Why does my iPhone charge? What to do if your iPhone discharges quickly? Factory reset

Hello! It would seem, how is this possible? The phone is charging, but its battery not only does not charge (this condition can at least somehow be explained), but in addition to everything, it is also slowly discharged! To be honest, I would never have believed it myself - the situation is truly out of the ordinary, but relatively recently this problem also occurred to me. And now, believe it or not, the fact is clear...

And this is what happened. I put my iPhone to charge, the lightning icon lit up and a beep sounded (signaling that charging had started) - I calmly continued to use the device and after a while I noticed that something was wrong... The battery charge percentage is not increasing, but on the contrary are decreasing. Fantastic!

I repeat, at first glance, all this looks contrary to any logic. However, if you dig deeper, there are reasons for such a phenomenon (sometimes very simple and logical) - let's take them apart, let's go!

Reason 1. Problems with the software and usage features

Yes, you shouldn’t immediately run to a service center or to a store to buy a new device. We will always have time to spend the money (more on this below). If the iPhone shows you that it is receiving electricity, but in fact this does not happen (and moreover, it still manages to discharge during this process), then here is what may be causing this behavior:

There's essentially nothing more we can do on the software side. It should be noted that in my case, the problem was solved by the combination of these actions. Here's my case.

The fact is that my cellular network reception at home is very poor. The values are constantly jumping - 2G, 3G, LTE. And so, having connected my iPhone to a power outlet, I continued to use it in this mode:

I listened to music via the mobile Internet.
At the same time, I updated applications in the App Store.
On top of that, I was surfing websites.

It is clear that the iPhone could not withstand such loads (all of these are very energy-intensive tasks) - it began to get very hot and slowly discharge, despite the fact that it was connected to charging at the time. The problem was solved simply - I closed all tasks and rebooted the phone to be sure. But this doesn't always happen...

Reason 2. Hardware failures and other shortcomings

Let's move on to more complex (although not always) actions that will help prevent the battery from losing its energy abnormally:

But these are all “flowers”. The most unpleasant thing is problems with the “internals” of the device. Here are the two most important ones:

Battery. A heavily worn original one, a recently replaced “Chinese” or “original” one, 100% new (as the seller assures) - all this is not a reason to blindly believe that everything is “OK” with the battery. If the iPhone is discharged, even when connected to the network, then, in addition to all of the above, the battery is almost always to blame.
Although, there is one more component inside the iPhone, the malfunction of which is indicated by power leakage - this is the Tristar chip (U2). Charge controller. And it is almost impossible to replace it at home - you need skills and equipment.

Therefore, if you have tried all the previous tips and the battery percentage continues to disappear during charging, it makes sense to contact a service center. There, a battery (which is known to be working) will be “thrown in”, and the controller will be re-soldered.

But still, as usual, I sincerely hope that the matter will not come to a visit to the service, and that everything will be resolved in simpler ways - updating the software, cleaning the connector, replacing the wire or power adapter, etc.

If your iPhone battery drains quickly, there could be many reasons for this. When using a smartphone for a year or more, the problem is most likely caused by the natural loss of battery capacity after 400-600 charging cycles. According to the manufacturer, after 500 full charges, the battery capacity is reduced by 20 percent and with each subsequent charge the battery power level will drop. In this case, the user either has to accept the situation or replace the battery.

With new Apple devices, everything is much more serious, since battery discharge can be caused by a number of different factors, ranging from a system failure to broken cables or broken smartphone parts. To understand the reason for premature battery discharge, you need to take a closer look at the main factors affecting the operation of your Apple device.

Battery consumption due to location services

One of the main reasons why iPhone battery drains is because of active location services. All Apple mobile devices have geolocation services enabled by default, which determine the user's location. To do this, applications and utilities are constantly connected to satellite systems, which contributes to a rapid decrease in charge levels. To increase iPhone battery life by 15 percent, just do the following:

go to the settings menu
open the “Privacy” section
enter “Location Services” and disable all unnecessary applications

Some applications from this section are really useful for the user. But more than 50 percent of applications do not carry much meaning, so you can safely disable them and extend the life of your mobile phone.

Automatic mail and application updates

If your iPhone's battery drains quickly, it may be due to automatic updates of mail and applications. The mobile phone is constantly synchronized with the server to instantly notify the user about new letters and in this mode the battery is discharged overnight or in a few hours. To fix this issue, you need to follow these steps:

go to the settings section
open the “Mail, calendars, addresses” section
Find the "Download Data" option and select the "Manual" mode

The same steps must be performed with applications. Automatic software updates are only convenient if you use them regularly. Most apps on the iPhone are rarely used, and constantly updating them quickly drains battery life. To fix this, go to Settings, then General and Content Updates. Select manual update mode and restart your iPhone.

Premature battery discharge due to application failure

In some cases, the iPhone quickly discharges and does not charge well due to a glitch in one of the applications. If you notice that your mobile phone battery has stopped holding a charge and is not charging well after installing a new program, you need to restore the firmware and do a hard reboot. To do this, follow these steps:

Press and hold the Power and Home buttons at the same time
release the Home button and continue to hold the Power button
wait for the iTunes application to launch and select the “Restore iPhone” mode

After the firmware recovery is completed, you need to turn off the smartphone, turn it on and test the battery. If the problem is not solved, you need to look for another reason.

The smartphone takes a long time to charge and does not hold charge

When your iPhone runs out of battery quickly, it's often accompanied by slow charging. The battery of a new smartphone should be fully charged in 3-4 hours. If charging the phone takes slowly - 10 hours or more, there can be many reasons for this malfunction. The main ones should be highlighted:

software failure
Lightning port dirty
using a non-original charger
USB port malfunction
failure of internal components

The main sign of a malfunctioning USB port or Lightning port is that the battery gets very hot while charging. If you connect the charger and the battery instantly heats up and charges slowly, you should thoroughly clean the port, remove dust and dirt. If the ports become deformed, you should seek help from an iPhone repair specialist. If the charger instantly heats up along with the battery, it must be replaced.

Charge controller malfunction

One of the reasons why your iPhone battery drains quickly may be a faulty charging controller. Damage to this component occurs as a result of an impact, a fall of the smartphone, or due to moisture getting inside the device. The main symptoms of a malfunctioning power controller are as follows:

smartphone constantly vibrates while charging
The phone keeps rebooting while locked
Battery does not charge completely
The battery level drops sharply within an hour
Smartphone gets hot when charging
Charging is slow (more than 10 hours, sometimes overnight)
When the charger is connected, the phone is in standby mode, or the lock screen turns on and does not turn off

If your iPhone battery dies overnight, including in offline mode, then you can correctly determine what is causing this only after professional diagnostics. To replace the charging controller, you must use a soldering iron, a special Pentalobe screwdriver and screen suction cups. If you do not have this equipment and you do not know how to properly repair your phone, contact a specialist.

Consequences of incorrect battery replacement

An obvious sign that the iPhone is quickly and sharply discharged due to a faulty battery is its swelling. You can determine that a smartphone’s battery is swollen by the display protruding in places. Typically, such a breakdown occurs due to shock, moisture, short circuit or improper charging of the phone. In this case, there can be only one solution to the problem - an urgent and quick battery replacement. It is better to do this in a service center or at home, but the work should be carried out by an experienced technician. Unprofessional iPhone battery replacement can lead to the following consequences:

body deformation– after DIY repairs, cracks and chips may remain on the body
motherboard damage– after replacing the battery, the phone may not perform functions correctly due to a broken microcircuit
display failure– after an unprofessional battery replacement, pixels, streaks and other signs of malfunction may appear on the smartphone screen

Since all the parts in Apple gadgets are interconnected, one careless movement during repair can lead to more serious problems. To avoid having to buy a new phone after repairing it yourself, seek help from experienced technicians registered on YouDo.

He told me how to independently identify “fatigue” of the battery, as well as find applications and services that drain the iPhone battery the most. And, of course, I’ll tell you how to fix it.

Most often, the iPhone discharges quickly because it is not configured correctly. It is enough to quickly go through the settings to identify and eliminate what is eating up the battery.

But, if your iPhone is already more than a year old, then it will no longer be possible to return it to its former agility solely by setting it up. Most likely he will have to change the battery.

Now I will tell you how to independently identify “fatigue” of the battery, as well as find applications and services that drain the iPhone battery the most. And, of course, I’ll tell you how to fix it.

1. Check the battery condition

Starting with iOS 12.1, it became possible to independently check the “health” of the battery, from Settings iPhone:

iPhone battery capacity 81% of original

Battery capacity affects not only the operating time, but also the performance of the phone. One of my iPhone 7s has 81% remaining capacity and the phone is still running at maximum speed.

Once the capacity drops below 80%, the phone will start to run a little slower, and will gradually lose performance as capacity is lost.

According to Apple's website, the standard battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity after 500 full charge cycles when used under "normal conditions."

What to do if battery capacity is below 80%

It's worth thinking about replacing it. The battery can be changed at any certified service center.

If the battery capacity is 70–75%, it is time to change it. With such a battery, the iPhone will work significantly less time and slower in performance.

Personally, I love tinkering with electronics, so I bought an iPhone 7 battery on Aliexpress for $19 and installed it myself.

You can change the battery yourself, but it is better to take the phone to a service center

If everything is fine with the capacity, but the iPhone still discharges quickly, then the problem is in its settings.

2. Check which apps are using the most energy

In chapter Battery You can see a list of applications that eat up the iPhone battery the most.

👉 Settings ▸ Battery ▸ Battery status

I recently noticed that the standard Calendar, which I don’t use, consumed 18% of the battery in 10 days. It is not normal.

Abnormal application energy consumption Calendar

There can be three reasons for abnormal behavior: a crooked program, increased consumption of mobile Internet or geolocation.

In my case, disabling and enabling iCloud calendar synchronization helped. And also disabling synchronization via the mobile Internet. But more on that below.

View a table of application energy consumption. You may find some anomalies.

3. Set up rules for using mobile Internet

You've probably noticed that when you use only mobile Internet, your phone drains faster. Everything is simple here: a 3G/4G modem consumes more energy than WiFi.

View a list of all the apps and the amount of mobile data they've used recently.

👉 Settings ▸ Cellular

On my phone I can see that the app Calendar used 450 MB of mobile traffic. I don’t use a calendar, so I disabled synchronization via the mobile Internet.

The calendar shows suspicious internet activity and drains the battery

Look for abnormal mobile Internet consumption by applications. Perhaps some program is eating up your mobile traffic and battery.

You can disable downloading updates via the mobile Internet in:

👉 Settings ▸ iTunes Store and App Store ▸ Cellular Data

Disabling application updates via mobile Internet

4. Set up background content refresh

Almost all programs can update their content even if they are not running. The thing is convenient, but it eats up the mobile Internet, which means it drains the battery.

You can save some internet and battery life if you allow background app updates over WiFi only.

👉 Settings ▸ General ▸ Content Update ▸ Content Update

Allow background app updates only over WiFi

5. Disable unnecessary geolocation

For some applications, geolocation (GPS) is really important: Maps, Foursquare, Uber, Camera, Weather, Tinder... All these programs need to know your location in order to work correctly.

But there are applications that do not need to know your coordinates. I personally have disabled GPS for Facebook, Instagram, Messanger, Tweetbot and Reddit. I just don’t want to show my geolocation on social networks.

Look at your list of apps and turn off geolocation where you don't need it. It’s great if the applications in which you spend a lot of time come under the knife (see point 2).

👉 Settings ▸ Privacy ▸ Location Services

Disable geolocation where you don't need it

Please note that there are three GPS options for each application:

Always;
When using the program;
Never.

The “Always” option is death for the battery. Various trackers, Foursquare, Swarm, and taxi service apps are guilty of this.

Telegram is the only program that I allowed to always use geolocation. Thanks to this, I can share my location with friends. The messenger does not abuse this and practically does not drain the battery.

6. Turn off unnecessary notifications

If you go to 👉 Settings ▸ Cellular ▸ System services, you will see how much traffic is spent on notifications from applications via the mobile Internet.

Over the past month, 109 MB of mobile Internet was spent on Push notifications alone.

Each new notification:

“lights up” the screen of your phone or tablet;
wastes mobile Internet when there is no WiFi connection;
plays sound from the speaker.

All this wastes the battery. Therefore, to turn off unnecessary notifications, go to:

👉 Settings ▸ Notifications

Now just turn off everything that has been distracting and interfering with you for a long time.

Turned off intrusive notifications from the Opera Mini browser

🌿 Remember:

After about a year and a half, the iPhone battery loses 25-30% of its capacity. The phone will work less and slower, so it is better to replace the battery;
The phone dies faster when using mobile Internet than when using WiFi. It makes sense to configure your iPhone so that installed programs use WiFi more;
Each notification lights up the screen and can use the mobile Internet. It is better to turn off all unnecessary notifications;
Some programs constantly check your location in the background. But not all applications need access to your geolocation. Disable unnecessary programs from geolocation.

Many Apple smartphone users encounter a problem when the iPhone runs out of charge while charging. If the mobile device has been used for more than a year, then the problem may be in the power source - the battery may be faulty and needs to be replaced.

But it also happens that a practically new iPhone does not hold a charge. First, you need to optimize your smartphone settings, since running applications often lead to rapid battery drain.

The main reasons for the rapid discharge of a smartphone battery

An iPhone, regardless of model and modification, cannot hold a charge for more than one day. Like any mobile device, an Apple smartphone consumes a large amount of energy when active, so it is usually completely discharged by the end of the day. But if the smartphone shows a red battery while charging, there may be several reasons for the breakdown. The main ones are the following:

malfunction of the power controller - this is caused by voltage drops in the network, or the use of non-original charging, the power of which exceeds the recommended one
Battery damage – the battery fails due to impacts, falls or moisture
non-compliance with operating recommendations - if the smartphone is left in the sun or close to a source of high temperature, the battery will discharge very quickly
failure of the smartphone settings - automatic launch of several applications can lead to the fact that the iPhone quickly discharges

If your iPhone is dying instead of charging, you can try to fix the situation yourself. Use the tips below and perhaps this will help you extend the operating time of your smartphone.

Disabling geolocation

Location services are often the reason why your iPhone battery drains quickly. To accurately determine the user's location, all iPhone models use GPS, the Internet, and geolocation data from cell phone towers. To increase the battery life by 1.5-2 times, you can deactivate useless geolocation services - “popular nearby” or “frequently visited places”. To do this you need to do the following:

open the settings menu
find the "Privacy" option
go to "Location Services"

Opposite each service there is an “on” and “off” slider. Keep only those location services active that are truly relevant to you. After that, go to the “system services” tab, which is located at the bottom of the display and disable all utilities from the satellite navigation system, except for the applications that you need.

Disabling automatic mail downloads

If your iPhone is charging normally, but after a while a notification appears on the screen that the battery is low, the cause may be automatic mail updates. To instantly notify you of new emails, the smartphone is constantly synchronized, as a result of which the battery quickly drains. To extend the operating time of your mobile device, select manual mail download mode. To deactivate email updates, you need to do the following:

go to the settings menu
select the “Mail, Addresses, Calendars” tab
select "Manual" mode

After that, reboot the device and see how much battery power will now last. If turning off automatic mail downloads doesn't help and the battery is burning on your display, try deactivating background apps.

Turn off notifications

Often, the iPhone runs out of charge due to active Push notifications - messages that appear on the smartphone screen if any application wants to attract the user’s attention. Sounds, lights, and pop-ups are not only distracting, but also drain your battery quickly. You can disable them as follows:

go to settings
select the Notification Center tab
gradually turn off notifications for apps you don't need

The list of notifications is at the bottom of the display. In the “Reminder style”, check “no” and deactivate the “Sticker on icon”, “On lock screen”, “Sounds”, “In notification center” positions. If light notifications are enabled on your iPhone, you need to disable the “LED flash for notifications” option using a similar route.

Disabling automatic updates

The feature to automatically update applications and system files is installed on iPhone by default. For some, this is convenient - the user always uses the latest version when downloading the application. On the other hand, constantly updating files leads to rapid battery drain. To increase the operating time of your smartphone, it is recommended to do the following:

find the “General” option in settings
go to the “Content Update” tab
select applications that do not need constant updating and turn the toggle switch to the “off” position

You need to do the same with automatic downloads. When your smartphone is connected to the Internet, this function downloads everything purchased from the AppStore to your mobile device. To deactivate it, go to settings, select the appropriate section “iTunes, ApStore” and disable automatic downloading of music, applications and programs.

Signs of a bad battery

If your iPhone is charging and does not turn on, then the problem may lie in the battery itself. If there are regular voltage drops in the network, moisture ingress, or improper charging of the smartphone, the battery may swell and the device will stop working correctly. Signs of a broken iPhone battery are:

smartphone vibrates while charging
The charging light is on, but the charge level does not increase
the mobile device takes a long time to charge (instead of the 3-4 hours stated by the manufacturer, the smartphone charges for more than ten hours)
unstable charge controller (after disconnecting the charger, the charging level drops sharply, the screen shows a red battery)
The smartphone is charging, but it gets very hot and shows a minimum charge level
The mobile device turns off spontaneously

When the iPhone boots up but does not turn on and vibrates, this almost always means that the battery is faulty and needs to be replaced. In other smartphones, replacing the battery yourself does not require much time, but with Apple smartphones the situation is much more complicated.

Do-it-yourself battery replacement

To change the battery on an iPhone with your own hands, you need to unscrew the bolts, including hidden ones, and in some models you also need to carefully remove the motherboard. The sequence of actions is as follows:

make sure the device is turned off
using a special screwdriver, unscrew the two bolts at the bottom of the case
Place the suction cup on the back cover and gently pull it towards you
insert a flat plate into the resulting space and move it along the entire perimeter of the case
if all the latches are unlocked, lift the panel and unscrew the hidden bolts
disconnect all cables that lead to the front panel and battery
replace the battery and reassemble the smartphone in reverse order

After replacing the battery, put your mobile device on charge and test it in active mode. If you are not sure that you can carefully replace the battery on your smartphone without damaging other components, seek help from experienced technicians.

Sometimes I hear complaints from friends that the iPhone quickly uses up its charge and does not “survive” until the evening. Some even use external batteries, without which they would be left without communication by the evening.

Meanwhile, any working iPhone, in which the correct settings have been entered, can work for a day without any problems. Below I will describe the points that you should pay attention to in order to get rid of the problem of a quickly discharging phone. If you know someone who always carries an external battery with them, feel free to send them a link to my article. It will be useful especially for those who are familiar with technology and do not understand the intricacies of the operating system.

Yesterday Apple released a new operating system, to which many have already upgraded (and for those who haven’t, I highly recommend it, it has added a lot of things that make the devices easier to use).

So let's get started!

1. Content update in the background.

Many programs installed on your phone want to update the content without your participation, even when the screen is turned off and you are not using the device. In the vast majority of cases, this is completely unnecessary: you can launch some Facebook and it will load the updated feed exactly at the moment the program is launched, but it will not do this without your command all the way, using up battery power.

Feel free to go to the settings (settings - general - content update) and disable the ability to update without your participation to all programs that should not do this. Pay special attention to all sorts of social networks: Facebook, Twitter, etc.

2. Notifications on the screen.

If you receive unnecessary notifications from all kinds of chat rooms and chats, social networks and other applications, turn them off or configure them in the appropriate section (settings - notifications).

Do you need the screen to light up when you receive another comment on Instagram? No? Then leave only the beep.

3. Which application uses up a lot of battery power?

Go to settings (settings - battery) and see which applications are consuming the most battery. If you use a sat-nav in your car a lot, it's no surprise that it's a big deal. But what if you see something on the list that you don’t actually use often?

If so, make sure that you really want to allow this application to both use geolocation and update in the background - these are the main reasons for abnormal battery consumption.

4. Geolocation (GPS).

Many apps ask you to allow them to determine your location using GPS. Moreover, not only at the moment when you use this application, but also at any other time - at the request of the program itself. Do you need it?

Go to your geolocation settings (settings - privacy - location services) and go through the list of applications you have installed.

Here you will probably find several programs that are allowed to use geolocation (which is completely optional), including those marked “always”, that is, completely uncontrolled. At a minimum, remove this “always” everywhere.

At the bottom of the list you will see the line “system services”.

Feel free to go there and disable the use of geolocation as in the picture above.

5. Checking mail.

If your device is configured to receive mail, make sure that the frequency of checking your mail for new mail is not too frequent for your use case.

Do you have Gmail or some other account configured on your phone? Great. Do you need your phone to check your email every 15 minutes? Or is it once an hour? The longer the interval, the less battery consumption. Want your mail to be checked only when you launch the Mail app? Choose "manually".

6. What if the charge nevertheless drops and there is no charger at hand?

It’s very simple: turn on the energy saving mode (settings - battery) as in the picture in step 3.

With these settings, my device lasts for almost a day (iPhone 6 Plus), provided that I actively use two mailboxes, the Facebook application, a browser, three instant messengers, a navigator for two hours a day, etc.