I noticed Background App Refresh using a lot of battery and data on my phone, but I’m not totally sure what it really does or which apps actually need it on. Should I turn it off completely or only for certain apps, and what are the downsides if I disable it? Looking for a simple, clear explanation so I don’t mess up important notifications or app features.
Background App Refresh lets apps wake up in the background, use data, and update their content while you are not using them. That drains battery and data because your phone keeps the CPU and network active more often.
What it does in practice:
• Social apps load new feed posts so they appear instant when you open them.
• Mail and messaging apps sync new messages.
• News and sports apps fetch fresh headlines and scores.
• Shopping apps update offers and track activity.
• Analytics and ad SDKs phone home in the background.
Every time an app refreshes, your phone:
• Wakes the processor
• Turns on Wi Fi or mobile data
• Sometimes uses GPS or location
All of that hits battery. On cellular it also hits your data plan.
You do not need it on for every app. Some apps only need to refresh when you open them.
Good rule of thumb:
Keep Background App Refresh ON for
• Messaging apps that do not use true push notifications well.
• Email apps if you want fast sync and push is unreliable.
• Navigation or ride share apps when you expect updates in near real time.
• Calendar or task apps if you rely on quick background sync between devices.
Turn it OFF for
• Games
• Shopping apps
• Photo editors
• Food delivery when you are not ordering
• Airline or hotel apps except right before and during a trip
• Any app you rarely open
If you want a simple approach:
- Go to Settings → Background App Refresh.
- Turn it off for everything.
- Then re enable it only when you notice an app feels too slow or does not update until you open it.
Battery impact
On iOS battery usage screen, if you see an app high in the list with “Background Activity” a lot, that app hits your battery with Background App Refresh. Same idea on Android under battery stats.
Data impact
On iOS, under Cellular or Mobile Data, check which apps used the most data. Many social and news apps pull big image and video feeds in the background. If an app eats hundreds of MB in background, toggle off Background App Refresh and maybe also its cellular data.
If you want to be more aggressive:
• Disable Background App Refresh completely when on low battery days.
• Use Wi Fi only data mode where possible. On iOS, some people turn off Background App Refresh globally and instead rely on push notifications, which are much lighter.
Short answer for your question
No need to keep it on for everything.
Turn it off for most apps, keep it on for:
• Messaging
• Mail if you care about fast sync
• Navigation and ride share while active
Everything else earns its place. If an app still works fine with it off, leave it off.
You will see better battery life and lower data use after a day or two. Sometimes the difference is big if you had a lot of chatty apps before.
Background App Refresh is basically “let this app do stuff when I’m not looking.” That “stuff” is usually:
- Downloading new content
- Syncing data (accounts, lists, cloud stuff)
- Talking to tracking / analytics services
- Occasionally poking GPS / location
So yeah, it can eat battery and data, but not every app abuses it.
@vrijheidsvogel already covered the basics really well, so I’ll just add a different angle and nitpick a bit.
What it actually changes for you
Turn it OFF for an app and:
- You’ll still get real push notifications (WhatsApp, Telegram, Gmail, IG, etc.) because those use a separate push system.
- The app will update only after you open it; you might see a 1–2 second “refreshing…” spinner.
- Background auto-sync (like some to‑do apps or note apps) might be slower or only happen while you’re using it.
Turn it ON for an app and:
- It can pre-load feeds, images, and data so everything looks “instantly updated” when you open it.
- It may keep some stuff in sync in near real time without you noticing.
- It gets more chances to run little background jobs (including the annoying ones).
Where I slightly disagree with the “always keep it on for…”
Messaging & mail:
Most popular chat apps and major email clients already have proper push. Background App Refresh is not required for you to get new messages in most cases. On many phones, disabling it for WhatsApp / Messenger / Gmail changes almost nothing except less random data usage.
The only time I’d keep it on is if you actually notice delayed messages after turning it off.
Navigation & ride share:
If the app is on-screen, it doesn’t need Background App Refresh to function. It’s already active.
Where it matters is when you’re switching between apps, like having navigation running while the screen is off or while you’re using music or messages. In that case, yeah, keep it on for things like maps, ride share, maybe food delivery during an active order.
Calendar & tasks:
Here I’m more in agreement. Some calendar/task apps are lazy and don’t sync nicely without background access. If you live and die by your calendar or shared task lists, test it. If stuff starts appearing late, turn it back on for just those apps.
How I’d approach it without going nuts
Instead of a giant togglefest like:
- Turn everything off
- Slowly turn things back on
…which works but is kinda annoying, try this more “lazy” method:
- Go to battery stats and data usage.
- Look for apps with:
- High “background” battery
- High background data (especially social, news, shopping)
- Turn Background App Refresh OFF only for those troublemakers.
- Use your phone normally for a couple days.
- If an app feels laggy / doesn’t update until you open it and that actually bothers you, then re-enable it.
This way you’re targeting the real offenders instead of punishing every app on the phone.
Rough rules by category
Stuff I keep it OFF for almost always:
- Games (no reason for a match-3 game to use data in the background)
- Shopping apps, airline apps, hotel apps
- Photo / video editors
- Random single‑use apps (scanners, calculators, QR apps, etc.)
- Social apps I barely use
Stuff I’d consider keeping it ON for:
- Your main chat app only if you see delays with it off
- Your main email app if you really need near-instant sync and push is weird
- Calendar/task apps that must stay in sync across devices
- Ride share, maps, delivery during the period you’re actually using them
Should you turn it off completely?
If battery life is bad or you’re on a tight data plan, turning it completely off for a few days is a decent experiment. Worst case, some apps just feel slightly more “manual refresh.” If it drives you crazy, you turn it back on for the few that actually matter to you.
tl;dr:
No, you don’t need it on for everything. Most apps work perfectly fine with it off. Target the apps that show big background usage, test life without it, then only grant Background App Refresh where you actually feel the benefit.
Think of Background App Refresh as “how aggressively this app tries to stay ‘live’ when you’re not using it,” but with some annoying gray areas.
@vrijheidsvogel covered the core behavior nicely, so I’ll hit different angles:
1. What actually drains your battery here
Even with Background App Refresh on, not every app goes wild. The ones that hurt you most usually do one or more of these:
- Constantly ping servers for feeds or ads
- Wake the radio often (network on/off cycles are expensive for battery)
- Sneak in analytics or tracking pings all day
- Combine background refresh with location or Bluetooth scans
The “Background” line in your battery stats is your real clue. If an app shows tiny background numbers, switching refresh off for it barely matters.
I slightly disagree with the “just target the obviously bad ones” idea in one way:
Some apps look innocent in stats but cause lots of tiny wakeups that don’t show up dramatically per‑app. Turning Background App Refresh off for entire categories you do not care about (like all games, all shopping) can still give a noticeable overall improvement.
2. When turning it off is a bad idea
There are cases where having it off everywhere gets annoying:
- Cloud note apps that must be up to date before a meeting
- Shared todo lists where someone else updates items often
- Banking / 2FA type apps that prefetch tokens or security data
- Fitness apps that sync health data from wearables
If you turn Background App Refresh off globally and see:
- Data appearing many minutes late between devices
- Widgets that show old info until you manually open the app
- “Sync failed” messages when you open apps
then re-enable it just for those.
3. Strategy that is a bit more “systematic”
Instead of only chasing obvious hogs or going full nuclear, try a category‑based approach:
Turn OFF for:
- Games (including “online” ones that just push offers and events)
- Shopping, travel deals, retail loyalty apps
- Social networks you open once in a while, not your main ones
- Photo editors, scanners, calculators, speed test apps, etc.
Keep ON for:
- Primary navigation and ride share while you actively use them
- Your one main messenger and one main email app if you truly see delays
- Work tools where sync timing matters (calendar, tasks, notes)
Then review battery usage after 3 to 4 days, not just a few hours. Background changes take a bit to show up.
4. What actually breaks if you go “all off”
People expect something dramatic. Usually you get:
You lose:
- Super fresh feeds the moment you open them
- Perfectly up‑to‑the‑minute widgets
- Some “smart” prefetching that makes apps feel faster
You keep:
- Real push notifications in almost all big-name apps
- Ability to pull‑to‑refresh inside any app
- Core app functionality when you are actually using the app
If you are on a strict data plan, this tradeoff is usually worth it. The battery savings vary by how bad your installed apps are, but the data reduction is often very noticeable.
5. Pros & cons of basically treating Background App Refresh as “off by default”
You kind of treat it like a feature you opt apps into rather than something they all get for free.
Pros:
- Less random background data usage
- Fewer analytics / tracking calls behind your back
- Often cooler device temperature and longer battery life over a full day
- Cleaner mental model: “If I didn’t explicitly allow it, it should not do much in the background”
Cons:
- Some apps feel slower or show stale content on open
- Calendar / task / note sync can be imperfect until you tune things
- Certain widgets become nearly useless if they cannot refresh often
- A bit of tinkering at the start while you figure out which apps truly need it
Bottom line:
You do not need Background App Refresh globally on. Start from mostly off, then deliberately give it back only to the few apps where you feel a clear benefit in day to day use. That balance usually gives you better battery and data usage without making the phone feel broken.