that makes the battery last longer. Your phone still makes calls, sends texts, and gets email. Some things just slow down or check for news less often.

iPhone (Low Power Mode):

  1. Open Settings and tap Battery.
  2. On iPhone 15 or newer, tap Power Mode, then Low Power Mode. On iPhone 14 or older, tap Low Power Mode right on the Battery screen.
    • What you’ll see: The battery icon at the top turns yellow.
  3. It turns off by itself once your phone charges to 80%.

Also on iPhone 15 Pro or newer: Adaptive Power is usually on already. It gently saves power on busy days and can turn on Low Power Mode for you at 20%. You’ll find it in Settings, Battery, Power Mode.

Google Pixel and many other Android phones (Battery Saver):

  1. Swipe down from the top of the screen.
  2. Tap Battery Saver. (You may need to swipe down twice.)
  3. To have it turn on by itself, open Settings, tap Battery, then Battery Saver, then Schedule and reminders. Turn on “Turn on based on battery level” and pick a level, such as 20%.

Good to know: While Battery Saver is on, a Pixel phone may stop listening for “Hey Google.” Tap the button on screen instead.

Need a phone to last a day or more on a Pixel? Try Extreme Battery Saver (in Settings, Battery, Battery Saver). It pauses most apps, and paused apps don’t send alerts. Phone, Messages, and Clock keep working. You can pick other apps to keep on under Essential apps.

Samsung Galaxy (Power saving):

  1. Open Settings and tap Battery. (On older Galaxy phones, tap Battery and device care, then Battery.)
  2. Turn on Power saving.
  3. Tap the words Power saving to see what it changes, like a dimmer screen and a shorter screen timeout.

Step 2: Make the screen use less power

The bright screen is one of the biggest users of battery.

  • Turn the brightness down a little. Swipe down from the top of the screen and slide the sun bar to the left. Keep it bright enough to read comfortably.
  • Let brightness change by itself. On iPhone: Settings, Accessibility, Display & Text Size, then turn on Auto-Brightness. On Android: Settings, Display, then turn on Adaptive brightness.
  • Let the screen turn off sooner. On iPhone: Settings, Display & Brightness, Auto-Lock, then pick 1 or 2 minutes. On Android: Settings, Display, Screen timeout.
  • Try the dark look. On Android, Google says the Dark theme saves battery. On iPhone, it’s called Dark mode in Settings, Display & Brightness.

If you made text bigger to read more easily, you don’t need to change that. Text size doesn’t drain the battery. See How to Make Text Bigger on Your Phone.

Step 3: Find out what’s using your battery

Your phone keeps a list of which apps used the most battery. If one app you hardly use is near the top, that’s your clue.

iPhone:

  1. Open Settings and tap Battery.
  2. Scroll down to see each app and the share of battery it used. Tap View All Battery Usage to see earlier days.
  3. Tap an app for details. “Background” means it was working while you weren’t looking at it, like playing music or getting mail.

Android (Pixel):

  1. Open Settings, tap Battery, then Battery usage.
  2. Tap View by apps.
  3. Tap an app, then Allow background usage. Google suggests keeping “Optimized” on for every app.

What to do with a battery-hungry app:

  • Turn off its alerts if you don’t need them. Each alert wakes your phone up. Open Settings, find the app (on Android, tap Apps first), then tap Notifications and turn off the ones you don’t want.
  • Close it, or remove it if you never use it. On iPhone, Apple says a weak cell signal also uses more battery, so the list may show “Cellular coverage” when you were somewhere with poor service.

Step 4: Charge in a way that’s kind to the battery

You don’t need a special routine. A few simple habits help the battery last for years.

  • Charging overnight is fine. Apple says your iPhone stops charging when it’s full, so it’s safe to leave it plugged in overnight.
  • Leave the smart charging on. iPhone has Optimized Battery Charging, which is on unless you turned it off. Pixel phones have Adaptive Charging. Both wait to fill up the last bit until shortly before you usually unplug.
  • Keep it cool. Apple says the best room temperature for an iPhone is 62° to 72° F (16° to 22° C). Heat above 95° F (35° C) can permanently shorten battery life. Google says the same thing: heat drains and damages the battery.
  • Don’t leave your phone in a parked car on a warm day, or in direct sun for a long time.
  • Cold is different. In the cold, the battery may run down faster for a while. It goes back to normal once the phone warms up.
  • Take off a thick case if your phone gets hot while it charges.
  • Use a good charger. Google suggests the charger that came with your phone. Any charger should be from the phone maker or a well-known brand.

If your iPhone says “Charging On Hold”: It’s too hot or too cold to charge safely. Move it somewhere with a normal room temperature. It starts charging again by itself.

Step 5: If the battery still dies fast

  1. Restart your phone. Turn it off, wait a minute, and turn it back on. Google lists this as the first fix.
  2. Update your phone. Updates often fix battery problems. See How to Update Your Phone.
  3. Check the battery’s health (iPhone). Open Settings, tap Battery, then Battery Health (iPhone 15 or newer) or Battery Health & Charging (iPhone 14 or older). It shows how much the battery can still hold compared to when it was new.
  4. Ask about a new battery. Batteries wear out after a few years. Apple, Google, Samsung, and phone carriers can replace one. Use the phone maker’s own website or store to set this up.

Watch out for scams: Ignore pop-ups or texts that say your battery is “damaged” or “infected” and tell you to download an app. Your phone’s own Settings app is the only place you need. See How to Spot a Scam Call, Text, or Email.

Battery safety: If your phone’s back bulges, the screen starts to lift, or it gets too hot to hold, stop charging it and contact the phone maker or your carrier.

Official sources

Last checked: Oct 23, 2026

This is general help, not personalized tech support. Menus vary by phone model and software version. We don’t favor any company.

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