I don’t want to pass out any negative energy, but you should know I have a love for Chrome for iOS, but Apple’s draconian requirement for all third-parties to adhere to the Webkits standard means that it is always going to be a step behind Safari in terms of performance.
That often results in declining battery life on the iPhone or iPad since Google did not optimize Chrome for iOS for power efficiency.
Let’s put that aside for a moment, and I also found out that Chrome can often drain the battery of your iOS device faster than it usually does.
There is a range of reasons for this occurrence, some of them are related to issues in general, and some are associated with the browser itself. So, let’s check them out hopefully, you will come out the other side with Chrome imposing less stress on battery life.
However, you should also note that when considering using the iOS Battery monitoring tool after going through each solution to determine whether there are any improvements to battery life. What you need to do is tap ‘Battery’ within the Settings App to access it.
Force Quit App
Force quitting an app might sound like a dumb action to take, but it’s a starting option to fixing almost any issue. If you have not fully exited the Chrome browser in quite a while, all it takes is a rampant software glitch to develop behind and eat away your battery life.
So to force quit Chrome browser, swipe up from the bottom of the screen of your iPad or iPhone. Make sure to keep your finger pressed momentarily at the centre of the screen to bring up the app switcher then you select and swipe the Chrome app card upward to force-quit it from memory.
Then fire up the Chrome browser and start browsing for a while to see if it’s still draining your battery as it did earlier. If the problem remains, then we need to dive into other likely solutions.
Restart iPhone/iPad
If the force-quitting method didn’t stop the browser from draining your battery faster than average, then it’s time to restart your device.
This method flushes redundant app data from your device memory, and it provides a clean slate for the browser to start working with.
To proceed with this method, hold down the Power button on your device for a brief moment and then swipe across when you are prompted to.
However, for iOS devices without a Home button (the likes of iPhone X and newer devices), press and hold the Power button and either section of the volume buttons to bring up the Slide to Power Off prompt.
Once your iPhone or iPad shuts down, hold down the Power button again to turn it back on. Then when that is done, you can start using Chrome for a while to check if there is a difference in battery life.
Disabling Location Services
The Location Services on the iPhone and iPad is a huge battery drainer no matter the app you sue. And in this case, Chrome’s default search engine ‘Google’ uses location service to produce location-based results.
Furthermore, you may have also ‘allowed’ various other sites to gain access to that functionality to pinpoint your location.
To turn your Location Services off on Chrome, use the following steps:
1. Navigate to the iOS Settings app and then tap on Privacy. On the subsequent screen, tap on Location Services, and then tap on Chrome.
2. Select ‘Never’, and then head back to save the changes you have made.
After changing its settings, Chrome can no longer be able to use Location Services. And, you are now bound to notice a significant difference in your device battery life from here out.
The downside of what we just did is less reverent search results appearing during queries and generally poor performance on sites that rely on the Location Services.
A worthy trade-off was necessary, especially since the functionality also poses an issue to your privacy.
Clear Browsing Data
Another reason that Chrome browser can use up your battery rapidly occurs due to an outdated browser cache. Sometimes, redundant cookies and site data can throw off the browser into endless loops when it’s loading sites.
However, tracking cookies can also follow you across different sites. That puts additional pressure on your device. You can check if that’s the case by clearing your browsing data. Follow the below steps to clear out your browsing data:
- Launch your Chrome browser menu and tap the three-dot icon, then tap on Settings, and then Privacy. On getting to the Privacy screen, tap Clear Browsing Data.
- Check the options that are labelled Browsing Data, Cookies, Site Data and Cached Images and Files. Finally, tap on Clear Browsing Data to get rid of the browser cache.
Make sure that you leave the Saved Passwords and Autofill Data options untouched to prevent your password and auto-fill data from being erased.
Clearing the browser cache is annoying sometimes since you will have to sign into some sites all over again. But it can be avoided with the use of a password manager.
But if you experience unusual reductions in battery life, then the sacrifice wasn’t in vain.
Block Ads and Trackers
Erasing the browser cache does not in any way stop some sites from tracking you shortly. But then another tracker makes its way to your device, and the problems start all over again.
Combine that with the number of ads that the majority of sites throw at you, and the pressure on your iPhone or iPad can be enormous.
Since Chrome browser for iOS does not support feature for content blockers, you need to make use of a couple of tweaks instead another method I will advise is adding the AdGuard DNS servers to your Wi-Fi connection.
Alright, go over to the Settings app, then tap on Wi-Fi and again tap on the I-shaped icon that is next to your Wi-Fi hotspot, and finally tap ‘Configure DNS’ to start adding the ‘AdGuard DNS’ as shown in the image below.
This only blocks ads when you are surfing via Wi-Fi. You can decide to use a free app called ‘DNSCloak’ as an alternative which will help you block ads when using cellular data.
Further, it may not be a feasible option in your case since the app is not available in most regions.
Use Wi-Fi Assist/Turn off your Cellular Data
Is cellular data the only means by which you use to browse in your Chrome browser? Because if cellular connectivity is weak in your area, then the mobile radio on your iPhone and iPad works overtime to stay connected.
And that can translate into massive reductions in battery life. So it’s either you switch to Wi-Fi for web browsing or better still, try using Wi-Fi whenever your cellular connectivity turns dicey automatically.
For this to work, first, open the Settings app, and then tap on Cellular Data it’s called Mobile Data in specific regions.
Afterward, scroll down, then turn on the toggle next to Wi-Fi Assist. That should prompt your iOS device to switch to known Wi-Fi hotspots whenever your cellular reception is weak.
Update/Reinstall App
If you are still experiencing the same unusually battery drain while surfing in the Chrome browser, then you should consider updating the app or reinstalling it.
Latest updates most times iron out bugs found in previous versions, and it can hopefully resolve any inefficiencies within the browser. So navigate to the App Store and scan for updates, then tap Update if it’s available.
If the draining persists, then we should consider reinstalling Chrome. Make sure the vital browsing data are sync before you carry out any reinstallation.
Syncing your important browsing data requires your Google Account via the Chrome Settings panel. That will help you to get the said data back after you are done with reinstallation.
However, in the case of removing the Chrome browser, hold down the Chrome icon on the Home screen and then tap on the small x-shaped sub-icon once it begins to jiggle. Afterwards, fire up your App Store and then search for and carry out the reinstallation of Chrome.
Remember that the complete removal and reinstallation might patch up any underlying issues associated with the browser. And hopefully, that will stop the browser from consuming the battery life excessively.
Surfing the Internet with any worries
I’m guessing you are not experiencing any drain in the battery life of your device after following the steps above.
Turning off location services and clearing the browser cache has worked for so many people i know. But you can try other solutions if they can help out in your case if the step you chose didn’t go down well.
However, let us not dispute the fact that it might be something entirely unrelated that is causing the battery drain. If none of the suggested solutions above worked, you might also want to look at ways to save your battery.
Did any of the solutions work for you? Do you have an answer different from the solutions recommended? Let’s know by using the comments section below.
