If your iPhone battery drains too fast or your phone seems sluggish, some default settings might be working against you. Apple enables a bunch of features out of the box that aren’t always necessary — and some even waste power, data, or just annoy you.
Here are 7 iPhone settings you should seriously consider disabling right now.
1. Turn Off Background App Refresh
Apps love to stay active behind the scenes, constantly updating even when you’re not using them. It’s called Background App Refresh, and while it can be useful, it’s also a major battery and data hog.
To disable it:
- Open Settings.
- Go to General > Background App Refresh.
- Tap Background App Refresh again and choose Off to disable it entirely.
- Or, scroll through the list and manually turn it off for apps you don’t need refreshing in the background.
Pro tip: Social media and food delivery apps usually don’t need to stay refreshed 24/7.
2. Stop Annoying In-App Rating Prompts
You download an app and boom — it asks you to leave a 5-star review before you even use it. These pop-ups can get old fast.
To shut them down:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap App Store.
- Toggle off In-App Ratings & Reviews.
That’s it. No more pesky interruptions.
3. Limit Location Services to What Really Matters
Some apps really don’t need to know where you are all the time. Keeping Location Services wide open drains your battery and raises privacy concerns.
To tighten things up:
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
- Review the list and set apps to Never or While Using the App depending on your needs.
- Scroll down and tap System Services.
- Turn off everything except Emergency Calls & SOS and Find My iPhone.
You’ll still have location access when you need it — just not unnecessarily in the background.
4. Disable Analytics Sharing
Apple and third-party apps collect diagnostic and usage data from your iPhone unless you say otherwise. It’s optional, but most people leave it on without realizing.
To stop sharing your data:
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements.
- Toggle off Share iPhone Analytics, Share with App Developers, and anything else on that screen.
Not only does this protect your data, but it can also reduce background processes.
5. Switch from Push to Fetch for Email
By default, your iPhone “pushes” new emails to you instantly, which keeps you updated — but drains your battery. Switching to “fetch” (where it checks periodically) is a better balance.
To change it:
- Open Settings > Mail > Accounts > Fetch New Data.
- Turn off Push.
- Scroll down and choose a Fetch schedule (every 15 or 30 minutes is a good sweet spot).
And don’t worry — you’ll still get emails when you open the Mail app manually.
6. Remove Unused Widgets
Widgets are mini-apps that run on your Home or Lock screen and often stay active in the background. If you’re not using them, they’re just wasting resources.
To clean them up:
- From the Home screen, swipe right to access your widgets.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Edit (or Customize).
- Tap the minus (–) icon next to any widget you don’t use, then tap Remove.
Fewer widgets = less background activity = better performance.
7. Reconsider Silencing Unknown Callers
iOS has a feature called Silence Unknown Callers that automatically blocks calls from numbers not in your contacts. It’s great for avoiding spam — but it could also block real calls in emergencies.
To disable it:
- Go to Settings > Phone.
- Tap Silence Unknown Callers and turn it off.
You’ll start receiving calls from unknown numbers again, but at least you won’t miss anything important.