Every time a new model of the iPhone is released, not only does the battery capacity slightly increase, but with Apple’s powerful and efficient processors, the iPhone’s battery life also seems to improve. However, maximizing iPhone battery life remains a challenge, as more advanced apps and features drain the battery faster than ever before. While Apple’s latest chips and battery improvements help, iPhone users are finding it harder to make it through the day on a single charge, especially with the increasing demand for performance from modern applications.
The advancements in battery technology, coupled with the continuous optimization of Apple’s processors, have significantly boosted battery life over the years. However, as the usage of apps becomes more sophisticated and power-hungry, the need to actively manage your iPhone’s battery life is more crucial than ever. While Apple’s custom-designed chips like the A14, A15, A16, and A17 offer impressive power efficiency, the overall battery life can still fall short for heavy app users.
This article provides 11 effective strategies for maximizing iPhone battery life, helping users navigate the challenge of maintaining power throughout the day, even with power-hungry apps and settings.
1. Turn Off Always On Display (AOD)
Maximizing iPhone battery life starts by turning off the Always On Display. While this feature provides easy access to information without unlocking your phone, it consumes significant battery. Apple’s Always On Display feature shows time, notifications, and widgets constantly, even when the phone is idle. If you’re aiming for longer battery life, turning off AOD is an essential first step.
However, the downside is that you lose the convenience of checking the time or notifications without unlocking your phone. This is particularly inconvenient for users who frequently rely on quick access to their phone’s information.
How to turn off AOD:
- Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On Display and toggle off the option.
2. Disable Haptic Feedback
Another important method for maximizing iPhone battery life is disabling haptic feedback. Haptic feedback provides tactile responses when interacting with the screen, but this constant vibration can drain your battery over time. For users who prefer the tactile feel when typing or interacting with the phone, disabling this feature will save battery.
The trade-off is that you lose the haptic feedback, which may make typing less intuitive for some users.
How to disable haptic feedback:
- Go to Settings > Sound & Haptics > Keyboard Feedback and turn off the “System Haptics” toggle.
3. Turn Off “Hey, Siri” Detection
The “Hey, Siri” feature allows you to activate Siri by voice, but this continuously listens for your voice, which drains the battery. To maximize iPhone battery life, it’s recommended to turn off voice detection unless you specifically need it for voice commands.
While turning off voice detection means you’ll need to activate Siri manually, it can save you a significant amount of battery.
How to turn off voice detection:
- Go to Settings > Siri & Search and turn off “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’.”
4. Reduce Notification Frequency
Every notification causes your phone’s display to turn on, make a sound, vibrate, and often play animations. If you receive a lot of notifications, this can significantly reduce your battery life. To maximize iPhone battery life, consider limiting notifications, especially for apps that don’t require constant updates.
However, reducing notifications may lead to missing important alerts, so it’s essential to choose which notifications to disable carefully.
How to manage notifications:
- Go to Settings > Notifications and disable notifications for less important apps.
5. Use Focus Mode
Focus Mode is a feature that allows you to limit notifications based on your activity. Whether you’re at work, driving, or sleeping, Focus Mode can help you reduce unnecessary distractions and conserve battery life by blocking non-essential notifications.
The downside is that you may miss out on urgent notifications if you don’t set up Focus Mode properly.
How to activate Focus Mode:
- Swipe into Control Center and set up the Focus mode that works best for your situation.
6. Turn Off AirDrop
AirDrop allows you to share files quickly with nearby Apple devices, but it also constantly searches for nearby devices, which drains your battery. Turning off AirDrop when you don’t need it can help save power.
The downside is that you won’t be able to share files quickly with other Apple users, which may be an inconvenience for those who use the feature frequently.
How to disable AirDrop:
- Go to Settings > General > AirDrop and select “Receiving Off.”
7. Disable Live Activities
Live Activities is a feature introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro series, allowing apps to show real-time updates on the Dynamic Island, such as live sports scores or the status of a delivery. While this feature is highly convenient for those who want real-time information, it can drain the battery if used for prolonged periods.
The downside to disabling Live Activities is that you lose real-time updates, which can be quite handy, especially for apps that provide sports scores or delivery updates.
How to turn off Live Activities:
- Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode and disable the “Live Activities” option.
8. Manage Lock Screen Widgets
Lock screen widgets provide quick access to useful information like the weather, calendar events, and more. While these widgets are convenient, they frequently update in the background, which can lead to battery drain. To maximize iPhone battery life, consider removing unnecessary widgets.
The downside is that you lose easy access to this information without unlocking your phone, which can reduce convenience.
How to manage widgets:
- Press and hold on the lock screen and remove unnecessary widgets that may drain your battery.
9. Lower the Screen Refresh Rate
The iPhone Pro models offer a high refresh rate of 120Hz, which makes scrolling and animations incredibly smooth. However, this high refresh rate uses more battery, especially for media-heavy apps. To maximize iPhone battery life, consider lowering the refresh rate.
The downside is that the screen transitions won’t be as smooth as they are with the 120Hz setting.
How to adjust the refresh rate:
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > Motion and turn on “Limit Frame Rate.”
10. Turn Off Background App Refresh
Background App Refresh keeps apps updated in the background, but this feature consumes significant battery. By turning off Background App Refresh, you can extend battery life, especially if you have many apps running in the background.
The downside is that apps may take longer to load the next time you open them because they won’t have the latest information until manually refreshed.
How to disable Background App Refresh:
- Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off for apps you don’t need to update.
11. Enable Optimized Battery Charging
Optimized Battery Charging helps preserve your battery health by slowing down the charging speed once the battery reaches 80%, which reduces wear and tear on the battery. This feature is essential for maximizing iPhone battery life over time.
However, if you need to charge quickly, this feature may slow down the charging process.
How to enable Optimized Battery Charging:
- Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and turn on “Optimized Battery Charging.”
Final Thoughts: Battery Life and Convenience Are Trade-offs
In this article, we’ve explored various ways to maximize iPhone battery life. Many of these methods involve turning off power-hungry features, which can impact convenience. For example, disabling Always On Display or haptic feedback can make your phone feel less responsive.
It’s essential to evaluate which features you rely on most and make adjustments accordingly to maximize battery life without compromising too much on convenience. If these changes feel cumbersome, using Low Power Mode is always a great fallback option for emergencies.