Popular apps that most drain your phone battery revealed by tech experts amid Threads warning

Social media apps, streaming services and some games are among the worst offenders for draining your phone’s battery, experts have revealed.

According to tech experts at Decluttr, a tech trading website, the apps that are most detrimental to your smartphone’s battery life are those that are constantly running in the background — even when not in active use.

Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and TikTok are some of the most exhaustive, experts warn, because the apps can access your location, microphone, camera and contacts at all times.

It comes after users complained that Meta’s new social media app Threads, which has broken records since its launch last week by amassing over 109 million users, was “killing their phone battery at lightning speed.”

Some frustrated users of the new microblogging app, seen by many as a direct rival to Twitter, have even uninstalled the app after their smartphones ran out of battery.

Social media apps, streaming services and some games are among the worst offenders for draining your phone’s battery, experts have revealed

Aside from social media apps, Decluttr warned that streaming apps, including Spotify and Netflix, are also among the worst offenders for draining your phone’s battery — and the Amazon app.

The app for taxi service Uber, it warned, also drains battery because, like social media apps, it can access your location, microphone and media, as well as financial information.

Gaming apps like Candy Crush also drain your phone’s battery life, as they demand a lot of processing power – and users often play for extended periods of time.

One way to reduce the battery usage of these apps is to disable access to features like the camera and microphone, Decluttr said.

Changing location access to allow it only when you’re using the app will also help your smartphone battery last longer.

Another tip is to turn off your phone’s App Refresh setting in the background, which allows apps to check for updates and new content even when they’re not actively in use.

New app Threads is linked to Instagram, allowing users on the photo-sharing platform to follow accounts they are already interested in.

While millions of users have quickly downloaded Meta’s latest offering, many have complained about its effect on their phone’s battery.

“Is Threads just… murderous to someone else’s battery?” a user tweeted.

The app for taxi service Uber, Decluttr warned, is also a drag on battery life because, like social media apps, it can access your location, microphone and media, as well as financial information

Some frustrated users of the new microblogging app Threads even deleted the app after their smartphones ran out of battery

Another added: “Is Threads a drain on iPhone battery or has something changed with iPhones lately?” I hardly use the app, but lately my battery is draining a lot more than usual.’

Don’t download threads, it will drain your battery. Last night I went to bed with a fully charged phone and woke up with 60% battery. I deleted the stupid app,” said another.

While the reason for the battery drain remains unclear, cybersecurity expert Jake Moore suggested it could be due to a process called “negative testing.”

“Meta apps have long been accused of draining iPhone battery,” he said. “It could be because they’re trying to understand more about their app and how users interact with it.

“A process called negative testing is used to help developers learn how people use the app to improve it and Facebook has been thought to have used it in the past.

Negative testing involves analyzing the app’s response when invalid data is entered.

In the context of Facebook, negative tests can be used to assess the functionality of specific features or to measure the speed at which posts load when batteries are draining faster than normal.

“This may not violate their own policies, but it can be quite frustrating if you’re one of the accounts they use to analyze.”