As an iPhone user, I have often found myself frustrated by my phone’s battery draining quickly when I turn on its hotspot feature. After doing some research and testing, I am now here to share my experience and how I solved the problem, as well as some other solutions I discovered. In this blog post, I will be discussing the question “Does iPhone Hotspot Drain Battery Faster?”, and will provide some useful tips to save iPhone battery on hotspot.
Truth is that the iPhone hotspot uses more power, but it won’t significantly drain the battery by itself. If you manage to turn off other power-consuming features, you’ve got a great chance of extending the charge for a few hours. For instance, background use of WiFi and location services can make the battery drain faster.
| Factors | Effects on Battery Life | Tips to Save Battery on Hotspot |
|---|---|---|
| Background Apps | Drains power | Switch off unnecessary background apps |
| Charging Method | Affects battery lifespan | Keep your phone plugged in while using the hotspot |
| Optimized Battery Charging | Extends battery life | Enable Optimized Battery Charging in Settings |
| Low Power Mode | Conserves power | Switch on Low Power Mode when the battery is low |
| Display Animation | Consumes more power | Turn off animations in Accessibility Settings |
| WiFi | Searches for connections | Switch off WiFi when using cellular data for hotspot |
Table of Contents
Does iPhone Hotspot Drain Battery Faster?
While phones have generally advanced in their overall performance, battery technology is noticeably lagging behind.
The primary benefit of the recent advancements is that the latest software updates have streamlined battery consumption. So, you won’t drain much power because of background apps.
As for the hotspot feature, it uses from 1.5 to 2 W which is around 0.3 to 0.5A from the phone’s battery. This is because you’re using the phone like a WiFi+3G router.
Still, if you need to use your iPhone’s hotspot for a long period of time, we’ve got your back. Check our practical tips in the next section.
Tips to Save iPhone Battery on Hotspot
The best way to save battery while the hotspot is on is by controlling other factors on the phone. This way you can save most of the power for hotspot use and extend the battery life.
- Switch-Off Background Apps
When you first purchase a phone, head over to the Background Apps menu in the Settings. From there make sure you disable background activities except for the absolutely necessary apps.
Additionally, you can turn off unneeded app notifications, including email. Otherwise, those apps will drain power as they continuously synchronize.
- Keep Your Phone Plugged In
This might sound like an unusual piece of advice, but it will prove most helpful if you plan to keep the hotspot on for days. All you need to do is keep your iPhone plugged in as long as you’re using its hotspot.
Admittedly, plugging in your phone all day will gradually reduce the battery’s lifespan. Yet, the plugging solution is better than continuously recharging your phone, which will shorten the battery life span more significantly.
The fact is that battery life is estimated depending on the number of cycles it goes through from fully charged to empty. Therefore, when you keep your phone plugged in, you get to reduce the number of cycles.
- Optimize Battery Charging
When your phone isn’t plugged in all day, turn on Optimized Battery Charging. This smart feature will prevent your phone from staying fully charged for a long time.
It impressively tracks your charging routine so you would be able to charge less frequently. You can control this feature from the Battery Health menu in Settings.
- Switch-On Low Power Mode
Low Power Mode was first introduced with iOS 9, allowing users to extend their battery life. When your battery drops below 20%, your phone will suggest switching this mode on.
Alternatively, you can activate Low Power Mode from the battery menu in Settings. Although you’ll be able to use the hotspot for a longer time, you’ll have to get along with lower brightness.
Take note though, as your apps will stop downloading content in the background. Besides, some features, like iCloud sync and AirDrop will be disabled.
- Turn-Off Display Animation
We all love iOS for its attention to detail. Many of us may not realize it, but there’s subtle animation that adds elegance to the iPhone. Sadly, however, fancy features cost battery life.
For instance, when the app tiles swiftly transform into the app screen, this animation uses more power. Likewise, you might have noticed the parallax effect when the home screen apps slide relative to the wallpaper.
You control this animation from the Accessibility menu in Settings. From there, select Motion, then switch on Reduce Motion.
- Switch off WiFi
If you’re using cellular data, make sure you switch off the WiFi on your phone. Otherwise, your device will keep looking for accessible network connections, which further depletes the battery.
Wrap Up
Read more: Dropped AirPods in water
Finally, does iPhone hotspot drain battery faster? Yes, the hotspot on your iPhone uses up more battery, but it’s not the only culprit.
The most helpful tip is to keep your phone plugged in all day to reduce the number of charging cycles. Other than that, we recommend you follow all the typical power-saving tricks.
Altogether, it’s better to minimize the hotspot time. We need not forget, however, to be grateful for this technology as it lends a hand when needed.
Read more: Controller is connected to iPhone but not working