Is Google Maps draining your battery? Here’s how to fix it

Battery life — it’s one of those things every single one of us wants more of. While it’s understandable all apps will make that juice trickle out of your phone little by little, it seems some applications are especially good at killing your battery. Google Maps seems to be one of them. Especially if you’re constantly using it for navigating, finding locations, looking for businesses, and more. Google Maps can easily become one of the biggest battery hogs around. But it’s such a necessary app, too! Is there a way to fight this necessary evil? Not completely, but there are some tricks for reducing battery drain from Google Maps, and we are here to give you all those valuable tips!

Also read: The best GPS and navigation apps around

Editor’s note: These instructions were put together using a Google Pixel 4a with 5G running Android 12 and an Apple iPhone 12 Mini running iOS 15.5. Some steps might differ, depending on your specific device and software version.

Considering all the resources it uses, blaming Google Maps for your battery woes might be your first guess. Google Maps isn’t always the problem, though. First, you need to make sure this is really the culprit.

How to check battery usage by app on Android:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Battery.
3. Tap on Battery usage.
4. You’ll see a list of applications, arranged in descending order from most used to least used. Check if Google Maps is near the top of the list. If it isn’t, other apps are to blame.

How to check battery usage by app on iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Battery.
3. Scroll down to the Battery Usage By App section.
4. You’ll see a list of applications, arranged in descending order from most used to least used. Check if Google Maps is near the top of the list. If it isn’t, other apps are to blame.

App updates often fix bugs and performance issues. A simple app update might help with the cause, so at least give it a try.

How to update Google Maps on Android:

1. Open the Google Play Store.
2. Tap on your profile icon.
3. Select Manage apps & device.
4. Go into Updates available.
5. If you see a Google Maps update is available, tap on the Update button next to it.
6. Alternatively, you can just hit Update all.

How to update Google Maps on iPhone:

1. Open the Apple App Store.
2. Tap on your profile icon.
3. Scroll down to the list of apps with available updates.
4. If you see a Google Maps update is available, tap on the Update button next to it.
5. Alternatively, you can just hit Update All.

One of the biggest causes for Google Maps battery drain is GPS. That thing will kill your battery so quickly you won’t even notice! That is only if you let it, though. Of course, you can limit the use of apps that require GPS access, or you can just turn the thing off when not in use. It was previously possible to turn off GPS and continue to use Wi-Fi, your carrier, and other factors to triangulate your location using Android devices. Now all location services are bundled, so you’ll have to turn off location services altogether.

How to turn the GPS off on Android:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Location.
3. Toggle off the Use location option.

How to turn off GPS on iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Privacy.
3. Tap on Location Services.
4. Toggle off the Location Services option.

More: Changing your habits to maximize battery life

Disable location services only for Google Maps

You might need location services for other apps. Luckily, you can turn off GPS and other location methods only for Google Maps, if you prefer. This means other apps will still be able to access your location while Google Maps won’t.

How to turn off GPS for Google Maps on Android:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Location.
3. Tap on App location permissions.
4. Find Google Maps and tap on it.
5. Choose Allow only while using the app, Ask every time, or Don’t allow. Which one you pick depends on your preference.

How to turn off GPS for Google Maps on iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Privacy.
3. Tap on Location Services.
4. Find Google Maps and tap on it.
5. Choose While Using the App, Ask Next Time Or When I Share, or Never. Which one you pick depends on your preference.

Is Google Maps draining your battery? Or maybe it’s another app misbehaving. Regardless, a simple restart might be all you need to put all the gears back in place and have your phone operating as it should again. Restarting a device is one of the simplest and most effective troubleshooting tips. It seems to work like magic.

How to restart an Android phone:

1. Press and hold the Power button.
2. Select Restart.

System updates are also known to fix bugs and improve performance regularly. Make sure you’re running the latest version of Android your phone can use.

How to update your Android phone:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into System.
3. Tap on System update.
4. Hit Check for update.
5. You’ll be notified if there’s an available update for your device. Follow instructions to finish the process.

How to update your iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into General.
3. Hit Software Update.
4. iOS will automatically check for updates and let you know if your software is current. If it isn’t follow instructions to get up to speed.

Clear the cache and data for Google Maps

App cache is usually a good thing. It stores data locally so your phone won’t have to load it from the internet every single time it’s needed. It can also misbehave or get old, though. It’s a good thing to clear it from time to time.

How to clear Google Maps cache on Android:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Select Apps.
3. Tap on See all apps.
4. Find Google Maps and tap on it.
5. Hit Storage & cache.
6. Tap on Clear cache. You can also try Clear storage, which will delete all the app settings and files. This means you’ll have to sign in again and set everything app.

How to clear Google Maps cache on iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into General.
3. Tap on iPhone Storage.
4. Find Google Maps and tap on it.
5. Select Offload App. This will remove app data, but keep personal documents.
6. Reinstall Google Maps from the Apple App Store.

If you’ve tried it all, but Google Maps continues to drain your battery very quickly, you might want to consider getting rid of the app. This is not exactly a solution, but it will take care of the job. And it might not be that big of an issue if you don’t necessarily use Google Maps very often. Of course, you can always reinstall or enable the app whenever you happen to need it.

You can easily uninstall Google Maps on an iPhone. Things are a bit more complicated on Android, though. This is because Google Maps is one of those Android apps you can’t really uninstall, but you can disable it. This will essentially turn off all app functions and hide it from the app list. It will still live in your phone, but it will be turned off.

How to disable Google Maps on Android:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Apps.
3. Tap on See all apps.
4. Find and select Google Maps.
5. Hit Disable.
6. You can Enable the app by following the same steps.

How to uninstall Google Maps on iPhone:

1. Find Google Maps on your home screen.
2. Tap and hold on to the Google Maps app.
3. Select Remove App.

Sometimes a simple uninstall can clear things up for an app to work again if reinstalled. You might want to try re-downloading Google Maps, or enabling it. It might just work again.

If you’re sick and tired of your phone dying on you all the time, maybe what you need is a phone with more juice. Here’s our list of the very best Android phones with amazing battery life. You can also opt for one of the best portable batteries around.