It’s frustrating to wake up in the morning and find your iPhone battery drained overnight. You put your phone on charge, but by the next morning, it has lost 20%, 30%, or even more of its battery. This problem can disrupt your day, especially if you rely on your iPhone for work, navigation, or communication.
The good news is that overnight battery drain is usually caused by fixable settings or apps, not a defective battery. In this guide, we’ll explain the common causes and step-by-step fixes to help your iPhone maintain its battery overnight.
Why iPhone Batteries Drain Overnight
Before troubleshooting, it’s important to understand the reasons your iPhone loses charge while idle:
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Background App Refresh: Apps running in the background consume battery even when not in use.
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Push Notifications: Frequent notifications from messaging, email, or social media apps can drain battery.
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Software Bugs: Outdated iOS or apps can cause abnormal battery usage.
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Location Services: GPS-enabled apps updating location overnight use power.
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High Screen Brightness or Settings: Features like Always-On Display or Raise to Wake consume battery.
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Faulty Apps: Misbehaving apps can run in the background and drain battery.
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Battery Health Decline: Older batteries may naturally hold less charge.
1. Check Battery Usage in Settings
iOS allows you to see which apps consume the most battery.
Steps:
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Settings → Battery
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Review the list under Battery Usage by App
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Identify apps that use significant battery overnight
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Close or uninstall unnecessary apps
This helps you pinpoint the main culprits of battery drain.
2. Enable Low Power Mode Overnight
Low Power Mode reduces background activity, automatic downloads, and visual effects, conserving battery.
How to enable:
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Settings → Battery → Low Power Mode → On
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Alternatively, add Low Power Mode to Control Center for quick access
Using it overnight can significantly reduce battery loss.
3. Turn Off Background App Refresh
Apps updating content in the background can drain your battery silently.
Steps:
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Settings → General → Background App Refresh → Off
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Or disable it selectively for apps you don’t need updating overnight
This prevents unnecessary power consumption.
4. Disable Location Services at Night
GPS and location tracking are major battery drainers.
Fix:
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Settings → Privacy → Location Services → Off for apps not needed overnight
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Alternatively, select While Using the App for essential apps
Reducing location tracking saves battery while still allowing essential apps to function.
5. Turn Off Push Email and Notifications
Frequent email fetches and app notifications wake your phone repeatedly.
Steps:
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Settings → Mail → Accounts → Fetch New Data → Manually or Less Frequently
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Disable unnecessary app notifications: Settings → Notifications → Select App → Allow Notifications Off
This reduces background wakeups overnight.
6. Check for Misbehaving Apps
Sometimes a specific app is causing abnormal battery drain.
How to fix:
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In Settings → Battery, identify apps consuming unusually high battery
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Force quit the app: Swipe up from Home → Swipe App → Remove
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Update or uninstall the app
This often fixes excessive overnight drain caused by rogue apps.
7. Reduce Screen Brightness and Disable Raise to Wake
Although your screen is mostly off overnight, features like Raise to Wake or Notifications Light Up Screen can wake it repeatedly.
Steps:
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Settings → Display & Brightness → Adjust Brightness Lower
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Disable Raise to Wake: Settings → Display & Brightness → Raise to Wake Off
Small adjustments prevent the screen from using battery unnecessarily.
8. Update iOS and Apps
Software bugs are common causes of abnormal battery drain.
Steps:
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Settings → General → Software Update → Check for Updates
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Update all apps via App Store → Profile → Update All
Keeping your software current fixes known bugs and improves battery efficiency.
9. Restart Your iPhone Regularly
Restarting your iPhone can clear temporary glitches causing excessive battery usage.
Steps:
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Press and hold the Power + Volume Up/Down buttons → Slide to Power Off
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Wait 10–15 seconds → Turn on
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Battery performance often improves after a restart
This is a simple, effective step for overnight drain issues.
10. Check Battery Health
Batteries degrade over time, holding less charge and draining faster.
Steps:
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Settings → Battery → Battery Health & Charging
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Check Maximum Capacity; below 80% may indicate battery replacement is needed
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Enable Optimized Battery Charging to slow aging
Older batteries may require replacement to maintain overnight charge.
11. Disable Unnecessary Widgets and Background Refresh Features
Widgets like weather, fitness, or news apps refresh automatically and consume battery.
Fix:
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Remove unnecessary widgets from the Home Screen
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Disable background updates in Settings → General → Background App Refresh
Fewer background tasks reduce overnight drain.
12. Perform a Factory Reset (Last Resort)
If your battery continues draining excessively despite trying all fixes, a factory reset can resolve software issues.
Important:
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Backup all data via iCloud or iTunes
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Settings → General → Reset → Erase All Content and Settings
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Restore essential apps only
A fresh start often restores normal battery performance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: Why does my iPhone battery drain overnight?
A1: Common reasons include background app refresh, notifications, GPS, outdated software, or battery health decline.
Q2: Will Low Power Mode help overnight?
A2: Yes. It reduces background activity and visual effects, conserving battery.
Q3: How do I know which app drains battery most?
A3: Check Settings → Battery → Battery Usage by App for detailed information.
Q4: Does charging overnight damage the battery?
A4: No. iPhones have Optimized Battery Charging to prevent overcharging.
Q5: When should I replace my iPhone battery?
A5: If Battery Health Maximum Capacity is below 80% and overnight drain is severe.
Final Thoughts
Overnight battery drain on iPhones is usually caused by software settings, background apps, notifications, and aging batteries, not defects. By following these 12 reliable fixes—from disabling background app refresh to updating iOS—you can restore overnight battery life and wake up to a charged phone.
Regular maintenance, monitoring apps, and keeping software updated ensures your iPhone battery lasts longer and performs optimally day and night.