It can be incredibly frustrating when you plug your iPhone in to charge, only to see that the battery percentage keeps going down rather than up. There are few things more annoying than having to constantly plug your phone in or being stuck with a dead battery before you’ve had a chance to fully charge it.
Fortunately, a decreasing battery when charging is usually fixable with a few simple troubleshooting tips. In this article, we’ll look at the main reasons an iPhone Battery Draining While Charging and the steps you can take to get your device charging properly again.
Reasons for iPhone Battery Draining While Charging
There are a few common culprits for battery drain issues during charging. Here are some of the main factors that could be affecting your iPhone’s charging capability:
1. Old Battery
As iPhone batteries chemically age, their ability to hold a charge decreases. After hundreds of charge cycles, an old battery may struggle to charge fully and drain abnormally fast even while plugged in. This is one of the most common reasons behind charging issues.
2. Charging With Non-Apple Cables or Chargers
While it may be tempting to use cheaper third-party cables and chargers, these can sometimes interfere with normal charging and cause unexpected battery drain. Using official Apple charging accessories is best to avoid any compatibility issues.
3. Apps Running in the Background
Apps running tasks in the background can place extra demand on your battery, leading to discharge even during charging. Things like GPS navigation, music streaming, and gaming can be particular culprits for drain.
4. Extreme Temperatures
Exposing your iPhone to very high or very low temperatures while charging can disrupt the charging process and accelerate abnormal battery drain. Charging in extreme cold or heat should be avoided.
5. iOS Updates
On rare occasions, a buggy iOS update may cause rapid battery drain or charging issues. Updating to the latest iOS version can help eliminate any unintended software problems.
Tips to Fix iPhone Battery Draining While Charging
If you notice your iPhone’s battery percentage decreasing while charging, try these troubleshooting steps:
Step 1: Use the Original Apple Charger and Cable
Stick to the Apple wall adapter and Lightning cable that came with your phone, or purchase a certified MFi Lightning cable. This rules out any incompatibility issues with third-party charging accessories.
Step 2: Update to the Latest iOS Version
Install the most current iOS update available for your iPhone. Updates often include bug fixes that can resolve battery and charging problems caused by glitches.
Step 3: Turn Off the Background App
Disable Background App Refresh in your Settings to prevent apps from tapping your battery in the background during charging. Restrict this to only essential apps.
Step 4: Disable Location Services for Unused Apps
Location services can tax your battery when running in the background. Go to Privacy settings and disable location access for apps that don’t need it.
Step 5: Reset All Settings
If other fixes don’t work, try resetting all system settings on your iPhone (this won’t erase data). Sometimes this can clear out any glitches causing charging issues.
Step 6: Get Battery Replaced if Needed
For older iPhones, replacing the worn-out battery with a new one from Apple can make a huge difference in charging performance and battery lifespan.
How to check your iPhone battery health and performance
You can check your iPhone’s battery health and performance by using the Battery Health feature in iOS. This feature shows you two important indicators of your battery’s condition:
Maximum Capacity: Your battery’s capacity relative to when it was new. A higher percentage means that your battery can hold more charge. Apple considers a battery capacity of 80% or above to be in optimal condition.
Peak Performance Capability: Your battery’s ability to deliver maximum power. A normal status means that your battery is functioning normally. However, if your battery has degraded significantly, it may not be able to provide enough power for peak performance, resulting in performance management. This means that iOS will reduce your iPhone’s performance to prevent unexpected shutdowns.
Read more: What Is Remote Icloud Quota UI on My iPhone 2023You can access the Battery Health feature, by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health on your iPhone. You will see the percentage of maximum capacity and the status of peak performance capability. You will also see if your iPhone is being slowed down by performance management and if you can turn it off.
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Conclusion
Dealing with a decreasing battery while charging your iPhone can be frustrating. But in most cases, the issue can be resolved by troubleshooting root causes like background activity, old batteries, and software bugs. Using original Apple charging accessories, updating your iOS version, turning off Background App Refresh, and disabling unneeded Location Services are good ways to start fixing abnormal battery drain. Restoring your iPhone to factory settings or getting a battery replacement may be necessary if other fixes are ineffective. With a few strategic steps, you can get your iPhone’s charging behavior back to normal.
