Many people complain about the battery life of their iPhone and try to get the most out of their battery. However, there are a lot of battery myths going around. iPhone lists the most persistent fables and explains what does work.
Battery myths debunked and 4 tips that do work
The battery of a smartphone is not the sexiest part, but it is very important. Of course, a great camera or voice assistant is of no use when your iPhone is empty. Extending battery life is and therefore remains a hot topic with a lot of misunderstandings. We are eliminating these myths.
Myth 1: Charging overnight is bad
This myth states that your battery overheats at night and therefore ultimately has less capacity. This used to be the case, but not anymore. iPhones and chargers have become a lot smarter and know better how to handle electricity. Your phone does not consume more power than it needs, so you can charge it while you sleep with confidence.
On the official Apple website It can be read that rechargeable batteries have a limited lifespan and only need to be replaced when the capacity decreases. If the device is in the sun, the battery does get warm and the capacity decreases much faster than normal.
Also interesting: Tip: This way you can check whether your iPhone battery needs to be replaced
Myth 2: Shutting down apps improves battery life
Just like humans, iPhones also have a memory that sometimes fills up. To free up space, quit some apps. Sounds logical, right? Yet this myth is not relevant. Apple itself disproved the theory in 2016.
In fact, shutting down apps is much more likely to reduce battery life, and it’s bad for your iPhone. Recently opened applications use the working memory (RAM) – not to be confused with storage – so that they open faster. As soon as you close all apps, the working memory is cleared and they must be reloaded when you open them. This not only takes time, but also extra energy.
Myth 3: Let your battery drain completely before charging
You sometimes come across this advice when purchasing household appliances, but it does not apply to smartphones. iPads and iPhones use lithium-ion batteries and it does not matter at what percentage you start charging. This is in contrast to batteries from the past, which often ‘forgot’ how much percentage they still had and therefore ran out.
However, there is some truth to this fable. It is true that every charging cycle (100 percent battery recharge) drains the capacity of the batteries. However, this is normal and only noticeable after years. Most iPhones therefore usually have about 80 percent battery capacity left after two to three years of use.
Myth 4: Turn off your bluetooth and internet for longer battery life
It makes no sense to turn off your bluetooth, wifi and mobile internet connection when you are not using your iPhone. In fact, if you turn all your connections on and off every time, you consume a lot more energy than if you always stay connected.
Again, this myth used to be good advice: WiFi and Bluetooth consumed energy, but not anymore. Moreover, it is still best to put your iPhone on airplane mode when you only have a few percent of the battery left, and no charger is nearby. However, it is not a good idea to do this all the time, as the phone consumes a relatively large amount of energy when reconnecting.
These tips do work
Well, you now know what battery myths are going around, but what do you have to do to increase battery life? 4 facts in a row.
Fact 1: Stay up to date and cool
First off, of course, make sure you’re always using the latest iOS version. Apple is constantly adding new, smart ways to get more out of your battery, so it makes sense to update your software.
In addition, your iPhone cannot withstand extreme temperatures, such as freezing cold and heat. Therefore, make sure you charge it at room temperature: this is ideal for the battery capacity. If your iPhone still gets too warm while charging at room temperature, it may be due to your case. Remove it and continue loading.
Fact 2: Optimize the settings
There are two ways to save battery: adjust the screen brightness downwards yourself, or have it done automatically. To dim the screen, open the Control Center and drag the bar down.
Auto brightness automatically adjusts the brightness of your screen to the amount of ambient light. To do this, go to the settings menu, open ‘General’ and tap ‘Accessibility’. Here, select ‘Custom Views’ and slide the switch at ‘Adjust Automatically’.
Also read: Tip: Dim your iPhone screen further than is actually possible
Fact 3: Limit apps running in the background
Many apps remain active in the background and thus consume electricity. Go to the settings and tap on ‘Battery’ to see your usage and spot the culprits. To extend your battery life, go back to the settings, select ‘General’ and turn off the switch at ‘Refresh apps in background’. Indicate here which apps are allowed to update unseen, such as WhatsApp, and which are not.
Fact 4: Save your battery
If you only have a few percent battery left and no charger is nearby, then it’s time to save your battery. To do this, turn on the energy-saving mode, which limits visual effects and e-mails, for example, are no longer synchronized. You can find this option in the settings menu under ‘Battery’. Check out our article on iPhone battery tips to get even more out of your battery!
Those were the battery myths and fables. Would you like to receive more useful tips & tricks for your iPhone and other Apple devices? Sign up for our newsletter, or download the free app!