10 Battery-Draining Apps and How to Reduce Their Usage

Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and video-streaming apps can use a lot of battery, but the biggest drain is the app doing the most work on your phone. Before deleting anything, open your battery settings and compare each app’s screen time with its background activity. A video app you watched for two hours deserves a different fix from one that kept running while your phone was idle.

Start with the checks below, then use the app-by-app suggestions to cut unnecessary activity. These ten apps are troubleshooting candidates, not a measured ranking: battery use changes with your phone, signal, settings and the features you use.

Find the app draining your battery first

1. iPhone: open Settings > Battery, choose the period you want to inspect and tap an app for its activity. Apple’s battery-usage guide explains on-screen and background activity.
2. Android: open Settings > Battery > Battery usage. On Pixel, select View by apps and choose an app. Other manufacturers may place these controls under Device care or App battery usage.
3. Compare like with like: note how long you used the app, whether the screen was on and whether reception was poor. An app’s percentage in the usage chart is not a universal percentage of a full charge lost per hour.
4. Change one setting, then compare another similar day. Keep essential messaging and navigation working while you test.

On Pixel, Google recommends leaving battery optimization enabled and restricting unusually heavy background activity when necessary. Restrictions can delay notifications or interrupt background work, so apply them selectively.

1. Snapchat

The camera, video recording and location features can all contribute to usage during a Snapchat session. If its background activity looks excessive, review its location permission and whether you still need live location sharing.

Try this: Use your phone’s location settings to allow access only while using the app if that suits you. Snapchat’s location guidance distinguishes background permission from map visibility. Ghost Mode hides your location from other people on the map; it does not by itself switch off Snapchat’s access to location.

2. Facebook

A long session of videos and Reels keeps the display and network busy. Notifications and background activity may add to that, but a high usage figure after a long session is not evidence of a fault.

Try this: Reduce video autoplay in Facebook’s media preferences if the option is available in your version. Turn off alerts you do not need, and try the website for occasional checks before uninstalling the app.

3. Instagram

Reels, Stories, camera effects and uploads make Instagram a more demanding task than reading a static page. Uploading a large video on a weak connection can also keep the phone busy longer.

Try this: Shorten video sessions, lower excessive screen brightness and upload large clips over a reliable connection. Review location access. Instagram’s data-saving settings may reduce data use, but they are not a guaranteed battery-saving switch.

4. TikTok

An uninterrupted video feed means sustained screen-on time, downloading and decoding. The most useful comparison is battery use per similar-length session, not TikTok’s position in a daily chart after several hours of watching.

Try this: Use a screen-time reminder and stop playback when you are finished. If the phone is warm, give it a break rather than installing a battery-cleaner app. Check background activity separately from time spent watching.

5. YouTube

Watching video uses the display as well as the network and video decoder. A high battery share can simply reflect how much you watched. Picture-in-picture or background playback can continue after you leave the main screen.

Try this: Stop playback you no longer want. Choose a lower resolution when extra detail is not useful, and use downloads where your account and the video permit them. Downloading ahead reduces the need to stream later; it does not turn off all phone radios.

6. Netflix

Long episodes and bright screens make Netflix an obvious place to look when battery life falls during a commute. Connection quality and playback settings matter more than a fixed drain percentage.

Try this: Download eligible episodes before traveling if your plan supports it, keep brightness comfortable and close the playback session when finished. Netflix settings and viewing tips can help you choose a more suitable setup.

7. Messenger

Video calls use the camera, microphone, display and connection together. Battery use during a long call is expected; unexplained background activity when you have not called anyone needs a closer look.

Try this: Use audio instead of video when you do not need the picture. Reduce unnecessary notifications, but avoid aggressive background restrictions if reliable incoming calls are important.

8. WhatsApp

Video calls, media uploads and chat backups can use power. Look for a relationship between a battery spike and one of those tasks before assuming the app is always running incorrectly.

Try this: Schedule large backups for a convenient time on a reliable connection. Review automatic media downloads and live location sessions. Before reinstalling, confirm that your backup is usable so a battery fix does not become lost messages.

9. Spotify

Streaming, downloading and video playback have different workloads. Spotify playing music with the screen off should not be compared directly with an app playing full-screen video.

Try this: For regular listening away from Wi-Fi, Spotify’s offline downloads can reduce repeated streaming; music downloads require Premium. Stop unused playback and reduce optional visuals if your version offers them. Do not restrict background activity if you want music to keep playing with the screen locked.

10. Google News

A feed containing images and video uses more resources than a plain-text article. Frequent alerts may also encourage you to wake the screen repeatedly. Check the battery chart rather than assuming News is a major offender.

Try this: Reduce notification frequency and unnecessary topic alerts. If you only read a few stories a day, try opening them in your browser. Keep the app if its measured usage is small; removing it will not solve an unrelated battery problem.

When the app is not the real problem

A worn battery, a bright display or weak reception can make several apps look power-hungry at once. If the phone drains quickly even with little use, check battery health and the system’s battery recommendations. After a software update, allow normal setup and background work to finish before judging a single short session.

Update a troublesome app, restart the phone and retest before taking more disruptive steps. You do not need to root Android to change ordinary battery settings. Our Android tips without root cover useful adjustments, while the Android security guide helps you review permissions without disabling essential protections.

Frequently asked questions