Clark Howard

How to stop Apple iOS 11 from draining your iPhone's battery

Since Apple released its iOS 11 mobile operating system in September, iPhone users have been complaining that the upgrade is draining their battery faster than ever.

Multiple reports indicate that those with older iPhone models — not the new iPhone 8 — appear to be struggling the most.

iPhone problems: Turn off background app refresh to extend battery life

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After pushing out a couple of minor updates for bug fixes, iPhone users continue to vent their frustrations on Twitter. One user said that her iPhone 6s went from 79% to 30% battery life in 20 minutes.

Some people say they’ve been forced to use Low Power Mode just to get through the day without a charge.

Solving this problem may require a bit of troubleshooting. I’ve noticed that many iPhone users say they’ve fixed the issue by changing the background app refresh setting.

Some people claim iOS 11 turned background app refresh on for all apps, which drains the battery.

Turning background app refresh off has made a big difference for some users. To try it, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and select the apps that you want to stop from updating in the background.

If that doesn’t work, you may want to reduce your screen brightness, use a Wi-Fi connection, disable location services and turn off push mail notifications.

The best place to begin your detective work is Settings > Battery to see which apps are using the most battery.

Has turning off background app refresh improved your iPhone's battery life? Let us know and share your battery-saving tips with us on Facebook and Twitter.

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