iOS 16 a drama for your iPhone battery? Six tips to solve this

Of course you want the most recent version of iOS on your iPhone right away. Yet there is always a well-known complaint: the battery drains faster after a software update. OMT editor Jeroen Kraak gives you five ways to solve this.

iOS 16 has been out for a while now. The operating system came on the market at the same time as the iPhone 14. This version contains a number of cool features that make your iPhone just a bit smoother and more versatile.

This way you save battery on your iPhone via iOS 16

These new functions demand a bit more from your iPhone, because they take into account the latest models. So if you have an older model iPhone, it will cost you more energy and therefore battery life. Still, there are ways to make up for this. In this article I give you five tips that extend your battery life.

#1 Disable Widgets on your Lock Screen in iOS 16

One of the cool new features in iOS 16 is that you can customize your lock screen (aka the screen you use to lock your device). This allows you to choose, for example, a different font or color of the text and clock.

Another possibility is to add widgets, such as the weather or the latest news. Of course it is nice, but it also has a disadvantage. One is that your battery will drain faster. So if you want to prevent this, it is better not to add widgets.

#2 Use Focus

You may use Focus mode when you go to sleep, for example. This setting in iOS ensures that you can set which notifications you see per event (such as work or sleep). For example, your phone is silent during your sleep and you only receive e-mails and messages during work, for example.

Fewer notifications means the iPhone has to refresh information less often. And you guessed it: this of course costs much less battery. Handy of course if you want your iPhone to last longer on a charge.

#3 Reduce background activities

You may not realize it, but there are apps that, even though you don’t have them on your screen, still refresh information in the background. The great thing is that you can set which apps can and are allowed to do this.

To view this, go to settings > General > Background refresh. Here you can choose per app which can refresh in the background. If you hardly use an app, it’s a shame to leave it on, because this naturally costs energy.

#4 Customize your location services in iOS for your battery

Almost every app wants access to your location. Yet with many programs it is of little use if they know your location. It is of course indispensable for an app such as Google Maps, but with the NS app, for example, you can simply enter your station yourself.

Not only is it good for privacy reasons not to give all apps access to your location (hello Facebook!), it is also better for your battery. Determining and sharing your location takes a lot of energy. So decide carefully with which apps you really want to do this and how often.

To determine this per app, go to your Settings on iPhone. Then scroll down until you reach Privacy and security ends up. Go to location here. Here you can indicate per app when it is allowed to use your location.

#5 Limit the apps that use Bluetooth on your iPhone

The same applies to this battery saver as with the previous tip. The fewer apps that use this feature, the less energy it consumes. You may not realize it, but many apps are only too happy to use Bluetooth and then we are not talking about drivers for your earphones, for example.

And let’s be honest, except for devices that you have on your iPhone, this feature is totally unnecessary. To find these settings, follow the same steps as with the location service. Only you press instead of Location Services on bluetooth.

For example, my list includes HBO Max, Facebook, and ESPN. Totally unnecessary. In the menu you can choose per app which Bluetooth is allowed to use. It is therefore useful to check this regularly to relieve your battery.

Check the usage of your battery on your iPhone

This one may be a bit obvious, but it never hurts to check which apps consume the most energy. You can find this very easily by entering Settings nasty Battery to go.

If there is an app that you don’t use much but that uses a lot of battery, you might do better to delete it. This way you save some energy.