Kerry Wan/ZDNET
It’s no secret that our iPhones can struggle to last a full day on a single charge with all the tasks we throw at them. From FaceTime calls to texting to using Maps, it’s easy to see a significant drop in battery life. And if you’ve noticed this issue, you’re not alone. Even the more budget-friendly iPhone SE 4 is not exempt from battery problems. The plethora of apps, features, and settings on these phones constantly competing for power doesn’t help either. The good news is that there are several settings you can adjust to maximize your iPhone’s battery life without sacrificing your favorite features. Whether you have the latest iPhone or an older model, there are ways to improve your battery life. Here are 11 tips to help you do just that:
1. Turn off the always-on display: The always-on display feature on the iPhone Pro series can drain your battery faster than you think. To disable it, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On Display and switch the toggle to off.
2. Disable haptic feedback when typing: If you find the constant buzzing when typing on your iPhone draining your battery, you can turn off this feature by going to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Keyboard Feedback and toggling off Haptics.
3. Disable “Hey Siri” detection: If you rarely use Siri, you can save battery by turning off the “Hey Siri” detection feature. Simply go to Settings > Siri & Search > Listen for and choose “Off”.
4. Reduce the number of notifications: Notifications can be a major drain on your battery. To minimize this, go to Settings, select the app you want to disable notifications for, and turn them off completely.
5. Use Focus Modes: Focus Modes can help limit the notifications you receive from certain apps based on your activity. You can set up custom Focus profiles in Settings > Focus.
6. Turn off nearby AirDrop sharing: AirDrop can drain your battery by constantly searching for other Apple devices nearby. To disable this feature, go to Settings > General > AirDrop and switch off “Bringing Devices Together”.
7. Don’t use Live Activities: Live Activities can quickly drain your battery on the iPhone 14 Pro series. To disable this feature, go to the Settings app and turn off Live Activities for apps that support it.
8. Check the widgets on your lock screen: Widgets on the lock screen can drain your battery if they constantly update. Remove any widgets that are not essential by entering customization mode on the lock screen.
9. Reduce your refresh rate: Lowering the refresh rate on newer iPhone Pro models can help conserve battery. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Motion and turn on “Limit Frame Rate” to switch to a 60Hz refresh rate.
10. Turn off Background App Refresh: Background App Refresh can drain your battery by constantly pulling data from the internet. Disable this feature in Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
11. Use Optimized Charging: To preserve your battery’s health over time, enable Optimized Charging in Settings.
By following these tips, you can help improve your iPhone’s battery life without sacrificing functionality.