Thomas Davy, CEO and co-founder of optimising cloud performance site CloudExMachina.io, says Facebook tops the list of power-hungry apps due to its constant background activity and location tracking features. The good news is users can make simple adjustments to their settings without losing core functionality.
1. Facebook
Facebook and its partner app Instagram drain batteries faster than almost any other apps. These platforms constantly update content, check notifications, and track location even when you're not using them.
“Social media apps like Facebook and Instagram consume battery by constantly refreshing in the background,” Davy said. “They download new content, videos, and advertisements regardless of whether you're actively using the app.”
How to stop Facebook from draining your phone's battery? Stop background refresh to save power.
The expert recommends turning off background app refresh in your phone settings. “This small change can extend your battery life by even two hours per day in some cases without affecting your social media experience when you actually open the app,” he told users.
Another tip is to disable location services for these apps. “Facebook doesn't need to know where you are 24 hours a day. Location tracking is a massive battery drain.” Davy added.
2. Navigation apps
GPS apps rank second on the battery-draining list due to their heavy use of location services.
“Map apps like Google Maps and Waze use GPS, mobile data, and screen brightness simultaneously, creating a perfect storm for battery consumption,” Davy said.
How to stop map apps from draining your phone’s battery? Limit map apps to active journeys only.
He suggests downloading offline maps when possible and closing navigation apps completely after reaching your destination. “Many people leave these apps running in the background, which continues to drain power.”
3. Video streaming apps
Netflix, YouTube, and TikTok place high demands on both processors and network connections.
“Streaming video at high resolution forces your phone to work harder and use more data, both of which deplete your battery even if a lower quality video works fine,” Davy explained.
How to stop video streaming apps from draining your phone’s battery? Lower video quality settings on mobile data.
His recommendation is simple: “Reduce video quality to standard definition when on mobile data. Most phone screens can't display the full quality of 4K video anyway, so you're wasting battery for no visible benefit.”
“Simple changes to app settings can significantly extend battery life without sacrificing the functions people rely on. Most users can gain significantly more battery life by optimising just their top five most-used applications. It is important to stress that you don’t need to completely uninstall problematic apps. The goal isn't to stop using these services, but to use them more efficiently.”
These insights were provided by CloudExMachina, which maps your environment, attributes cost without tags, and delivers high-impact optimisations directly into developer workflows, from infrastructure tweaks to commitment planning.
