Battery-Friendly Ways to Track Steps on iPhone: Maximize Battery Life

You want to track your steps, but you also want your phone to last all day. Good news: with the right settings, step tracking uses almost no battery. The key is understanding what drains power and what does not.

Here is how to track steps efficiently on your iPhone.

How Step Tracking Affects Battery Life

Not all tracking is created equal. Some methods use almost no battery, while others drain it quickly.

The Motion Coprocessor Advantage

Your iPhone has a dedicated chip for motion tracking called the motion coprocessor (M-series chip). This chip:

• Runs independently from the main processor
• Uses minimal power (designed for always-on operation)
• Continuously processes accelerometer data
• Counts steps without waking the main CPU

Because of this chip, basic step counting is extremely efficient.

What Uses Battery

Different tracking features have different battery impacts:

Typical Battery Usage

With proper settings:

• Step counting only: Less than 1% battery per day
• Step counting + widgets: 1-2% battery per day
• Step counting + occasional GPS: 3-5% per day
• Constant GPS tracking: 10-20% per day

The difference between efficient and inefficient tracking can be 15%+ of your daily battery.

Tips to Reduce Battery Drain While Tracking Steps

Follow these tips to maximize battery life while still tracking your activity.

Tip 1: Disable GPS for Step Counting

GPS is the biggest battery drain. For step counting, you do not need it.

How to disable:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Privacy and Security
3. Tap Location Services
4. Find your step app
5. Set to Never or While Using the App

Never is best for step counting. GPS is only needed for route mapping.

Tip 2: Use Widgets Instead of Opening the App

Widgets update periodically without running the full app:

• Lower CPU usage
• Less screen time
• Background updates are efficient
• Glanceable without unlocking

Add a step widget to your home screen and check it instead of opening the app.

Tip 3: Reduce Notification Frequency

Each notification wakes your screen and uses battery:

• Disable hourly step updates
• Keep only essential notifications (goal achieved)
• Turn off social notifications
• Limit reminders to once or twice daily

Tip 4: Avoid Always-On Location

Some apps request "Always" location access. For step counting, this is unnecessary:

• "Always" keeps GPS active in background
• Significant battery drain
• Only needed for automatic route tracking
• "While Using" or "Never" is sufficient for steps

Tip 5: Disable Background App Refresh for Unnecessary Apps

Background refresh uses battery. Enable it only for apps that need it:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap General
3. Tap Background App Refresh
4. Keep enabled for your step app
5. Disable for apps you do not need updating in background

Tip 6: Use Dark Mode

If your iPhone has an OLED display (iPhone X and later):

• Dark pixels use less power
• Dark mode reduces battery usage
• Choose apps with dark themes
• Enable system-wide dark mode

Tip 7: Reduce Screen Brightness

When checking your step widget or app:

• Lower brightness saves battery
• Use auto-brightness
• Avoid maximum brightness unless necessary

Best App Settings for Battery-Efficient Tracking

Configure your step app for maximum efficiency.

Location Settings

Recommended: Never or While Using the App

• Never: No GPS, steps only (most efficient)
• While Using: GPS only when app is open
• Always: Avoid unless you need automatic route tracking

Notification Settings

Recommended configuration:

Sync Settings

Recommended:

• Enable background sync (efficient)
• Disable constant sync (battery drain)
• Let app sync when opened
• Use widgets for frequent checks

Display Settings

Recommended:

• Use dark mode if available
• Disable always-on features
• Reduce animation if option exists

When to Use GPS (And When to Turn It Off)

GPS has its place, but use it strategically.

When GPS Adds Value

Route mapping: If you want to see where you walked on a map, GPS is required.

Exploring new areas: GPS helps you navigate and track new routes.

Training for events: Accurate distance for race training may require GPS.

Sharing routes: If you want to share your walking route, GPS creates the data.

When to Turn GPS Off

Daily step counting: Steps are counted by accelerometer, not GPS.

Indoor walking: GPS does not work indoors anyway.

Known routes: If you walk the same path daily, you do not need to map it each time.

Battery conservation: When battery life is priority, disable GPS.

Strategic GPS Use

Use GPS selectively:

• Daily tracking: GPS off
• Special walks: GPS on for that walk only
• Weekly route: Enable GPS once per week to map your route

This gives you route data occasionally without constant battery drain.

How to Enable GPS Only When Needed

Option 1: App settings Some apps let you toggle GPS per walk. Enable it before a walk you want to map.

Option 2: Location permissions Set to "While Using the App" and only open the app when you want GPS tracking.

Option 3: Separate GPS app Use your step app for daily counting (no GPS) and a separate app for occasional route mapping.

Monitoring Battery Usage

Check which apps are using your battery.

How to Check Battery Usage

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Battery
3. Scroll down to see battery usage by app
4. Tap Show Activity for more detail

What to Look For

Healthy step app usage:

• 1-3% of battery
• Most usage is "Background Activity"
• Minimal "Screen On" time

Concerning step app usage:

• More than 5% of battery
• High "Screen On" time
• Significant background activity

If Your Step App Uses Too Much Battery

1. Check location settings (disable GPS)
2. Reduce notifications
3. Use widgets instead of opening app
4. Check for app updates (may fix bugs)
5. Consider switching apps if problem persists

Low Power Mode and Step Tracking

Understand how Low Power Mode affects tracking.

What Low Power Mode Does

When enabled, Low Power Mode:

• Reduces background activity
• Decreases screen brightness
• Limits some visual effects
• May delay background sync

Impact on Step Tracking

Step counting: Usually continues normally (motion coprocessor runs independently)

Background sync: May be delayed

Widgets: May update less frequently

Notifications: May be delayed

Recommendations

• Step counting works in Low Power Mode
• Expect slightly delayed data sync
• Open app occasionally to force sync
• Disable Low Power Mode if you need real-time updates

Battery-Saving Checklist

Use this checklist to optimize your setup:

Location settings:

• Step app location set to "Never" or "While Using"
• No apps with unnecessary "Always" location access

Notification settings:

• Hourly notifications disabled
• Only essential notifications enabled
• Reminders limited to 1-2 per day

App settings:

• Background sync enabled (efficient)
• Dark mode enabled if available
• GPS features disabled unless needed

General settings:

• Background App Refresh enabled for step app only
• Auto-brightness enabled
• Dark mode enabled system-wide (OLED screens)

Usage habits:

• Using widgets instead of opening app frequently
• GPS enabled only for specific walks
• Checking battery usage periodically

The Bottom Line

Step tracking on iPhone is designed to be battery-efficient. The motion coprocessor counts steps with negligible power usage. Battery problems come from GPS, excessive notifications, and inefficient app design.

Key takeaways:

• Basic step counting uses less than 1% battery per day
• GPS is the biggest battery drain (disable for step counting)
• Use widgets instead of opening the app frequently
• Reduce notifications to essential ones only
• Monitor battery usage and adjust if needed
• Choose apps designed for efficiency

With the right settings, you can track steps all day without worrying about battery life.

References

• Apple: About the Motion Coprocessor
• Apple: Maximize Battery Life
• Apple: Location Services and Privacy
• Apple: Low Power Mode
• Apple: Check Battery Usage