iPhone 12 Battery Draining Fast? Here’s How to Fix It

Noticing your iPhone 12 battery draining faster than usual? You’re not alone. Even after Apple’s software updates, many users still experience quick battery drain issues — sometimes out of nowhere. If your iPhone 12 battery is dropping like crazy, here’s how to stop it and get your battery life back on track.

Close Background Apps and Restart Your iPhone

Background apps can quietly suck up battery, especially if one of them is acting up.

To close them:

Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle.
Swipe left or right to find apps.
Swipe up on each one to close them.

Then restart your iPhone:

Press and hold the Side button and either Volume button.
When “Slide to power off” appears, drag the slider.
After the screen turns off, wait 30 seconds.
Press and hold the Side button again until you see the Apple logo.

Turn Off Background App Refresh

Background App Refresh lets apps update content when not in use, which can drain battery fast.

To disable it:

Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
Tap Background App Refresh again.
Choose Off to completely disable it.

Turn On Airplane Mode (When Not in Use)

If you’re not expecting calls or texts for a while, turning on Airplane Mode saves a lot of battery by cutting off radio signals.

To enable it:

Go to Settings and toggle on Airplane Mode.
Or swipe down from the top-right to open Control Center and tap the airplane icon.

Just remember: You won’t get texts, calls, or use cellular data while it’s on.

Update iOS and Apps

Bugs in apps or iOS itself can cause excessive battery use. Always keep everything updated.

To update apps:

Open the App Store.
Tap your profile icon in the top-right.
Scroll down to Available Updates.
Tap Update All or update apps individually.

To check for iOS updates:

Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
If one is available, tap Download and Install.

After updating, restart your iPhone and monitor battery performance.

Factory Reset (Erase All Content and Settings)

If none of the above helped, a full reset can clear hidden bugs or software issues.

Important: Back up your iPhone before doing this.

To factory reset:

Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
Enter your passcode and confirm.

After reset, set it up as new and check if the battery behaves normally before restoring from a backup.

Extra Tips to Prevent Battery Drain on iPhone 12

Avoid letting the battery drop below 20%. Repeated deep discharges can degrade battery health.
Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth from Settings, not just Control Center. Otherwise, they’ll still stay active in the background.
Use Low Power Mode only when necessary. Constantly using it can slow down your phone and paradoxically cause more battery drain by increasing load times.
Watch for rogue apps. If one app is using way more battery than others, consider deleting or reinstalling it.

Try a Battery Calibration (Once a Month)

Calibrating your battery helps recalibrate how iOS reads battery percentage and can resolve weird drain patterns.

Here’s how:

Let your iPhone drain completely until it shuts off on its own.
Plug it in and let it boot up — then power it off again immediately.
Leave it plugged in and powered off for 4 hours.
After 4 hours, power it on, but don’t unplug yet.
Once on the home screen, force restart your iPhone:
- Press and release Volume Up, then Volume Down, then press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
Let the phone boot up, then restart it one more time manually.
You can now unplug and use your iPhone normally.