Battery Draining Too Fast? Simple Fixes for Phones & Laptops

 

Introduction

Is your phone or laptop battery draining way too fast? Maybe your phone drops from 80% to 50% in just an hour, or your laptop can’t last through a meeting without charging. It’s frustrating—but you’re not alone.

Battery drain is one of the most common issues people face in 2025. Sometimes it’s normal aging, but often it’s small habits or settings that can make things worse. The good news is, you don’t always need a new device—a few simple tweaks can make a big difference. 

In this blog, we’ll share easy fixes anyone can follow, like restarting your device, adjusting power settings, spotting battery-draining apps, and even checking your battery’s health. By the end, you’ll know how to make your phone or laptop last longer on a single charge—and keep your battery healthier for the long run.

Restart Your Device Regularly

It may sound simple, but restarting your phone or laptop is one of the easiest ways to save battery life. Over time, devices collect temporary files and keep apps running in the background—even if you’re not using them. This hidden activity puts extra stress on the battery and makes it drain faster.

By restarting, you give your device a fresh start. It clears out background processes, refreshes the system, and even fixes small glitches that quietly eat up power.

It’s a small habit, but it can add extra hours of use to your battery over time.

💡 Tip: Restarting once or twice a week for phones and at least once a week for laptops can keep your battery running more efficiently. If your device feels slow or warm or loses battery even when idle, a quick restart can often fix the problem.

 

Adjust Screen & Display Settings

Your screen is one of the biggest power-hungry parts of your phone or laptop. Bright displays, high refresh rates, and long screen-on times can quickly drain your battery—even if you’re not using heavy apps. Making a few smart adjustments to your display settings can save hours of extra battery life every day.

Why the display drains so much battery:

• Brightness at maximum uses more power than any app.

• Long screen-on time keeps your battery working nonstop.

• High refresh rates (120Hz, 144Hz) drain batteries faster than standard 60Hz.

• Animated wallpapers and widgets consume more energy.

Tips for Phones (Android & iPhone):

• Turn on Auto-Brightness/Adaptive Brightness so your screen adjusts to the environment.

• Use Night Light/Eye Comfort mode in the evening—it reduces blue light and saves battery.

• Shorten screen timeout (e.g., 30 seconds to 1 minute).

• Switch to dark mode if you have an OLED screen (saves power + easier on the eyes).

Tips for Laptops (Windows & Mac):

• Lower brightness manually or enable Auto-Brightness if available.

• Turn on Night Shift (Mac) or Night Light (Windows) to cut eye strain and battery use.

• Set a shorter sleep/display timeout under power settings.

• If you don’t need it, reduce the refresh rate from 120 Hz/144 Hz down to 60 Hz in display settings.

Quick steps to try now:

1. Go to Settings > Display.

2. Enable Auto-Brightness/Night Mode.

3. Reduce screen timeout.

4. Switch to dark mode if available.

💡 Extra Tip: On laptops, switching from high-performance graphics to integrated graphics when doing light tasks (like browsing or note-taking) can also stretch your battery longer.

 

Close Background Apps & Processes

Even when you’re not using them, many apps and programs keep running quietly in the background. They refresh content, send notifications, or stay ready to launch—using up both memory and battery. On laptops, startup programs and hidden processes can also drain energy before you even open anything.

Why background activity drains your battery:

• Constantly refreshes apps (like email, messaging, or social media).

• Uses mobile data/Wi-Fi to sync updates.

• Startup programs eat up power as soon as the device is turned on.

• Keeps your CPU busy, which drains more energy.

Tips for Phones (Android & iPhone):

• Go to Settings > Battery/App Usage to check which apps use the most power.

• Turn off Background App Refresh for apps that don’t need it (like games or shopping apps).

• Force stop or uninstall apps you rarely use.

• Disable push notifications for non-essential apps.

Tips for Laptops (Windows & Mac):

Windows:

• Open Task Manager > Processes to see what’s using power.

• End tasks for unnecessary apps.

• Go to Startup Apps and disable programs you don’t need at startup.

Mac:

• Use Activity Monitor to check energy-hungry apps.

• Go to System Settings > Login Items and remove unnecessary startup apps.

Quick steps to try now:

1. Check your battery/app usage report.

2. Disable background refresh for non-essential apps.

3. Clean up startup programs.
   
   

💡 Extra Tip: Messaging and social media apps like Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram are some of the most battery-hungry because they constantly check for updates. Limiting their background activity can save hours of battery life.

 

Watch Out for Battery-Draining Apps

Sometimes, it’s not your phone or laptop itself that’s the problem—it’s the apps you’re using. Some apps are known for running in the background, constantly refreshing, sending notifications, or using the internet connection, which eats up your battery faster than you realize.

These apps might be helpful, but if you notice your device’s battery draining when not in use, they could be the reason.

Why some apps drain so much battery:

• They keep refreshing in the background (social media feeds, emails, news apps and more)

• They use location services even when you’re not actively using them

• They constantly send push notifications and updates

• They inquire more processing power (video, heavy graphics, or streaming)

Examples of Battery-Draining Apps on Phones (Android & iOS):

• Social Media Apps: Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter/X (refresh often and run in the background)

• Messaging Apps: Messenger, WhatsApp, Snapchat (constantly notifications and sync)

• Video/Streaming Apps: YouTube, Netflix, Spotify (high screen time + internet use)

• Navigation Apps: Google Maps, Waze (use GPS nonstop)

• Games: Especially graphic-heavy ones like PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact, or Call of Duty Mobile

Examples on Laptops (Windows & Mac):

• Web Browsers with too many tabs open (Chrome, Edge, Safari)

• Streaming Apps (Netflix, Spotify, YouTube).

• Video Editing/Design Tools (Adobe Premiere, Photoshop).

• Background Sync Apps (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive).

• Gaming Clients (Steam, Epic Games Launcher).

What you can do:

• Check your phone’s battery usage settings to see which apps consume the power

• On laptops, use Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (Mac) to find apps with high “Energy Impact.”

• Limit background refresh or notifications for non-essential apps

• Use lighter alternatives when possible (e.g., Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite)

By keeping an eye on which apps drain your battery, you can adjust your usage, close them when not needed, or switch to lighter versions—giving your phone or laptop longer life throughout the day.

 

Keep Your Software Updated (OS & Apps)

One of the most overlooked causes of battery drain is outdated software. Whether it’s your operating system or the apps you use everyday, old versions can have bugs, compatibility issues, or poor optimization that cause your phone or laptop to use more power than necessary. Updates aren't just about new features—they're also about fixing small problems that directly affect performance and battery life.

Why updates matter for battery health:

• Fix bugs or glitches that may cause apps to drain power in the background

• Improve system efficiency so your device runs smoothly and uses less energy

• Add new features that optimize battery usage automatically

• Strengthen security, preventing malware that can also drain battery life

For phones (Android & iPhone):

• Android: Go to Settings > Software Update to check for updates. Also, update apps regularly through Google Play Store → Manage Apps & Device.

• iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Software Update. Update apps in the App Store by tapping your profile > Update All.

• Enable Auto-Updates so your phone can update overnight while charging.

For laptops (Windows & macOS):

• Windows: Go to Settings > Windows Update and install pending updates. Update apps via the Microsoft Store if you downloaded them there.

• Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update. For apps, update them through the App Store.

• Restart after major updates to let the system refresh and apply changes.

Keeping both your system and apps updated ensures your device runs at peak efficiency, helping you save battery in the long run.

💡 Tip: If you’re worried about updates draining battery while they install, schedule them when your device is charging and not in use—like overnight or during a break.

 

Manage Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and Hotspot

Your phone or laptop’s battery isn’t just used by the apps you see—it’s also drained by the invisible connections running in the background. Features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and Hotspot are useful, but when they’re left on all the time, they quietly drain power even if you’re not actively using them.

For example, Wi-Fi keeps searching for networks, Bluetooth looks for nearby devices, GPS checks your location, and Hotspot broadcasts a connection for others. If you don’t actually need these features, turning them off can instantly help extend battery life.

Key connections that drain battery when left on:

• Wi-Fi: constantly searches for available networks.

• Bluetooth: scans for headphones, speakers, or other devices.

• GPS/Location Services: uses high power when apps request your location.

• Hotspot: one of the biggest drains since it turns your phone into a mini Wi-Fi router.

These small adjustments can add hours to your battery life. Think of it as cutting off the “hidden leaks” that slowly drain your phone or laptop’s power.

💡 Simple Fix: Switch off what you’re not using. For instance, if you’re on mobile data, turn off Wi-Fi. If you’re not using wireless earbuds, disable Bluetooth. And if you only need GPS for maps, turn it on when needed instead of keeping it active all day.

Use Battery-Saving Features and Check Battery Health

Your phone or laptop comes with tools that can help you get the most out of your battery. Two of the most useful are battery-saving modes and battery health checks. Using these together helps you save power in the short term and understand your battery’s condition in the long run.

Battery-Saving Modes

When your device is running low and you're out, and you know you’ll be away from a charger for hours, battery-saving modes are a quick fix. These settings automatically lower screen brightness, slow down background activity, and limit non-essential processes. For example, email might sync less often, apps won’t refresh constantly, and animations will become simpler—all small changes that add up to longer battery life.

• Phones: iPhone users can enable Low Power Mode, while most Android phones have Battery Saver. 

• Laptops: Windows has Battery Saver, and Macs have Energy Saver options.

You don’t need to keep these on all the time, but switching them on during long workdays, travel, or low-battery emergencies can give you extra hours of use.

Battery Health Checks

Even with these features, batteries naturally wear down. Over months and years, they lose some of their original capacity. Checking battery health shows you how much charge the battery can still hold compared to when it was brand new.

• A phone battery is generally considered healthy if it stays above 80% capacity.

• For laptops, 70-75% capacity is usually acceptable before performance starts to suffer.

Warning signs of poor battery health:

• Battery drains quickly even when idle

• Device overheats during normal use

• Charging takes too long or doesn’t reach 100%

• Sudden shutdowns at random percentages

If your device drains quickly even when idle, overheats, or shuts down suddenly, it may mean your battery health is low. In that case, replacing the battery might be the best long-term solution.

💡 Tip: Use battery-saving modes when you need extra time, but also check battery health every few months. This way, you can stretch your battery life day-to-day while planning ahead for when it’s time to replace it.

 

Charging Tips That Extend Battery Life

The way you charge your phone or laptop affects how well the battery performs, not just today but in the long run. By following smart charging habits, you can keep your battery healthier for another year and avoid early replacements.

Avoid Overcharging

Even though modern devices stop charging at 100%, leaving them plugged in all the time (like a laptop always on the charger) can still generate heat, which slowly wears the battery down.

Don’t Let It Hit 0% Too Often

Letting your device completely die once in a while is fine, but making it a habit can stress the battery.

Follow the 20%–80% Rule

Experts recommend keeping your battery between 20% and 80% most of the time. This balance prevents the extra strain of being too low or staying at 100% for hours.

Use the Right Charger

Stick to the original charger or a certified replacement. Buying cheap alternatives may not regulate power properly and can harm the battery.

Quick Charging Tips for Daily Use:

• Charge your phone overnight only when necessary—don’t make it a routine.

• Unplug laptops once they’re fully charged if you’re working at a desk.

• Enable features like Optimized Battery Charging (on iPhones, Android devices, and newer laptops) to slow charging near 100% and preserve battery health.

These small adjustments can add months, or even years, to your device's battery life, making your phone and laptop more reliable for everyday use.

Conclusion

A fast-draining battery can be a real headache, but the good news is you don’t always need to send it for repairs or have a replacement. Simple habits like restarting your device, adjusting screen settings, closing background apps, keeping software updated, and charging the right way can go a long way in keeping your phone or laptop running longer and healthier. By practicing these small fixes, you’ll not only get more hours out of a single charge but also extend your device’s overall life. 

So, why not start today? Try one or two of these tips and see the difference for yourself—and if you find them helpful, don’t keep them to yourself! Share this guide with friends, classmates, or coworkers who are always battling low battery. A few small changes could save someone from running  out of power at the worst possible time.

 

👉 For more tips and guides, check out Red Star Tec’s blog.