If you’re concerned about your phone’s battery running out while using Google Maps, don’t worry. In this guide, we’ll show you several solutions to prevent Google Maps from draining the battery on your iPhone and Android devices.
Table of Contents
1. Use Google Maps in Dark Mode
The easiest way to prevent Maps from draining your phone’s battery is by enabling dark mode. This can slightly reduce the amount of battery consumption, especially when you’re navigating with a screen turned on all the time.
Note: This method will only be effective if you have a device that has an OLED display. You can learn more about how OLED technology works here.
Steps for Android:
1. Open Google Maps, then tap on your Profile Picture in the top right corner and select Settings.
2. Next, go to the Theme setting, then choose the Always in dark theme option, and hit the Save button.
That’s it. Now your map will be in dark mode.
Steps for iPhone:
1. Open Google Maps > tap your profile picture > Settings.
2. Go to Dark Mode setting page and hit the On option.
Alternatively, you can also enable Grayscale mode on your Android or iPhone. This can help you save some extra battery power on your device by minimizing pixel consumption.
To turn on Grayscale, Android users can navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Visibility enhancements > Color correction. Then select Grayscale and enable Color correction.
As for iPhone users, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters. Next, enable the toggle next to Color Filters and then select Grayscale.
2. Turn Off the GPS
It’s a good idea to disable background location usage when it’s not needed. We understand that constantly toggling the location button can be impractical. However, if you want to save some extra battery on your phone, you can give this method a try.
To turn off the GPS location on Android, just go to Settings > Location and hit the toggle-off button.
Tip: Learn how to send location on Android to anyone
Here’s how iPhone users can turn off GPS location:
1. Visit Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
2. Now hit the toggle off next to Location Services and when prompted, tap on the Turn Off button.
3. Allow Location Access Only When Using the App
If you don’t want to disable the location for all apps, simply change the Google Maps location permission to “Allow only while using the app”. This way, Google Maps will only access your location when you’re actively using it, rather than running in the background. You can apply the same setting to other applications as well, like food delivery or ride-sharing apps, since many of them also rely on Google Maps API to access your location.
Here’s how you can do it on your Android phone:
1. Open the Settings app and go to Location and then select App Permissions.
2. Now select the Maps app and choose Allow only while using the app option.
Here’s how to change the Location Permission of Google Maps (iPhone):
1. Simply go to Settings, scroll to the bottom, and select Google Maps.
2. On the next screen, select the Location and choose While Using the App option.
Tip: Learn how to send location on iPhone to anyone.
4. Disable Background Data Usage (Android)
Another reason Google Maps may be draining your phone’s battery would be because of data consumption in the background. By default, this setting is enabled on your phone.
Here’s how to disable background data usage of Google Maps:
1. Navigate to Settings > Apps > Maps.
2. Now select Mobile Data and then toggle off the setting that says “Allow background data usage”.
5. Restrict Background Battery Usage (Android)
One of the primary reasons why Google Maps is draining your phone’s battery life is that Maps is running in the background even if you have closed the app.
1. Go to Settings > Apps > Maps.
2. Next, select Battery and then switch to Restricted mode.
Note: Setting Google Maps in restricted mode doesn’t guarantee it will completely stop running in the background.
6. Disable Background App Refresh (iPhone)
One of the best things you can do to restrict Google Maps from sucking up your iPhone’s battery is by disabling it from running in the background. This way you can save a significant amount of battery life.
Note: Background App Refresh on iOS and Background Data Usage on Android does the same thing, just named differently.
To do that, just go to Settings, select Google Maps, and then toggle off Background App Refresh.
7. Enable Battery Saving Mode
Another thing you can do is enable battery-saver mode. This will not only restrict Google Maps from accessing various system resources in the background but will also help reduce battery drain.
Steps for Android:
1. Open the Settings app and navigate to Battery and device care.
2. Under Device Care, select the Battery option and enable the toggle next to Power saving.
Here’s how to enable power-saving mode on the iPhone:
Just go to Settings > tap Battery > enable the toggle next to Low Power Mode.
When using maps while driving, you can turn off the screen and rely on the voice assistant to receive directions. And when required, you can turn on the screen to check the routes. This way, your phone’s battery would last longer while using Google Maps.
This may not be a practical solution if you’re driving on a city road. However, if you’re driving on a highway for some time, you can consider turning off the screen.
9. Use Google Maps Offline
While planning a trip, download the map for that location to your phone. Now your phone doesn’t need internet or GPS while navigating. This will reduce the battery drain caused by Maps significantly.
Note: In offline mode, you won’t receive real-time traffic alerts and if you miss a turn or something, it will not automatically re-route unless you have already started the navigation for a specific route.
The process of downloading maps on Google Maps is similar on both Android and iPhone. Here’s how to do it:
1. Tap on your profile picture in Maps in the top right corner and select Offline Maps.
2. Now tap on Select Your Own Map to choose the area you want to download a map for. Once decided, hit the Download button.
You can then update, rename, or delete offline maps whenever you want.
It’s worth noting that the offline map will automatically update itself when connected to Wi-Fi. This may also consume some of your device’s battery.
To fix that, simply tap on the Gear icon in the top right corner and toggle off both Auto-update offline maps and Auto-download recommended maps.
10. Remove Google Maps Widgets from Home Screen
Remove Google Maps widgets from your phone’s home screen. That’s because it constantly runs in the background to show real-time data of your nearby locations. While widgets are useful, they can cause a lot of battery drain for Google Maps.
To remove a widget, firmly hold the widget for a few seconds and a pop-up menu will appear. Now tap Remove to remove the widget from the phone’s home screen.
11. Clear Google Maps App Cache (Android)
Sometimes old or bad cache files from Google Maps may result in battery drain.
Here’s how to clear the cache of Google Maps:
1. Go to Settings > Apps > Maps.
2. Now choose the Storage option and hit the Clear cache button.
12. Stop Location Sharing
If you have been sharing your location with your friends or families, Google Maps will drain the battery faster. So you should use this feature only when you really need it or else stop sharing your location.
Here’s how to turn off location sharing in Google Maps:
1. Tap on your profile picture and select Location sharing.
2. At the bottom, you’ll see a list of people you’re sharing a location with. Tap on each user and hit the stop button to turn off location sharing.
13. Turn Off Google Location History
Google is notoriously famous for tracking their user’s location for improving their services and showing personalized ads. But did you know they also keep a tab of your location history with the help of Google Maps? This constant use of your location can also lead to a decrease in the phone’s battery.
Fortunately, there is a simple and easy way to disable storing your location history.
1. Open any browser app and visit the Google Location History page (sign in to your Google account if required).
2. Now tap on the Turn Off button and then hit the Pause button.
3. Tap the OK.
Not many people know that Google uses on-device data to collect information from apps, such as Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, and Notes. Another reason why Google Maps is quickly draining the battery.
Here’s how to disable it:
1. Open the Settings app and go to Google.
2. Scroll down and select Personalize using shared data and then disable Maps.
15. Switch to Google Maps Go (Android)
Android users also have the option to switch to Google Maps Go. It is a stripped-down version of Google Maps that runs on the Chrome engine. In the app, you will get all the essential features, such as navigation, nearby places, and real-time location sharing.
So if you have a low or mid-range smartphone then Google Maps Go is a great alternative. Since it hardly uses much of your system resources and is also lightweight, it can help you reduce the battery drain on your Android phone.
To learn more, you can also check out our comprehensive guide on Google Maps vs Google Maps Go.
16. Update Google Maps
Sometimes just updating the app can also fix problems like battery drain caused by the Maps app. So make sure you update Google Maps and see whether it made any difference in your phone’s battery performance.
Android: To update Google Maps to the latest version, go to the Play Store > search Google Maps > hit the Update button.
iPhone: To update Google Maps to the latest version, go to the App Store > search Google Maps > hit the Update button.
17. Restart Your Phone
Have you installed multiple map apps? It may be conflicting with Google Maps, and due to that, you might be experiencing significant battery depletion. We recommend trying restarting your phone.
18. Update Your Phone
Sometimes the app and the OS might be incompatible with each other, which can even result in significant battery drain. So you can try updating your phone to the latest version and then check if the battery issue is resolved or not.
19. Reinstall Google Maps
If none of the above methods are working, then you can try reinstalling Google Maps and see if it fixes the battery drainage issue. Sometimes, simply performing a fresh installation of the app is enough to resolve the issue.
Download Google Maps from Play Store and App Store
20. Put Your Phone on Charge While Using Maps
Most cars nowadays have a dedicated USB port on the dashboard or center console. So if the battery drainage issue persists, or your phone’s battery health is no longer optimal, you can plug your phone into the USB port via the USB cable to ensure a steady power supply and keep your device charged throughout your journey.
Tip: Learn how to improve charging speed on iPhone
Reduce Battery Drain From Google Maps
You can’t completely reduce the impact Google Maps has on your phone’s battery drain because of how it functions. However, by following the above solutions, you could potentially save some extra battery life on your Android and iPhone.
To learn the meaning of all the icons and symbols in Google Maps, you can check out our detailed article on this topic.
