How to Check Your Battery Usage by App in iOS 8
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The team that built iOS 8 was wise to listen to one common iPhone owner complaint: Their devices are always dying. Now, a new database hidden away in Settings allows you to see which of your frequently used apps drains your battery most. As a result, you’ll be able to curb your usage of the most power-consuming games and social networks — at least while you’re on the go.
Here’s how to check your stats:
Go to Settings → General → Usage Usage. Under the section at the top labeled Battery, tap Battery Usage.
You can see the (likely harrowing) amount you’ve used your phone since its last full charge. I clock in at 9 hours and 23 minutes of phone time, which makes me wonder what I’m doing with my life.
Below that, under a section called Battery Usage, you can see what apps are using the highest percentage of your battery. Though I’m not necessarily surprised by my excessive use of the highly addictive Kim Kardashian game, I’m pretty disappointed in myself for it.
… maybe my app usage over the past seven days will tell a different story?
You’ll notice that some apps on the above list, including Mail and Hangouts, include a little note called Background Activity. This signifies that these apps are sucking up your battery through background updates even when you aren’t actively using them. If one of those apps is topping your list, it might be time to find an alternative.
And in a similar vein, if your Home & Lock screen is clocking in your top five, you should try to be more diligent about turning your screen off when you’re not using your phone.
And if there’s an annoying game at the top of your list, consider switching to a less graphic-heavy alternative in situations when you know you need to preserve your battery.
Now you know how to see your recent and long-term usage. Let’s hope your info will be less depressing. Or at the very least, helpful!
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