ladbible homepage
ladbible homepage
  • Home
  • News
    • UK
    • US
    • World
    • Ireland
    • Australia
    • Science
    • Crime
    • Weather
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Film
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • Netflix
    • Disney
  • Sport
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Money
  • Originals
    • FFS PRODUCTIONS
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • SPORTbible
  • Tyla
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
iPhone 'vampire setting' is secretly draining your battery but can be turned off easily
Home>News>Technology
Published 15:35 24 Apr 2026 GMT+1

iPhone 'vampire setting' is secretly draining your battery but can be turned off easily

Do you know how much it's draining your battery?

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

Having your phone battery running low is a real pain, partly because phones are really useful for all sorts of things and also because you're probably addicted to it and can't scratch that itch at the back of your mind without it.

There's all sorts of things you can try to do to prolong your battery life but there are some settings you might not even realise are switched on and wearing it down.

One of these 'vampire settings' which drains the battery life is 'WiFi assist', so if you're somewhere connected to the internet but it's being a bit slow for whatever reason this setting will kick in and use some data to bridge the gap.

Sounds good and convenient if you need to load the next TikTok or whatever you're doing, but it's a bit of a pain on your phone battery and if you keep it on you could end up seeing that percentage fall even further.

Advert

As long as you're fine with the WiFi being a bit naff every now and then hope into the 'mobile service' part of your settings and scroll down until you find it, then until the option to disable it.

"It was at 80 a few minutes ago!" (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
"It was at 80 a few minutes ago!" (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Bear in mind that this could mean you experience a bit more lag when your Wi-Fi has an interrupted connection. However, it will help to make your phone's battery last longer.

Not only that, but Wi-Fi Assist can also sneakily use up a large proportion of your precious data when you think you're safely on a Wi-Fi network. Turning it off can help you to use less of your data plan as when you're on Wi-Fi it won't sneakily switch on.

It is there for a reason and it's not always terrible to have on, but only when you're sure you need it.

Apple's website says: "For example, if you're using Safari with a poor Wi-Fi connection and a webpage doesn't load, Wi-Fi Assist will activate and automatically switch to cellular so that the webpage continues to load."

It's definitely useful for some things, nobody likes to be stuck there waiting, staring at an empty screen begging for it to load up.

Go digging in your settings and turn it off, you'll save some data too (Chesnot/Getty Images)
Go digging in your settings and turn it off, you'll save some data too (Chesnot/Getty Images)

It's always a tossup between your convenience pitted against your phone's battery life and your data usage.

If you want to keep your phone going for longer then you might also want to look into how you're charging the battery.

Most people stick it in every night and wake up to a phone at 100 percent.

But Chao-Yang Wang, the director of the Electrochemical Engine Centre at Penn State University, claims otherwise.

Speaking to HuffPost, he explained: "A battery will degrade faster if you charge it to 100 percent versus a little bit lower state of charge."

Featured Image Credit: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Topics: iPhone, Phones, Technology

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

X

@MrJoeHarker

Recommended reads

Huge update on two orcas 'left for dead' in abandoned marine parkMohamad Salaheldin Abdelg Alsayed/Anadolu via Getty ImagesTyson Fury's strict rules for 16-year-old daughter Venezuela ahead of wedding weekendParis Fury/InstagramCommon supplement could prolong your life by slowing down biological clockGetty StockHow the devastating 'Super El Nino' forming in the Pacific Ocean will directly impact UKGetty Stock

Advert

  • How iPhone users can delay new iOS 26.5 update to stop battery draining faster
  • Tech expert shares three iPhone settings secretly draining your battery and how to change them
  • Activating a simple setting on iPhone could save your life
  • Every iPhone that won't be able to run the new iOS update following Apple's latest announcement

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
  • Mohamad Salaheldin Abdelg Alsayed/Anadolu via Getty Images
    an hour ago

    Huge update on two orcas 'left for dead' in abandoned marine park

    The mother and son orcas might be able to be saved

    News
  • Getty Stock
    2 hours ago

    Common supplement could prolong your life by slowing down biological clock

    A new study examined the impact of the supplements over a two year period

    News
  • Getty Stock
    3 hours ago

    How the devastating 'Super El Nino' forming in the Pacific Ocean will directly impact UK

    It's expected to hit in 2027

    News
  • Getty Stock Images
    3 hours ago

    Private detective shares secret emojis that reveal whether your partner is cheating on you

    Yes, even emojis could give away that something is going on

    News