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Apps that stream content like television shows, movies, and music keep us going on days when we’d rather stay in bed. They can provide a necessary distraction on long commutes or help us relax after a long work day. But if you’ve noticed your phone stalling or otherwise not behaving properly, one of the first places you should look is the apps that you’re using. Some apps are simply more taxing than others and streaming apps — which work twice as hard as many others — are big-time culprits when it comes to battery drainage. If you’re wondering which one of your favorite apps could be negatively affecting your device, this is the one streaming app that experts say is draining your phone’s battery so fast.
Netflix
If you ask tech experts about the most battery-draining streaming app, they might have differing opinions based on their own personal experiences. But one app keeps rising to the surface: Netflix.
“Netflix is the one streaming app that is draining your phone’s battery,” says Harriet Chan, co-founder of CocoFinder. “The application uses speakers for sound, utilizes screen time for display, and the internet at the same time. It also runs in the background and sends push notifications to let the user know about what is new.”
Edwin from iptvinsider.com agrees. “Whilst this will be quite different from user to user, my personal experience has shown that Netflix puts a lot of strain on my mobile device's battery,” Edwin says. “Main reason is that a Netflix session usually doesn't end after 20 mins and we tend to binge-watch multiple episodes of a show.”
There are a number of factors that contribute to battery drain, Edwin says, that include:
1. First and foremost, the user's usage habits will be the main reason why one streaming app uses more battery than others. Naturally, the more an app is running on a device and streaming content, the more power it will consume.
2. Streaming Quality: The higher the resolution of content being streamed, the more power is used. This is mainly due to two things: The device's processor has to work more to decode higher resolution content. And higher resolution content also uses more bandwidth to transmit data, eating up more resources (and battery power).
The only way to completely reduce the battery drainage caused by the Netflix app is to delete it — but then that leaves you without your favorite streaming app. Instead, you can take other steps to mitigate the damage these apps can pose.
“Limit screen time to reduce battery drainage by using Netflix less on the phone and preferably use a PC or smart TV,” Chan says. “Furthermore, lower the brightness of your screen and deny it background access when not in use.”
Edwin provides two suggestions for streaming your favorite media without killing the battery so fast:
“Reduce screen brightness: Surprisingly, the screen of a mobile device uses a considerable amount of battery and this can be managed to some degree by reducing the screen brightness,” Edwin says. “Reduce the content quality: As mentioned, both decoding video content and receiving data (via Wifi or cellular data) contribute to power drain. Reducing the content quality will reduce battery drain.”
