Why iPhone Battery Drains Overnight and How to Fix It

If you've ever woken up to find your iPhone battery suddenly down to 20% or less, you're not alone. After some experimentation, we've found the most common causes and how to fix them.

5. Software error or old iOS version

While software bugs or older versions of iOS are more likely to cause battery drain during the day when you're using your phone, they can sometimes affect your battery at night, too. Some background processes may misbehave or fail to enter sleep mode properly, causing system services or apps to remain running even when your phone is in standby mode.

This battery drain usually occurs when a buggy app gets stuck in the middle of syncing data, or when certain iOS processes aren't working as expected. If your iPhone's battery was working fine overnight and the problem suddenly started after a recent iOS update, a software glitch could be to blame. Additionally, tasks like reindexing files or refreshing app data can temporarily increase battery usage and even make your phone slow after an update.

4. Background application activities

On iOS, some apps continue to run in the background even after you stop using them and silently drain your iPhone battery even when you're not using your device.

To see how your iPhone's battery is using you, go to Settings > Battery , then on the next page, scroll to see a list of apps and how much battery each app has used. If an app is using an unusual amount of background data, turn off background activity for that app.

You can do this by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh , then turning off apps that don't need to be constantly updated.

3. Phone wake-up notifications

Every time your iPhone lights up for a notification—whether it's a text message, email, app alert, or even a calendar reminder—it briefly wakes the device. This may seem insignificant, but dozens of notifications overnight can silently drain your battery.

To minimize battery drain, turn on Focus Mode or Do Not Disturb during bedtime. Go to Settings > Focus > Sleep and customize which apps or people are allowed to notify you.

2. iCloud backup and photo sync

Your iPhone regularly syncs photos, videos, and app data to iCloud when it's connected to Wi-Fi and has enough battery power. However, if your iPhone's battery is significantly depleted, you may notice a noticeable drop overnight, even if your phone still has enough battery left to sync.

To mitigate this, turning on Low Power Mode before going to bed can help significantly. You can enable this feature by going to Settings > Battery and turning on Low Power Mode .

Alternatively, you can open Control Center on your iPhone and do it from there. Low Power Mode temporarily turns off or limits background activities like iCloud syncing and mail fetching, saving battery life.

1. Location services

Location services can also be a culprit in overnight battery drain. Many apps request location access not only while you're using them, but also in the background — sometimes even while you're sleeping.

If an app has permission to access your location, it may periodically wake up your iPhone to check for location updates or run geolocation tasks. Over time, this background activity can build up and drain your battery, especially if multiple apps are using it.

To check which apps are using your location, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services . Review each app's permissions and set them to While Using the App or Never unless background access is necessary.

A drained battery overnight is frustrating, but it's often fixable. By keeping your iPhone updated , managing background activity, and tweaking your key settings, you can prevent battery drain and wake up with a phone that's ready to take on the day.

Kareem Winters

Update 17 August 2025