Tech Experts Agree: You Should Avoid These 3 Common iPhone Mistakes To Extend The Life Of Your Device

Tech mistakes are SO easy to make. And in so many cases you might not even feel like you’re doing anything wrong. After all, your phone seems to be operating just like it always does — it’s downloading apps, snapping photos and video, and responding to your every desire and wish, whether you are using your phone for work or for corresponding with friends. The problem is that you can’t always see what the bad tech habits you’re engaging in are doing to your phone in the long term. Without even realizing it, you could be contributing to the slow demise of your battery or the slow, but sure depletion of storage to the point where you have to decide if it’s worth it to buy more storage space just so you can take another selfie. 

But here’s the thing: most of the time, the mistakes that are being made are ones that iPhone users repeat. Have a look at these three iPhone mistakes, which are among the most commonly made, to make sure you aren’t making them, too. Correcting your ways can mean the difference between owning a phone that lasts so long (years!) and having to replace your phone or its battery way sooner than you expected. 

One of the most common mistakes iPhone users make is not closing unused apps, according to Tech Expert Jared Floyd, the founder of Ajax Creative. “This can cause your iPhone to slow down and even drain the battery faster than usual,” Floyd says. “When you open an app on your iPhone, it continues to run in the background even after you close it. This means that if you have several apps open, your iPhone has to work harder to keep them all running, which can cause your device to slow down. To avoid this, make sure to close apps that you’re not using by swiping up on the app and swiping it off the screen.”

Of course it’s kind of annoying to realize your phone’s software needs to be updated. It’s so tempting to put this off another day — or another week or month. But doing so can greatly affect the way your phone operates. “Another mistake that many iPhone users make is not updating their devices,” Floyd says. “Apple releases regular updates for their iPhone software, which can help improve the performance of your device and fix any bugs or glitches. Not updating your iPhone can cause your device to slow down and even make it more vulnerable to security threats. To update your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software Update and follow the prompts.”

There are no benefits in charging your phone for another three hours when it’s already at 85 percent. In fact, this is one of the leading ways you can be decreasing the life of your device. “Leaving your iPhone charging overnight or for an extended period of time can cause the battery to degrade faster than usual,” Floyd confirms. “To avoid this, try to charge your iPhone to around 80% and then unplug it. You can also use the Low Power Mode feature on your iPhone to help conserve battery life.”

Three common mistakes — three simple ways to break bad habits so that your phone lasts even longer.