Overview:
ToggleWhy Is Your Phone Battery Draining So Fast? Letâs Break It Down
Your smartphoneâs battery life is one of its most important features, right? No one wants to be constantly hunting for a charger. But sometimes, for no apparent reason, your phone seems to run out of juice way too quickly. It can feel frustrating, and you might even think your phoneâs broken. Before you panic, though, there are three common reasons your battery could be misbehaving.
Letâs explore themâand donât worry, if reading isnât your thing, weâve got a video for you too!
1) You’re Using the Wrong Charger
One of the sneakiest culprits behind fast-draining batteries? The wrong charger. And no, weâre not just talking about plugs that donât fit.
The big one to watch out for is wattage. Every phone model has its own optimal wattage for charging. For older models (like the iPhone 7 and earlier), a 5W charger is ideal. Newer models, however, need higher wattage to support fast charging. Using the wrong chargerâtoo low or too highâcan harm your batteryâs long-term health, causing it to degrade faster than normal.
Pro tip: Stick with official chargers. For Apple, look for MFi-certified cables and plugs. For Android, make sure youâre buying from reputable retailers. Need to check your phoneâs ideal wattage? Just Google: “{your phone model} wattage.”
2) Brightness is Draining Your Battery
Letâs face it: We all love those ultra-bright screens, but using your phone at max brightness is a surefire way to burn through your battery fast. The solution? Auto-brightness.
Most phones have an auto-brightness feature that adjusts your screen based on the ambient light around you. Turn it on, and your phone will save battery life by dimming when it doesnât need to shine so bright.
3) Those Updates Are Hungry
Updates are greatâthey bring new features, security improvements, and optimisations. But they can also be a battery drain, especially on older phones. For example, when iOS 17.4 launched, it came with power-hungry goodies like keyboard vibrations (haptic feedback) and lock-screen widgets. Fun features, but not exactly battery-friendlyâespecially if your phone wasnât built with these extras in mind.
The good news? You can manually turn off most of these features if you find theyâre eating up your battery. A little tweaking goes a long way.
None of These Sound Like Your Issue?
If youâre already using the right charger, keeping brightness in check, and managing your updates, but your phone still wonât last, it might just be down to the phoneâs battery capacity. The average smartphone lasts about 22 hoursâand even top-tier models can struggle to get through a full day without charging.
At The Big Phone Store, we guarantee that all of our refurbished devices have at least 85% battery health, meaning you can stay connected ALL DAY!
Battery life has improved over time, but most of the progress has been in charging efficiency, not necessarily extending overall usage. If your phone isnât meeting your expectations, the best solution might just be charging more regularly.
Need a quick top-up during the day? Consider getting a power bank or a wireless chargerâperfect for keeping your phone powered up without the hassle.
Alternatively, check out our in-depth article about overheating phones and how it affects your device!