Habits can rule our lives — for better or for worse. If you get yourself into the habit of meditating every day or reading or journaling, you may quickly start to see improvements in the way you feel. The same holds true for tech habits. Forming good iPhone habits, like charging your phone to 80 percent using only a compatible Apple-certified charger, can mean the difference between a battery that dwindles down fast and one that stands the test of time. And if you don’t squash certain poor tech habits, you may experience the opposite annoyances: a phone that doesn’t run as well and a battery that peters out after a few hours. Tech Expert Paula Napolitano of Wisetek Store points out eight of the worst iPhone habits that can ruin your phone’s battery. By just being aware of these habits and trying not to fall into their traps, you can help extend the life of your phone and its battery.
Keeping the brightness level too high:
The brighter the screen, the more power it uses. “Adjusting the brightness level to a lower setting can help conserve battery power,” Napolitano said. “You can also enable the ‘Auto-Brightness’ feature to automatically adjust the brightness level based on the ambient light. Auto-Brightness can also be accessed in the control center by swiping down from the top right corner of the screen.”
Running multiple apps at the same time:
“Having multiple apps running in the background can use up a lot of memory and processing power, which can drain the battery,” Napolitano said. “Closing unnecessary apps can help improve battery life. To close apps, simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold until the app cards appear. Then swipe up on the apps you want to close.”
Keeping location services on:
Location services can be convenient, but it uses GPS and other location-based data to provide location-specific information, and this can consume a lot of power. “Turning off location services when they are not needed can help conserve battery power,” Napolitano noted. “You can go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services to see which apps are using location services and turn them off as needed.”
Keeping push email on:
Like Locations Services, Push Email drains your battery because it continuously checks for new messages. “You can switch to fetch email, which can be set to check for new messages at specific intervals, reducing the amount of power used,” Napolitano said. “You can go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Fetch New Data and select “Manually” or set a time interval.”
Using the phone while it’s charging:
Hands off while your phone is charging (we know it’s difficult to do, but will be worth it). “Using the phone while it’s charging can cause the battery to overheat, which can decrease its overall lifespan,” Napolitano said. “It’s best to avoid using the phone while it’s charging to prevent this from happening. Additionally, using a non-Apple certified charger can also cause overheating and potentially damage the battery.”
Not updating the phone to the latest version of iOS:
“Updating your phone to the latest version of iOS can help improve battery life,” Napolitano said. “Apple often releases updates that include bug fixes and performance improvements, which can help extend the battery life of your phone. You can go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for updates.”
Using power-hungry features like augmented reality, gaming or intense graphic tasks:
These features require a lot of power to run and can drain the battery quickly, according to Napolitano. Limiting the use of these features or closing the app when not in use can help.
Keeping background app refresh on for unnecessary apps:
Lastly, background app refresh allows apps to update in the background, even when you’re not using them. “This can consume a lot of power,” Napolitano said. “You can turn off background app refresh for apps you don’t need to stay up-to-date all the time. You can go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh to turn it off for specific apps.”
If you’re concerned about your phone’s battery and would like to check its status, Napolitano reminds us that the battery health can be checked by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. “Here, you can see the current maximum capacity of your battery compared to when it was new,” she said. “If the maximum capacity is significantly lower, it may be time to consider replacing the battery. By following these tips and being mindful of your usage habits, you can help extend the battery life of your iPhone and keep it running smoothly.”
