How can IT manage battery drain on enterprise mobile phones?

Comparing battery life for Android vs. iOS

Device choice is one of the main factors that affects mobile battery drain, as Android and iOS devices manage battery life in different ways. IT teams should ensure that their MDM platforms make a distinction between the two OSes and enable admins to manage power-related settings accordingly.

Battery drain on Android devices

A variety of manufacturers sell Android devices, so it's inevitable for some devices to be more power-efficient than others. Some Android devices have very long battery life, while others drain quickly.

It isn't the physical device alone that affects Android battery life. The OS is also a key factor. Some of the older Android OSes, particularly those released before Android 8.0, were notorious for rapid battery depletion. Android 9.0 also had its share of battery life problems, but newer Android OSes have come a long way with regard to power management.

The expected battery life has to do with more than just the OS version and the hardware, however. The way that the hardware vendor optimizes the OS for use on the device plays a huge role in performance and battery health.

Battery drain on iPhones

Apple's iPhone has a reputation for making efficient use of power. One of the main reasons for this is that Apple manufactures its own devices, meaning the organization has complete control over both the hardware and the OS. As a result, Apple is able to make its devices as efficient as possible.

For example, Apple's graphics API, Metal, is optimized for the iPhone's hardware. This improves graphics performance and decreases power consumption. Apple also aggressively suspends background apps, which can help conserve battery life.

What other factors affect smartphone battery life?

Outside of the device type or OS, there are some common reasons for excessive mobile battery drain. Older phone components tend to consume more power, and older batteries tend to drain more quickly. Spending a bit more on smartphones with good battery life upfront can result in fewer replacements over time.

The software and features employees use on their phones can significantly affect battery health. Running demanding applications such as games places a heavy load on a device's CPU or GPU. Similarly, wireless components -- such as those that enable GPS, Bluetooth, NFC and Wi-Fi -- all consume power when active.

Display brightness is another major cause of phone battery issues. Increasing a screen's brightness increases power consumption. This is also relevant to the device make and model. Larger form-factor endpoints might have large backlights or a greater number of OLED pixels than smaller endpoints. Additionally, LCD devices require constant backlighting, while some OLED devices can turn off unused pixels in dark areas of the screen to help save power. Still, LCD devices are more power-efficient when displaying white images than OLED devices are, so one is not better than the other in all cases.

Connectivity can play a role in power consumption, as well. The process of hunting for a signal in remote areas can quickly drain a battery. Likewise, while 5G devices are more energy-efficient, they typically consume more power than their 4G predecessors in areas with a weak signal.

Other factors include charging habits and temperature conditions. Charging a battery past 80% or letting it deplete below 20% puts more strain on it, as does heat exposure. When users keep their phone plugged in all night or leave it out in the sun on a hot day, the battery slowly degrades. Charging also causes a device to generate more heat, and phone cases can trap heat. Together, these stressors can shorten battery life in the long term.

How IT can prevent and fix rapid smartphone battery drain

There are steps IT can take to reduce battery consumption on enterprise mobile devices. Most of these steps involve applying policies to optimize device power consumption. Keep in mind, however, that BYOD users might not appreciate strict power management. As such, it's a good idea to get buy-in from end users before implementing power-saving strategies.

IT can take the following measures to optimize end users' phone batteries:

• Remove unnecessary apps from devices.
• Disable location services unless they're necessary for work. Turning off this functionality reduces power consumption, but some users might depend on GPS navigation, even if it isn't directly related to their job.
• Replace resource-hungry apps with more efficient alternatives.
• Disable or limit background app refreshes for all but essential applications.
• If the email client allows it, require users to refresh their mailboxes manually instead of enabling frequent background refreshes.
• Shorten screen timeout and sleep timers so that devices lock and go dark after several seconds of inactivity.
• For corporate-owned devices, allowlist approved apps and block all others. This limits how the device is used, reducing power consumption.

Educating employees on smartphone battery best practices

Battery usage largely depends on end-user behavior. Receiving lots of notifications and using certain apps can consume a lot of power. Employees should be mindful of the apps they use and settings they enable on their devices to save battery life.

Simple habits can make a big difference. To avoid heat-related battery issues, users can consider removing their phone cases before charging their devices or when bringing their phones into hot environments. To put less strain on their batteries, users can remove their phones from their chargers once their batteries are around 80% full. Managing these factors can preserve battery performance.

IT should share the following tips to make sure employees follow best practices for longer battery life:

• Enable dark mode in the display settings.
• Use low-power mode.
• Reduce the screen brightness.
• Carefully manage charge cycles, aiming to keep the battery between 20% and 80% at all times.
• Try to control device temperature.
• Minimize the use of graphic-intensive apps.
• Check and close any apps running in the background.
• Turn off unnecessary push notifications.

Editor's note: This article was originally written by Robert Sheldon in April 2020. Brien Posey wrote an updated version in July 2025.

Brien Posey is a former 22-time Microsoft MVP and a commercial astronaut candidate. In his more than 30 years in IT, he has served as a lead network engineer for the U.S. Department of Defense and a network administrator for some of the largest insurance companies in America.

Robert Sheldon is a freelance technology writer. He has written numerous books, articles and training materials on a wide range of topics, including big data, generative AI, 5D memory crystals, the dark web and the 11th dimension.