When Apple releases new iPhones and new working system updates, there are sometimes complaints about how lengthy the battery lasts. Apple made enhancements to battery life throughout the iPhone 16 lineup, and whereas these iPhones last more than ever, some persons are nonetheless seeing battery points.
Battery life issues will be brought on by new options Apple has added or bugs which have but to be addressed. Regardless of the trigger, we have created a listing of ideas for maximizing your iPhone‘s battery life. There aren’t many battery saving choices that do not disable key options on the iPhone, however in conditions the place each minute counts, it is helpful to have choices.
You will must steadiness battery drain with the function set you need enabled, turning issues on and off when it’s essential to guarantee your battery lasts all day. Not all of the following pointers are particular to iOS 18 and the iPhone 16 fashions, however they may assist you to protect battery whether or not you’ve gotten an iPhone 16 or an older system.
1. Flip Off iPhone Mirroring
iPhone Mirroring lets you management your iPhone out of your Mac, and get your iPhone notifications in your Mac’s show. Because it’s on Mac, it looks as if it should not be utilizing iPhone battery, however there’s a connection there to relay notifications. Notifications nonetheless present up when the iPhone Mirroring app is closed on the Mac, in order that fixed connection would possibly affect battery.
One reader experiencing battery life points on the MacRumors boards mentioned turning off iPhone Mirroring made a notable distinction. In the event you’re not typically utilizing this selection, it is value turning it off.
To disable it, go to Settings > Common > AirPlay and Continuity and faucet on Edit. From there, delete the Macs that your iPhone connects to. You too can swipe to delete a Mac from the listing.
In iOS 18, Apple made it so you may place app icons and widgets wherever on the iPhone’s hidden grid, so that you is likely to be utilizing widgets extra typically than earlier than. If that is the case, it is value noting that widgets can have an effect on battery life.
In the event you’re not utilizing a selected widget in your House Display or Lock Display frequently, it is likely to be greatest to take away it to protect battery life. On the House Display, you may lengthy press and faucet the “-” button to take away a widget.
On the Lock Display, you may truly arrange a number of totally different Lock Display choices, so you could possibly create one which has widgets and one that does not, utilizing the latter once you’re low on battery. So as to add or edit Lock Screens, lengthy press on the Lock Display and select both the “Customise” or the “+” button.
On the MacRumors boards, one consumer mentioned turning off Lock Display widgets dropped in a single day battery utilization from 20 % to 10 %.
3. Use Darkish Mode and Darkish Mode Icons
Turning on Darkish Mode has lengthy been a advised strategy to protect battery life, as a result of OLED shows draw much less energy when displaying darker coloured pixels. A 2021 Purdue research discovered that utilizing Darkish Mode on a sunny day exterior can prevent up 47 % battery energy, which might make a serious distinction.
Decrease ranges of brightness in Gentle Mode use the identical battery as larger ranges of brightness in Darkish Mode, which explains why Darkish Mode can save battery even when display brightness is turned up. When your display brightness is decrease, corresponding to once you’re in a dim room, swapping to Darkish Mode does not save as a lot battery life, but it surely nonetheless attracts rather less energy.
In iOS 18, you may set a Darkish possibility on your icons that turns them darker when Darkish Mode is enabled (or on a regular basis, in case you choose). Darkish icons are simpler on the eyes when Darkish Mode is on, and it’d save just a bit additional battery life.
4. Be Aware of Management Heart Controls
iOS 18 has a customizable Management Heart the place you should use the Controls Gallery to decide on your controls, together with third-party controls. You possibly can change the scale of Management Heart toggles, and use a number of pages.
Some Management Heart toggles are animated, and animations can affect battery life. It is most likely not a serious affect, however value realizing about. One of many greater offenders is the full-size Music Management Heart toggle, which exhibits album artwork and has playback controls.
House app controls additionally must replace every time the Management Heart updates, and these controls that refresh would possibly drain some battery.
Customise Management Heart by lengthy urgent on the show and tapping the “-” button by any controls you wish to take away.
5. Take away Your Lock Display Controls
In iOS 18, you may lastly swap out or take away the Digicam and Flashlight buttons on the iPhone. In the event you’ve ever by chance activated a type of buttons whereas your iPhone’s in your pocket, you recognize that leaving on the Flashlight or the Digicam for an prolonged interval can positively affect battery life.
In the event you’re vulnerable to hitting these buttons, it is value eradicating them. You are able to do so by lengthy urgent on the Lock Display, tapping on Customise, after which tapping the “-” button subsequent to the icons.
If in case you have an iPhone 16 Professional or one other “Professional” iPhone that helps a 120Hz ProMotion refresh charge, turning it all the way down to 60Hz would possibly prolong your battery life. Since Low Energy Mode limits the show refresh charge to 60Hz, it is positively a measure that works to protect battery.
Turning on Low Energy Mode is one strategy to disable ProMotion, however there is a extra everlasting Accessibility setting. Open the Settings app, go to Accessibility, faucet on Movement, after which toggle on “Restrict Body Price.”
7. Disable Reside Actions
Reside Actions let apps maintain an ongoing notification on the Lock Display or Dynamic Island. Mixed with the All the time-On show of the iPhone 14 Professional, 15 Professional, and 16 Professional, Reside Actions can drain your battery.
Reside Actions will be turned off by following these steps:
- Open up the Settings app.
- Go to Face ID & Passcode.
- Enter your passcode to unlock the iPhone.
- Scroll down and toggle off Reside Actions.
This may stop Reside Actions from displaying up on the Lock Display, however you may wish to take this one step additional. Within the particular person app sections within the Settings app, you may disable Reside Actions on an app-by-app foundation, or keep away from utilizing Reside Actions options inside apps.
You possibly can’t totally disable the Dynamic Island, however you may swipe left on any working animation to dismiss it.
8. Flip Off Proximity AirDrop Sharing
If you maintain two iPhones working iOS 17 or later collectively, the iPhone initiates a proximity-based AirDrop or contact switch protocol. In the event you’re regularly triggering this, it could drain battery. Ought to you end up in a scenario the place your iPhone is close to one other iPhone typically sufficient that AirDrop regularly pops up, you would possibly wish to flip it off.
To take action, go to Settings > Common > AirDrop and toggle off “Bringing Units Collectively.”
9. Take Benefit of Offline Maps
Since iOS 17, you have been in a position to obtain Apple Maps for offline utilization. It is helpful for when you do not have a mobile connection, however it could save battery even in case you do. In the event you’re touring in an space the place you’ve gotten a considerably spotty connection, downloading a map for that spot after which turning off mobile will protect your battery life with out impacting your capability to get turn-by-turn instructions.
We’ve got a devoted how-to that walks you thru downloading a map for offline utilization, but it surely’s so simple as looking for a location in Maps, tapping the obtain button, after which choosing the realm of the map to obtain.
10. Disable Haptic Keyboard Suggestions
Apple has a keyboard possibility that offers you haptic suggestions once you faucet the on-screen keys. It vibrates with every key faucet for a extra satisfying typing expertise, however what you may not know is that it drains battery.
Apple has a help doc that claims keyboard haptics can have an effect on battery life, so it is not one thing you wish to use when you do not have battery to spare. It isn’t on by default, however in case you’ve enabled it, you may flip it off by following these steps:
- Open up the Settings app.
- Faucet on Sounds & Haptics.
- Faucet on Keyboard Suggestions.
- Toggle off Haptic.
11. Flip Off All the time-On Show
Because the identify suggests, the All the time-On show on some Professional iPhone fashions leaves the time, your wallpaper, widgets, and Reside Actions seen on the Lock Display even when your iPhone is locked.
The show makes use of a 1Hz refresh charge to protect battery, and Apple has neat methods like turning off the show when a linked Apple Watch is now not close by (signaling that the iPhone proprietor is out of the room) or the iPhone is in a pocket, however All the time-On show nonetheless drains battery sooner than an All the time-Off show.
You possibly can flip off the All the time-On show by following these steps:
- Open up the Settings app.
- Faucet on Show & Brightness.
- Faucet on All the time On Show.
- Toggle off All the time On Show.
Simply how a lot battery All the time-On show drains will rely in your use case, so it might or is probably not value turning off.
12. Use Focus Modes
Utilizing Apple’s built-in Focus possibility can reduce down on the variety of notifications that you simply’re receiving through the day, and fewer notifications means much less alternative for apps to get up your show and trigger battery drain.
Focus modes allow you to select which apps and other people can ship you notifications and when, so throughout work hours you may ensure you’re solely getting work notifications, and through private time, you may restrict your work notifications. Focus filters even allow you to filter out choose emails, messages, calendars, and extra.
With Apple Intelligence, Apple is including a brand new “Scale back Interruptions” Focus Mode that may intelligently filter out what’s not essential, whereas nonetheless delivering what it’s essential to see instantly. Toggling this on removes the entire problem of establishing a Focus mode, but it surely has the entire profit.
You too can use the “Clever Breakthrough and Silencing” toggle with each Focus mode you make to get the identical impact, so you may by no means miss one thing essential. Apple Intelligence is coming in iOS 18.1, set to be launched in late October.
You will nonetheless get all your notifications when a Focus mode ends, however multi function alert moderately than a number of. Turning off undesirable notifications from apps an amazing methodology for saving battery life, and Focus modes are helpful for decreasing incoming notifications with out lacking issues.
You will discover the entire Focus options within the Focus part of the Settings app.
13. Use Scheduled Abstract
Together with Focus modes, you also needs to guarantee that any app that sends non-important notifications is relegated to the Scheduled Abstract, which saves up notifications and sends them to you a couple of times a day.
You possibly can toggle on Scheduled Abstract for apps within the Notifications part of the Settings app, the place you may specify which apps ought to have their notifications embody in Scheduled Abstract and once you need them delivered.
Another choice is popping off notifications totally for apps which might be sending you lower than helpful data like reminders to play video games.
14. Restrict When and How Typically Apps Can Entry Location
It is all the time good to examine in on privateness and entry settings to ensure apps and providers aren’t doing issues you don’t need them to be doing.
Limiting the apps which have entry to your location and the way typically apps can entry that knowledge can save battery life.
- Open up the Settings app.
- Select Privateness & Safety.
- Faucet Location Providers.
- Evaluate the listing and edit settings by tapping on the identify of every app within the listing.
You have got 4 choices for location settings for every app, although not all 4 decisions will all the time be obtainable for each app relying on what it does. You possibly can choose the next: By no means, Ask Subsequent Time Or Once I Share, Whereas Utilizing the App, and All the time.
By no means will stop an app from ever accessing your location, and until there is a particular want for an app to know the place you might be, corresponding to a mapping app, setting location entry to By no means is your best option.
Ask Subsequent Time Or Once I Share will immediate an app to ask you with a pop-up the following time that it needs your location, so you may quickly approve it. With this setting, location entry is off till expressly allowed by way of the pop-up.
Whereas Utilizing the App permits the app to detect your location solely when the app is open and being actively used. In the event you shut the app or swap over to a different app, location entry ends.
All the time lets an app to have entry to your location always, no matter whether or not it is open or closed. This may lead to probably the most battery drain and must be restricted to solely the apps that you simply want probably the most.
A lot of apps will ask for location info that do not actually need it to perform, so clearing the cruft will save battery life and protect your privateness.
You too can flip off Location Providers all collectively, but it surely’s not supreme as a result of it could affect essential apps like Maps.
15. Restrict Apps Utilizing Bluetooth
Your iPhone lets you recognize when apps have requested Bluetooth entry, and there are fairly just a few apps that need Bluetooth entry for location monitoring, scanning for Chromecast units, or different not-so-useful causes.
Checking on the apps utilizing Bluetooth is worth it to just remember to do not have a sneaky app connecting to Bluetooth sources with out your permission and draining battery. To get to Bluetooth settings:
- Open the Settings app.
- Faucet on Privateness & Safety.
- Faucet Bluetooth.
Apps like Fb, MAX, Hulu, and others do not want Bluetooth entry for probably the most half, so toggle off any app that is not associated to some sort of precise Bluetooth accent. If a function in an app stops working, you may simply flip Bluetooth proper again on.
16. Use Low Energy Mode
Utilizing Low Energy Mode liberally is an apparent selection for sustaining battery with out having to vary quite a lot of settings, and you may toggle it on from Management Heart, the Battery part of the Settings app, or utilizing Siri. Low Energy Mode cuts down on background exercise, turns off your show after inactivity extra shortly, limits show refresh charge, limits e-mail fetch, cuts down on visible results, and extra.
Low Energy Mode will be set to activate at a sure battery share utilizing Shortcuts, which is a helpful strategy to have it robotically activate once you want it.
17. Use Wi-Fi and Airplane Mode
In the event you’re at dwelling or work, ensure you hook up with Wi-Fi as an alternative of mobile. Nothing drains a battery fairly like a 5G connection, particularly when sign is weak.
Ought to you end up someplace with no Wi-Fi and also you even have low mobile sign, turning on Airplane Mode or turning off your mobile connection quickly can save battery as a result of your iPhone is not continually attempting to hook up with mobile towers.
It is solely helpful in case you do not want a mobile connection, however it could assist with battery drain, and more often than not, there’s not loads you are able to do with tremendous low sign.
18. Handle Apps Draining Battery
Your iPhone tells you which ones apps are utilizing probably the most battery so you may make certain nothing is secretly draining your battery with out your information. You possibly can examine your battery utilization statistics by opening up the Settings app and tapping on the Battery part.
Battery utilization charts allow you to see your battery stage over the past 24 hours or for the final 10 days, plus you may see which apps have used probably the most battery life. If there’s an app that you do not want that is draining an extreme quantity of battery, delete it. In the event you do want the app, average how typically you are utilizing it and what permissions it has like location.
19. Restrict Background Exercise
Most apps use background refresh to replace even after they’re not open, and restricted background exercise and background refresh is a longtime favourite possibility for chopping down on battery utilization.
You possibly can flip off Background App Refresh all collectively or select which apps can refresh within the background.
- Open the Settings app.
- Choose Common.
- Faucet on Background App Refresh.
From there, you may faucet on the Background App Refresh possibility to show Background App Refresh off altogether or select to have it activate solely when linked to Wi-Fi, which does not drain battery as a lot as downloading over mobile.
You too can select to show Background App Refresh on simply on your most used apps by tapping on the toggle subsequent to every app within the listing.
20. Change Your Mail Settings
Together with turning off Background App Refresh, altering when and the way typically the Mail app checks for brand spanking new emails can prevent some battery.
- Open up the Settings app.
- Faucet Mail.
- Faucet Accounts.
- Faucet “Fetch New Information” on the backside.
You possibly can flip off Push (which helps you to know instantly when a brand new e-mail message is offered) and regulate Fetch settings on a per account foundation for accounts that do not help Push (like Gmail accounts).
Adjusting the Fetch settings to have longer intervals earlier than checking for brand spanking new messages may also help save battery life, as can turning off Fetch all collectively in favor of handbook checks that may obtain new messages solely when the Mail app is opened.
You possibly can select the next settings: Robotically, Manually, Hourly, Each 30 Minutes, and Each 15 Minutes.
If in case you have an AirTag, it is most likely pinging your iPhone frequently, which might affect battery life. If it is not actively in use, take into account eradicating the AirTag out of your iPhone till the following time you want it. That additionally goes for any Discover My-connected units.
AirTags will be managed by opening up Discover My and navigating to the gadgets tab.
22. Protect Battery Longevity
With the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 fashions, you may protect your battery well being with an optimized charging function that stops charging up previous 80 %. We examined the 80 % charging restrict over the course of a 12 months, and whereas it makes somewhat little bit of a distinction, it is not an enormous assist retaining your most battery up over time.
It isn’t value turning on in case you want full battery for a protracted day trip, but it surely’s presumably value turning on in case you’re typically utilizing your iPhone at dwelling. There are additionally settings for limiting your cost to 85, 90, or 95 %. Something below 100% may have an effect on longterm battery well being over a number of years.
To activate a charging restrict, go to Settings > Battery > Charging and choose a restrict utilizing the slider.
A Notice on Apple Intelligence
Beginning with iOS 18.1, Apple is rolling out the primary Apple Intelligence options. It is going to kick off with Writing Instruments and a brand new Siri design, however later this 12 months, we’ll additionally get picture era capabilities and ChatGPT integration.
AI processing will be GPU intensive, so it is potential that Apple Intelligence will affect battery life, relying on how a lot you are utilizing it. It is one thing to bear in mind when Apple Intelligence turns into obtainable.
iOS 18 Battery Drain Complaints
There have been a lot of latest complaints about battery drain brought on by iOS 18, significantly from iPhone 16 customers, so it’s totally potential that there’s an underlying bug that will probably be addressed in a future replace.
Within the meantime, a few of the ideas on this article would possibly assistance on days when your battery is simply draining too quick.
Wrap Up
There are quite a lot of minor modifications to make to chop down on battery use, however every part you do in your iPhone goes to empty battery. It is essential to determine what works for you, what options you do not want, and the place you may compromise to get probably the most out of your battery.
Do you’ve gotten a helpful battery saving tip that we have not shared? Tell us within the feedback beneath.
