Asger Risom
A new analysis suggests that several widely used apps consume large amounts of power each month, not just when they are open, but also while running in the background.
A dying battery halfway through the day is a familiar frustration for smartphone users. While screen time often gets the blame, some of the biggest drains happen out of sight.
A new analysis suggests that several widely used apps consume large amounts of power each month, not just when they are open, but also while running in the background.
What the data shows
According to telecommunications and network firm Elevate, background processing plays a major role in how quickly a phone’s battery is depleted. The company examined app usage patterns, screen time, background activity, and power consumption to estimate how much battery popular apps use over a month.
Elevate focused on apps that are both heavily used and constantly active in the background, even when users are not directly engaging with them.
Biggest battery drains
Netflix topped Elevate’s list. The firm estimates that average users spend about 60 hours a month streaming content, consuming the equivalent of 1,500% of a full battery charge, with an additional 13 hours of background activity adding to the drain.
TikTok followed, with roughly 33 hours of monthly use and an estimated 825% battery drain, plus significant background processing. YouTube also ranked high, using an estimated 540% of a battery each month, even before accounting for background activity.
Social media apps featured prominently. Threads, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook all showed substantial battery consumption, driven by a mix of screen time and hours of background processing.
Quiet background killers
Not all high-drain apps rely on heavy video use. Spotify, Elevate found, uses relatively little power per hour of active listening, but its long background activity makes it a “quiet” battery drain over time.
CapCut, a video-editing app, showed the fastest drain per hour, while ChatGPT also appeared on the list, with Elevate estimating it uses about 200% of a full battery charge per month.
Why it adds up
Elevate emphasized that background activity is often overlooked by users. An Elevate spokesperson said, “While users focus on active streaming or video editing, apps like Spotify continue consuming significant battery even when you’re not actively listening, highlighting the importance of managing background app refresh settings for optimal battery performance.”
How to reduce drain
Elevate recommends disabling background app refresh for non-essential apps, tracking usage, enabling battery saver modes, keeping apps updated, lowering screen brightness, uninstalling rarely used high-drain apps, and carrying a power bank as a last resort.
Sources: Phonearena
