Why does my phone’s battery drain when not in use?

It’s normal for your phone’s battery to drain quickly during a day of use. However, even when not in use, the phone battery still drops, so you need to pay attention to the following issues.

Weak signal

In addition to the screen, the transceiver components inside the phone are one of the functions that consume the most energy. The worst culprit is the cell tower that connects your phone to your carrier’s service.

When you have a stable connection, power consumption is very low. However, when the connection is poor, the phone is constantly looking for a better option so the transmission power is increased. This consumes a lot of power and can lead to rapid battery drain in a short period of time.

When you’re in a place without a cellular signal, turn on airplane mode or turn off your cellular connection (Settings > Cellular on iPhone or Android, Settings > Network & internet > SIMs and toggle the SIM button on/off).

This will prevent your phone from constantly checking for networks when there is no available connection. Remember to turn mobile data back on when you have a stable connection.

The application works on the system background

Even when the device is not in use, many apps are continuously running in the background, such as syncing data, checking notifications, updating feeds, and performing other tasks. This means you don’t have to wait for updates when you open the app, but it can drain a lot of battery just because of the little widgets.

The best way to control this is to revoke background permissions for unnecessary applications. First, check to see which app is using the most battery. On Android, go to Settings > Battery > Battery usage; on iPhone, go to Settings > Battery > View All Battery Usage.

If any apps have unusually high battery usage, you should disable their background app refresh. Some types of programs drain battery more than others.

The screen lights up when there is a notification

By default, each notification wakes up the phone and turns on the screen for a few seconds. If you receive a lot of notifications, this (plus the vibration for each notification) can drain a lot of battery over time.

An easy fix to minimize this is to place your phone face down when you’re not using it. iPhone, and many Android phones, will not turn on the screen when notifications arrive if the phone is face down.

If you want a more flexible solution, you should set up Focus modes to turn off unwanted notifications. Hiding most notifications while sleeping or working means your phone’s screen will be on less often, thus saving more battery.

Software error

Problems can occur, whether with the operating system or the applications on your phone. An application may temporarily run in the background more than necessary, or it may have corrupted operating system processes.

Restarting your phone regularly is a preventative measure against these problems. If it’s not possible to do it regularly, it’s a good idea to reboot at least a few times a month to resolve any minor issues.

While this is common advice, it’s also important to install updates. Sometimes developers release an update that drains the battery more than necessary, then they release a patch to fix it.

On Android, there is also a possibility that your phone is infected with malware, but this is unlikely unless you have installed apps from unknown sources. If you’ve ruled out all other possibilities, look at your list of installed apps and delete any you don’t recognize or no longer use.

Old battery

Ultimately, your battery may not be as good as when you first bought it. When the battery has 80% remaining, the battery is considered “expired” and needs to be replaced. This means that when the phone says the battery is 100% full, it only holds the same amount of power as when the battery was 80% when first purchased.

If you’ve considered all the other causes and still can’t find one, check the health of your phone’s internal battery Settings > Battery. If the battery is 80% or lower, and you don’t plan to buy a new phone, investing in a battery replacement is necessary.