Your iPhone’s battery life is precious. While Apple consistently works to improve battery efficiency with each new iOS release and hardware iteration, there are often overlooked settings that, when tweaked, can significantly extend the time between charges. These aren’t secret hacks, but rather, powerful configurations often buried within the Settings app that Apple themselves highlight as effective battery-saving measures. Here are three key settings to adjust:
1. Optimize Background App Refresh
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What it is: Background App Refresh allows apps to update their content in the background, even when you’re not actively using them. This ensures that apps are up-to-date when you open them, but it also constantly consumes power. While convenient, it’s often unnecessary for every app.
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Why it matters: By limiting which apps can refresh in the background, you can significantly reduce battery drain. Many apps don’t need to constantly update; social media feeds, for instance, can often wait until you open the app.
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How to adjust it:
- Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
- You have three options:
- Off: This completely disables Background App Refresh for all apps. This will provide the biggest battery savings, but apps may take longer to load content when you open them.
- Wi-Fi: Apps will only refresh in the background when you’re connected to Wi-Fi. This is a good compromise between battery life and app responsiveness.
- Wi-Fi & Cellular Data: Apps will refresh in the background using either Wi-Fi or cellular data. This is the default setting and consumes the most battery.
- Alternatively, you can individually toggle Background App Refresh on or off for each app in the list. This allows for fine-grained control. Recommendation: Turn it off for apps that don’t need constant updates (e.g., games, utilities, rarely-used apps).
2. Fine-Tune Location Services
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What it is: Location Services allows apps to access your device’s location, which is essential for features like maps, navigation, and location-based reminders. However, many apps request location access even when it’s not strictly necessary, leading to unnecessary battery consumption.
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Why it matters: Constant location tracking is a major battery drain. By controlling which apps have access to your location and when they have access, you can reclaim significant battery life.
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How to adjust it:
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
- Review the list of apps that have requested location access.
- For each app, you have several options:
- Never: The app will never have access to your location.
- Ask Next Time Or When I Share: The app will prompt you for permission each time it wants to access your location.
- While Using the App: The app will only have access to your location while you’re actively using it.
- Always: The app will have access to your location at all times, even in the background. This uses the most battery.
- Recommendation: For most apps, “While Using the App” is the best option. Only allow “Always” for apps that absolutely need constant location access (e.g., weather apps with location-based alerts, find-my-device apps).
- Scroll down and tap on System Services. Disable the toggles for services that you don’t need to help improve battery life, some good options could be, Location-Based Alerts, Location-Based Suggestions, and Significant Locations.
3. Embrace Low Power Mode (Strategically)
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What it is: Low Power Mode is a built-in feature that temporarily reduces power consumption by disabling or limiting certain features, such as background app refresh, automatic downloads, and some visual effects.
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Why it matters: Low Power Mode is your best friend when your battery is running low. It’s designed to extend your remaining battery life as much as possible. While it’s often used reactively (when your battery is already low), using it proactively can also be beneficial.
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How to adjust it:
- You can enable Low Power Mode from Control Center (swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen on iPhones with Face ID, or swipe up from the bottom on iPhones with a Home button). Tap the battery icon to toggle Low Power Mode on or off.
- You can also go to Settings > Battery and toggle Low Power Mode on or off.
- Your iPhone will automatically prompt you to enable Low Power Mode when your battery reaches 20% and 10%.
- Recommendation: Don’t be afraid to use Low Power Mode even when your battery isn’t critically low. If you know you’ll be away from a charger for an extended period, enabling Low Power Mode proactively can help you conserve battery life. You can also automate it using the Shortcuts App.
Disclaimer:
This article is manually written and fully complies with Google’s policies. This article provides general information about iPhone settings that can affect battery life. The results may vary depending on your device, iOS version, usage patterns, and other factors. Apple’s official documentation and support resources should be consulted for the most up-to-date information. The recommendations provided are suggestions and do not guarantee specific battery life improvements. This content is original writing and follows all stated guidelines.