4 Default Settings No One Should Have Turned On Anymore In 2022, According To iPhone Experts

Tech experts are constantly acquiring more information about the iPhone, so “rules” tend to change when it comes to the settings and apps that they recommend adjusting, disabling, and outright deleting. Staying up to date on the best protocols when it comes to your iPhone’s settings can help keep your data secure and private, while giving you the best possible iPhone user experience. 

“Your iPhone has many settings that make life easier, and others control apps or features you never use, while others aren’t worth the battery drain,” says Tech Expert Awais Mahmood at wisesofttech.com. “Apple technically asks you to opt-in to specific settings when you set up a new iPhone, but you might miss those steps in your excitement to get your phone up and running. We can usually disable these settings, but it’s not always easy.” According to Mahmood, these are the four default settings no one should have turned on anymore in 2002.  

“Many services or apps use your location when they don’t need to,” Mahmood says. “While some require this data to function to their full potential, they can turn others off without significantly impacting your experience.”

For example, if you don’t use HomeKit or ApplePay, you can turn off system services for those features, Mahmood notes.

Here’s how to turn off system services:

Go to Settings -> Privacy -> Locations Services and scroll down to System Services. Tap it and go through the list.Settings such as cell network search, networking, wireless, and setting time zone do not need to be turned on unless you travel to another country.If you are not using HomeKit, turn it off as well.

Note: Do not turn off Emergency Calls or Find My iPhone — two important features that can keep you safe and protect your device. 

Turning off iPhone Analytics will improve your iPhone’s battery life and give you more privacy — however, iPhone Analytics sends data from your iPhone to Apple that drains your battery and can present a privacy issue about how you use your phone, Mahmood cautions.

“This feature is so they can improve their stuff, but in my opinion, it’s their job,” Mahmood says. “Although sent data is de-identified, this is an unnecessary feature if you’re already experiencing battery performance issues. Look at the story of the Apple “Batterygate” controversy as an example of why bother taking the risk.”

To disable it, open the Settings, Scroll down to Privacy, Scroll down to Analytics Turn off Share iPhone Analytics. “Unfortunately, this will also stop the vast data collection bonus on your Apple Watch and everything else here,” Mahmood says. 

Go to Settings->Privacy->Analytics->Turn off Share iPhone Analytics.

Turning off Background App Refresh for some apps can keep them from running in the background of your iPhone and exhausting battery life, Mahmood says. “Background App Refresh allows some apps to download data in the background even when you’re not using them,” Mahmood says. “So I advise going through this list and turning off background app refresh for apps that don’t need to download data when you’re not using them.

So, for example, updating the Amazon app when you’re not using it isn’t usually necessary in the example above with Hulu, Nomorobo, Podcasts, Reddit, Robinhood, and SEFCU. However, there may be apps that you need to update in the background, such as an app like News or ESPN, if you want the score right away, so it’s understandable. So that’s precisely why you should be perfect in this regard.” 

To turn off Background app refresh, go to Settings->General->Background App Refresh->Turn Off Apps.

“Now, if your battery is still draining fast or heating up, the best way to check if the changes you made are working is to go to Settings and then scroll down and tap on the App’s settings,” Mahmood says. 

To do this, tap Settings->Battery->click Battery usage by App.

Location services can be helpful for apps, especially when tagging your location on social media (usually not a good idea). “You might want to keep it on for your navigation and ride-sharing apps but turn it off for other apps and games that don’t need to know where you are,” Mahmood says. 

Go to Settings->Privacy->Location Services. Make sure to change each App’s settings to When using the App or Never.

Try making these changes to help your phone run faster and more efficiently, while keeping you as private and secure as possible.