Some apps are battery vampires – how to root them out and shut them down

Running low on battery power is a common complaint among mobile phone users. Beyond complaining, you want to preserve the juice before it runs out. One way to do that is to determine which apps are draining your battery the most. Here’s one expert who can steer you in the right direction.

Blame the cloud

In an analysis shared with ZDNET, Thomas Davy, CEO and co-founder of cloud optimization firm Cloud ExMachina, blames one particular factor for battery drain: the cloud itself, or more specifically, hidden background cloud operations.

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Popular apps often process data in the background, even if you exit them. That requires a constant connection to servers, thereby draining the battery in a way that you may not even see.

“Your phone sitting in your pocket is not inactive like you might think,” Davy said. “Those innocent-looking apps are often firing up enormous server farms miles away, processing data nobody asked for.”

Which apps are the worst offenders? 

Davy pinned much of the blame on apps for streaming platforms, smart home devices, and certain social media platforms. By continually syncing with cloud-based systems, these apps are essentially burning the candle at both ends, eating into your battery charge as well as data center electricity.

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Video services with auto-play features are particularly problematic. “When Netflix or YouTube automatically starts playing previews, they trigger continuous data transfers between your phone and server banks,” Davy explained. “This burns electricity in at least three places simultaneously, massive data centers, network systems, and your device.”

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Apps that track your location can also drain your battery. Here, Davy points not just to map and direction apps but to weather apps that process location data even after you close them. “Those mapping apps constantly tracking your movements aren’t just killing your battery,” Davy said. “They’re constantly triggering energy-intensive cloud processing operations that most people never consider.”

What can you do to stifle battery-hungry apps?

Go through the apps on your phone and turn off the background refresh option for any that are not essential. “Most apps don’t need constant location access, but developers enable these features by default because it can generate valuable data for them,” Davy said.

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Look for any lightweight versions of your favorite apps. Such lighter versions typically run fewer background tasks and therefore chew up less battery power. “Big platforms like Facebook now offer stripped-down versions that use substantially less data and energy,” Davy noted. “These lighter alternatives typically eliminate power-hungry features like auto-playing videos and constant background syncing.”

Many of us like to watch streaming videos on our mobile phones, but you can preserve your battery charge by adjusting the resolution and other settings. “Watching Netflix in 4K on a tiny phone screen rarely looks better than 1080p but uses four times more energy across the entire digital system,” Davy explained.

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If you have smart home devices, check their associated apps. Certain smart home apps continuously run background processes to stay connected with the devices. “Some smart home apps check for updates every few seconds, which wastes enormous energy,” Davy said. “Look for apps that use push notifications for status changes instead of constant checking — this approach uses far less power.”

Turning to an app is usually quick and convenient, but using the web version instead can be kinder to your battery. “Browser versions typically use fewer resources than standalone apps and don’t run in the background when closed, cutting energy use across the entire digital chain,” Davy suggested.

How to tell which apps drain your battery

Finally, your phone’s software can tell you which apps are the biggest battery drains. On an iPhone, head to Settings and select Battery. Swipe down the screen to see the battery use for each app. On an Android phone, go to Settings and select Battery. Tap the option for Battery usage and check the use per app. The Battery screens for both iOS and Android also offer other useful information and helpful advice for preserving your battery charge.

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“Most phones now show which apps drain the most battery and data, which typically indicates their cloud energy usage too,” Davy said. “Even disabled apps often update themselves automatically, triggering energy-intensive processes across multiple server networks without providing any benefit to you.”

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