It’s no secret that social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok can do a number on your phone battery and drain it much faster than some other apps. The reason they are such overachievers when it comes to taking up your battery power is because they provide a number of resources, including playing videos (constantly), updating notifications, using location services, and, often, running in the background—even if you aren’t aware of this happening.
You don’t have to delete all of your social media apps to help boost your phone’s battery, though doing so will be your best option. You can change a few key settings that may be getting in the way of you and a phone with a battery that runs well and doesn’t die so fast. Start by changing these settings to see a difference.
Turn Off Background App Refresh
Your first change should be turning off Background App Refresh, which is a setting that allows your phone to constantly update apps, even when you aren’t using them. This setting provides one convenience: the second you click on an app like Facebook, all of the latest content will be right up top and you won’t have to wait for even a moment while it loads. But the downside will become obvious rather quickly: Background App Refresh is a battery drainer. Turn it off by going into Settings > General > Background App Refresh and disable it.
Turn Off Location Services
A second reason why your social media apps are consuming a lot more of your battery and resources could be because they are using location services to track your whereabouts. Doing this is beneficial to them because they can more accurately deliver ad content to you that is relevant, although this may be the last thing in the world you want.
Luckily, whether you allow them to access your location is within your control. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and toggle off Location Services.
Update Apps
Another big reason why your social media apps — and every other app on your phone — could be causing your battery to stall and your phone to slow down is because you aren’t regularly updating them. App developers issue updates to their apps when they find bugs and errors in them, and this occurs quite often. If you aren’t regularly updating the apps that need an update, you are resigning your phone to a life of battery drainage and poor performance.
Get into the good habit of checking for app updates. Open the App Store, tap on your profile icon, scroll down to find pending updates, and click on updates. You can also opt to Update All of your apps and save time.
Making these three simple changes can help keep your social media apps from running your phone’s battery down fast.
