iPhone tips: 20 ways to ensure that your battery stays in top condition

With these iPhone tips you ensure that your iPhone’s battery drains less quickly and also lasts longer.

iPhone tips: this is how your battery stays in top condition

Your iPhone is a wonderful device, but only as long as the battery lasts. That’s why in this week’s iPhone tips we explain how to ensure that the battery drains less quickly and also lasts longer. Use it to your advantage!

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1. Enable dark mode

Dark colors require less energy, so turning on dark mode will save energy. Research from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, has shown that you can save up to 47 percent energy. You can then also adjust the color tones of app icons to save even more energy. To activate it:

Make sure that the automatic transition from light to dark and vice versa (Automatic) remains disabled.

2. Turn off automatic data retrieval in Mail

While it’s convenient that the Mail app is constantly checking for new emails, it also drains your battery. Especially if you have multiple accounts. Therefore, set how often the app should check for new messages. This is how you do it:

• Open the Settings app;
• Tap ‘Apps’ at the bottom and then ‘Mail’;
• Tap ‘Mail accounts’ and then ‘New data’

Under ‘RETRIEVE’ you now set how often the app should check for new messages. Choose ‘Manual’ or ‘Every hour’ so you can save energy and still access your emails whenever you want.

3. Remove widgets from the home and lock screens

Widgets are very useful, but they also consume energy. Each widget requires computing power and an internet connection to display current data. it is therefore a good idea to remove unnecessary widgets. Long press the widget and tap the ‘-‘ symbol at the top left to delete the widget. You can also choose to create two different lock screens. One with widgets and one without. You can then use the latter when the battery is almost empty.

4. Check battery usage per app

In the Settings app, you can see under ‘Battery’ which apps use the most energy. If an app is using more power than expected, consider whether it is really necessary or whether you can limit its background activity. This way you maintain an overview and prevent unnecessary energy consumption. You can often optimize apps that use a lot of energy by adjusting the settings.

5. Limit frame rate

iPhones with ProMotion screens use a refresh rate of up to 120 Hertz. This makes movements look particularly smooth, but also drains the battery faster (especially if you play heavy games on your iPhone). If you can do without this high refresh rate, set the screen to 60 Hertz. You do this as follows:

• Open the Settings app;
• Tap ‘Accessibility’ then ‘Movement’;
• Activate the ‘Limit frame rate’ option.

6. Disable always-on display

The always-on display (only on Pro models) shows the time, notifications and widgets, even when the device is locked. Even though the screen reduces the frequency to just 1 Hertz, it still consumes power continuously. To save your battery, it is wise to disable this function. You do this as follows:

• Open the Settings app;
• Tap ‘Screen & brightness’;
• Tap Always On and turn it off.

7. Bundle notifications in Scheduled overview

You can place unimportant app notifications in a so-called Scheduled overview, which only appears at certain times. This prevents unimportant notifications from repeatedly activating the screen and draining the battery. You can activate this function as follows:

• Open the Settings app;
• Tap ‘Notifications’ and then ‘Scheduled overview’;
• Turn on Scheduled Summary, then tap Continue;
• Select the apps that should bundle notifications.

8. Disable AirDrop

AirDrop lets you automatically share files between two Apple devices. However, the feature can also cause your iPhone to constantly search for other devices, draining the battery. Therefore, deactivate AirDrop as follows:

• Open the Settings app;
• Tap ‘General’ and then ‘AirDrop’;
• Place a check mark next to ‘Receive from’.

Just enable the function when you really need AirDrop.

9. Restrict access to location

Many apps ask for access to your location, even though this is often not necessary. Any access to GPS data consumes energy and therefore reduces battery life. You can manage location access for individual apps as follows:

• Open the Settings app;
• Tap ‘Privacy & security’;
• Tap ‘Location Services’

Determine here per app whether you can set the settings to ‘Never’. By limiting location access, you save energy and increase your privacy.

10. Turn off auto brightness

Automatic brightness ensures that the screen adapts to the lighting conditions in your environment. This is useful in itself, but it can put a heavy burden on the battery because the iPhone has to constantly adjust the brightness. Therefore, disable the option:

• Open the Settings app;
• Tap ‘Accessibility’ then ‘Display & Text Size’;
• Scroll down and turn off Auto-Fit.

Now adjust the brightness directly via the Control Center (swipe down from the top right of the screen), depending on how much light you need at that moment.

11. Use WiFi and airplane mode

A stable WiFi connection is often more energy efficient than a mobile data connection, especially in areas with a weak network. If Wi-Fi isn’t available and you don’t need a cellular connection, it’s best to switch to airplane mode. This prevents your iPhone from constantly looking for a signal. To do this, open the Control Center and tap the little airplane. If it lights up orange, airplane mode is activated.

12. Disable keyboard feedback

The haptic feedback when typing may feel nice, but it can also contribute to battery consumption. The energy consumption of the small vibrations increases, especially with longer texts. To switch it off:

• Open the Settings app;
• Tap ‘Hear & Feel’ then ‘Keyboard Feedback’;
• Disable both options here.

13. Disable Background Refresh

Apps are often updated in the background, which consumes energy and data. In the Settings app, you can disable the feature under ‘General > Background Refresh’, or set it to ‘Wi-Fi’ to save battery power. You can also activate Background Refresh only for the most important apps.

14. Disable Live Activities

Live activities on the lock screen and Dynamic Island are useful but also drain energy. To save your battery, turn off Live Activities as follows:

• Open the Settings app;
• Tap ‘Face ID & Passcode’;
• Enter your access code;
• Scroll down and turn off ‘Live Activities’.

If you want to use the feature occasionally, disable it for individual apps by turning off Live Activities in the respective app’s settings.

15. Uses the Power Saving Mode

Power saving mode is an easy way to extend battery life by reducing background activity, animations and screen brightness. You can quickly activate this in the Control Center or in the Settings app under ‘Battery > Energy saving mode’.

16. Activate Optimized Charging

Optimized charging helps protect the long-term health of the battery by only charging it to 80 percent. This prevents continuous charging to 100 percent, which can strain the battery in the long run. Activate the function in the Settings app under ‘Battery > Charging’.

17. Turn off Bluetooth for apps you don’t use

Some apps use Bluetooth to connect to devices, which obviously affects the battery. In the Settings app, you can see which apps have access to Bluetooth under ‘Privacy & security > Bluetooth’. Turn off Bluetooth for apps that don’t need the connection. This saves energy, especially during background activities. If problems occur, you can turn Bluetooth back on at any time.

18. Use Focus mode

Apple’s focus modes reduce the number of incoming notifications and help you receive only important messages. This means that the screen is woken up less often, which in turn saves energy. You can set the different modes for work, leisure or night’s sleep, for example. You can find the function in the Settings app under ‘Focus’.

19. Download offline maps

Download maps so you can navigate without needing a constant internet connection. Less data needs to be retrieved, which puts less strain on the battery. To do this, select the desired area in the Maps app and download it. The same is possible in Google Maps.

20. Remove lock screen shortcuts

While the camera and flashlight shortcuts on the lock screen can be useful, you can also accidentally activate both functions and drain the battery. If your iPhone is in your pocket, you may only notice this after a while. Since iOS 18, you can delete the two shortcuts or replace them with another function. To do this, long press the lock screen, tap ‘Customize’ and disable the shortcuts.

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