How to Save Your iPad & iPhone Battery Life If Widgets Are Draining It Too Fast

People often wonder how to save battery life on their iPhone or iPad. Lots of tips and tricks to extend iPad and iPhone battery life stay the same for several iOS and iPadOS versions and Apple device generations. But, Apple is always working to develop its operating systems to include new features, and sometimes these new software features are responsible for draining battery life, and require new solutions. One useful new feature of iOS 14 and iPadOS are widgets, but unfortunately, widgets can also shorten your iPad or iPhone battery life. If you find yourself asking, "why is my iPhone battery draining so fast?" your iPadOS or iOS widgets might be causing the problem, and we have a solution for you! We've already gone over how to add widgets to your iPhone and iPad; now, read on to learn how one easy tip can act as a major battery saver and extend iPad and iPhone battery life. 

Related: iOS 14 Draining Your iPhone Battery Life? 13 Ways to Save Battery on Your iPhone

Are Widgets Draining My iPhone Battery Life? How to Save Battery on Your iPhone or iPad & Keep Your Widgets

Do widgets drain the battery on an iPhone or iPad? Widgets allow iPhone and iPad users to quickly view the information they need from their favorite apps, either in the Today View or on the Home screen, without having to open them. With iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, we can even use stacks of widgets! But these widgets can also drain an iPhone or iPad battery, especially the ones that use Location Services. We've gone over popular iPad and iPhone apps that drain battery life,  as well as how to check your iPhone battery health. Now let's go over how to make sure your widgets don't impact your iPhone battery life, whether they're single or arranged in a Widget Stack. For more great tutorials about how to save battery life on your iPhone and iPad, check out our free Tip of the Day.  

Discover your iPhone's hidden features

Get a daily tip (with screenshots and clear instructions) so you can master your iPhone in just one minute a day.

How to Save Battery Life on Your iPhone & iPad by Turning Off Location Tracking in Widgets

Apple recommends turning off Location Services for apps to optimize battery life, and the same holds true for widgets. If you've noticed your iPhone or iPad battery draining quickly since you installed iOS 14 or iPadOS 14, you should give this a try. For this example, I'll use the weather widget. Before you turn off Location Services for your Weather widget, set a default location for the Weather app and widget, so you can still see the weather where you live.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Privacy.
   
   
    
3. Tap Location Services.
4. Scroll down and tap Weather.
   
   
    
5. Here you'll see your location tracking options; tap Never.
   
   
    

Now your iPhone or iPad won't use battery life to provide location services to your widget. You can repeat this process with any widget that uses Location Services.

How to Save Battery Life on Your iPhone & iPad by Deleting Unwanted Widgets

If your iPhone battery is dying too quickly, one solution is to get rid of any widgets you don’t need. As mentioned earlier, these widgets may be in your Today View or on your Home Screen. To access the Today View from the Lock screen, swipe right from the main Lock screen. To access the Today View from the Home screen, swipe right from the first Home screen. 

To remove widgets you don’t need in the Today View & Home screens:

1. Scroll to the bottom of the Today View screen; tap Edit.
2. If you started from the Lock screen, you’ll need to unlock your phone to make changes.
3. Tap the minus symbol next to any widgets you'd like to remove. 
   
   
    
4. Tap Remove to confirm you want to delete the widget.
5. Tap Done when you're finished removing widgets.
   
   
    
6. To remove a widget from the Home Screen, touch and hold the widget until a menu appears, then tap Remove Widget.
7. Tap Remove, then tap Done in the upper-right corner of your screen.
   
   
    
8. To remove more than one widget from your Home Screen, touch and hold a widget you want to delete, then tap Edit Home Screen. 
9. Tap the minus symbol next to any widget you want to delete, then tap Done.
   
   

If you have widgets on your iPad's Today View, you can save battery life by unpinning it from your Home Screen.