The biggest battery drains on your iPhone are your screen's brightness level and cellular connectivity (especially 5G). Together, they account for the vast majority of your power consumption.
Apps running in the background, especially location-based or social media apps, can be major battery hogs. According to Apple, features like Background App Refresh, Location Services, and even push notifications can cause noticeable battery drain.
Sudden iPhone data spikes often result from background app refresh, location services, automatic updates, or cloud syncing of photos and videos. Check these settings in your iPhone's "Cellular" or "Mobile Data" settings.
The 20-80 rule is a battery maintenance practice for lithium-ion batteries that suggests keeping your iPhone charged between 20% and 80%. By never letting your battery drop below 20% or charging it past 80%, you reduce "voltage stress" and significantly prolong the battery's overall lifespan.
To drain your iPhone battery quickly, max out resource-heavy features. Turn screen brightness to maximum, disable Auto-Lock so the screen stays on, turn on Location Services, and activate the flashlight. For the fastest drop, play a graphically intense game or stream HD video on mobile data.
A dead cell in a battery happens when an individual energy storage unit can no longer hold or deliver a charge, dragging down the performance of the entire battery. The primary causes include internal short circuits, extreme temperatures, deep discharging, physical damage, and natural aging.
The "secret button" on your iPhone 12 is a built-in accessibility feature called Back Tap. It turns the entire back of your phone (including the Apple logo) into a customizable touch sensor that triggers actions with a quick double or triple tap.
Yes, you can safely charge your iPhone every night. Modern iPhones have smart chips that stop charging once the battery hits 100%, so overnight charging will not overwork or damage your battery.
Turn Off Background App Refresh
When you close an iOS app, it can still check for updates and new content periodically—a process that can drain battery life. You can disable Background App Refresh completely or just for certain apps under Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
The iPhone 11 series (iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max) and the iPhone SE (2nd generation) will no longer be supported by Apple in 2027. These models will conclude their major iOS upgrade cycle with iOS 26, meaning they will not receive the iOS 27 update.
SMS text messages do not use data.
When you send or receive text messages, they're sent over the cellular network — not through data connection or WiFi. So, the precise answer to this question is no. You can send and receive text messages via SMS as long as your phone has a cellular connection.
On an iPhone, video streaming apps (like YouTube, TikTok, Netflix, and Instagram) use the most data, consuming anywhere from 100 MB to 3 GB per hour. They are closely followed by social media pre-loading, cloud photo syncing, and web browsing on Safari.
An iPhone battery typically lasts 1 to 2 days per charge, depending on usage. Across its overall lifespan, an iPhone battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity after 500 complete charge cycles, which usually equates to 2 to 3 years of daily use before needing a replacement.
Yes, dark mode does save battery, but only if your device has an OLED/AMOLED screen. On these displays, black pixels turn off completely and consume zero power. If your phone has an older LCD screen, dark mode provides almost no battery benefit because the backlight is always on.
Stretch a low battery
It depends on your priority: 80% is better for long-term battery health, while 100% is better for immediate daily convenience.
You should not sleep next to a charging phone. Experts, including Apple, strongly advise against it due to severe fire risks, sleep disruption, and potential electrical hazards.
Your iPhone's screen (specifically high brightness) and cellular connectivity (especially in low-service areas) drain the battery the most.
Dialing ∗69∗ 69∗69 on your iPhone is a carrier-specific feature used to automatically redial the last number that called you, even if you missed the call or the number was hidden. It is primarily an older landline feature and its functionality depends entirely on your specific mobile service provider.
Call Barring: *#33#
Call barring literally lets you block any and all outgoing cell calls.
The bottom line: most quality alkaline batteries last 5-10 years in storage, while lithium batteries can maintain their charge for 10-15 years under proper conditions. However, the actual lifespan depends heavily on storage conditions, battery chemistry, and manufacturing quality.
The top battery brands depend entirely on whether you are looking for household disposables, automotive lead-acid/AGM, or large-scale lithium-ion/electric vehicle (EV) cells.