iPhone Battery Stats Explained: Check What’s Draining Power

For years, the biggest worry for iPhone users has been battery life. While Apple hasn’t drastically increased physical battery sizes, it has continuously optimized iOS to squeeze out more usage. Today, your iPhone has a dedicated Battery section that reveals detailed insights into power consumption, helping you see exactly what’s draining your phone and how to manage it better.

This guide walks you through how iPhone battery tracking works, where to find these stats, and how to use them to extend your iPhone’s battery life.

How iPhone Battery Tracking Works

Your iPhone’s built-in power management system monitors every detail of your usage, screen time, background processes, charging behavior, and even low-power sessions. iOS then organizes this data into two clear views:

• Graphs: Showing your battery level over time and screen-on vs. screen-off activity.
• App Data: Breaking down which apps or processes consumed the most power.

This combination helps you identify not just when your iPhone is draining power, but why.

How to View Your iPhone’s Battery Usage

To check your iPhone’s battery insights:

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1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone. 
2. Locate and tap Battery to access battery settings. 
3. Now, wait for iOS to load your iPhone’s detailed battery usage stats. 
4. Once it does, iOS presents you with two graphs representing different key stats.
   

Here, you’ll find two main graphs:

• Battery Level Graph: Tracks charge percentage throughout the day.
• Activity Graph: Shows how long your iPhone was in use—both with the screen on and off.

Understanding iPhone Battery Graphs

Apple has designed the battery level graph to give you deep insight into a high-level overview and detailed breakdown of your iPhone’s power consumption over the last 24 hours and 10 days.

If you look closely at the Battery Level graph, you’ll notice different colored lines based on the time frame against the battery charging level. Here’s what each color represents.

• Green: Normal battery usage while running on battery power. 
• Yellow: Indicates your iPhone was in Low Power Mode, helping extend usage by reducing background activity and visual effects.
• Red: Represents the hours when the battery percentage was critically low, i.e., below 20%.
  

Plus, a lightning sign appears below the lines representing the periods when your iPhone was charging.

Just below the Battery Level graph, you’ll find the Activity graph, which shows how long your iPhone was actively in use. Like the Battery Level graph, Apple has broken down the Activity graph into two colors:

• Screen On (blue): The time your display was lit up, usually reflecting direct usage like browsing, streaming, or gaming. 
• Screen Off (turquoise): Time when apps were still running in the background even though the screen wasn’t on, such as music playback, downloads, or background refresh.

When combined, these graphs help you determine if a significant drain was caused by direct usage (such as video playback) or by hidden background processes.

Daily vs. 10-Day Battery Views

At the top, switch between:

• 24-Hour View: Hour-by-hour breakdown of charging and usage.
• 10-Day View: Long-term trends and recurring app drain patterns.

This is especially helpful after iOS updates; you’ll quickly notice if an app suddenly starts misbehaving.

Breaking Down Battery Usage by App

Below the Battery Level and Activity graph, there’s another section named “Battery Usage By App.” Under this section, you’ll find a list of all installed apps and how much battery each app has consumed within the last 24 hours or 10 days.  
 
By default, the “Battery Usage By App” section is set to show the battery usage per app. You can tap the “Show Activity” tab next to “Battery Usage By App” to view how long each app was used on-screen or in the background.

 
This way, you can easily identify apps that are draining power disproportionately, whether through heavy screen use or background tasks.

Checking Battery Health and Charging Options

Beyond daily stats, iOS also provides long-term battery health tools under Battery Health & Charging:

• Maximum Capacity: Shows your battery’s health compared to when it was new.
• Cycle Count: Displays the total number of complete charge cycles your iPhone battery has gone through.
• Optimized Battery Charging: Slows charging above 80% until you need the phone, reducing battery aging.
• Charging Limits (iOS 18+): Lets you cap charging at 80% to extend lifespan.

Smart Tips to Make the Most of Battery Stats

Use these insights to optimize your iPhone’s battery life:

• Turn off Background App Refresh for apps that consume too much power. 
• Keep an eye out for apps that drain energy despite minimal use. These may need updating or replacing. 
• Use Low Power Mode during long days to reduce background activity and extend battery life. 
• Check trends weekly to catch any abnormal drain early, especially after a software update.

Stay in Control of Your iPhone’s Battery Life

With Apple’s built-in battery insights, you no longer have to guess what’s eating your charge. The graphs, app-level breakdowns, and charging tools give you the power to monitor and manage your iPhone’s energy consumption like a pro.

Make it a habit to review your stats regularly, and you’ll keep your iPhone running smoothly all day.

Don’t miss these related reads:

• 10 Tips to Maintain Your iPhone’s Battery Health
• How to Fix Overnight Battery Drain Issue on iPhone
• How to Check Battery Cycle Count on Any iPhone in Seconds