Batteries degrade over time. This is especially true for lithium-ion batteries like those found in iPhones. But there are steps you can take to maximize your iPhone’s battery health, even in 2024. Here are some tips to increase battery life and overall battery health for your iPhone.
Reduce Battery Drain
One of the biggest enemies of battery health is excessive battery drain. Apps running in the background, location services, and screen brightness are some of the biggest culprits.
To reduce battery drain:
- Close apps when you’re done using them. Swipe up to close apps not currently in use. This prevents them from running in the background.
- Turn off Background App Refresh for apps that don’t need it. This prevents apps from updating when you’re not using them.
- Disable location services for apps that don’t require your location. Constant GPS usage drains batteries.
- Lower screen brightness and turn on Auto-Brightness. Brightness is one of the biggest battery drains.
- Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in use. Constant searching drains battery.
- Use Low Power Mode when battery is low. This throttles background activity.
- Turn on Airplane Mode when service is not needed. This disables power-hungry radios.
Avoid Excessive Charging
Batteries also degrade through charge cycles. Charging too often and charging to 100% can reduce battery lifespan.
To avoid excessive charging:
- Charge to 80% when possible. 100% charges add strain.
- Avoid frequent top-off charging. Let the battery drain before recharging.
- Use a slower charger when possible. Fast charging generates more heat.
- Unplug charger when fully charged. Continued charging wastes cycles.
- Avoid charging overnight. Batteries only need a few hours to charge fully.
Use Optimized Charging
New iPhones have a Optimized Battery Charging feature. This uses on-device machine learning to track your charging habits and wait to finish charging past 80% until right before you normally unplug the device. This reduces wear from excessive charging while still ensuring a full charge when you need it. Keep this feature enabled to improve battery health.
Avoid Excessive Heat
Heat degrades batteries faster. Avoid leaving your iPhone in hot environments like direct sunlight or hot cars. High processor usage from gaming or other intensive apps can also heat up the battery and accelerate degradation. Let your phone cool down if it feels hot. Consider quitting processor-intensive apps when not needed.
Check out how you can Improve battery health if you are an Android user.
Update to the Latest iOS
Apple includes battery health maximization features in its iOS updates. Updating to the latest OS ensures you have the latest battery preservation technology. iOS updates also frequently improve efficiency and fix battery draining bugs. Keep your iPhone up-to-date.
Use Apple’s Battery Health Management
Newer iPhones have a Battery Health Management feature. This slows down peak performance as batteries age to prevent unexpected shutdowns from voltage drops. While this may reduce maximum performance, it prolongs overall battery life. Keep this enabled unless you constantly need maximum performance.
Replace Aging Batteries
No battery lasts forever. If your battery health drops below 80%, it’s time to consider replacing the battery to restore performance. Use Apple’s Battery Health feature in Settings to monitor degradation and know when it’s time to swap batteries. Apple also offers discounted battery replacements to retain phones longer.
In 2024, iPhone batteries will degrade just like they always have. But being mindful of unnecessary battery drain, excessive charging, heat, and old batteries can go a long way towards maximizing the lifespan and health of your iPhone’s battery. Employ these battery health tips, and your iPhone will stay powered up and running smoothly even in 2024 and beyond.