7 Tips to Extend Your iPhone Battery Life

September 8, 2026

7 Tips to Extend Your iPhone Battery Life

Getting the most out of your iPhone battery is easier than you think. Whether you have a brand new iPhone or a used one with 85% battery health, these 7 tips will help you get more screen time between charges.

1. Enable Optimised Battery Charging

This is the single most important setting for long-term battery health. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging > Optimised Battery Charging. When enabled, your iPhone learns your charging routine and waits to charge past 80% until just before you usually unplug. This reduces battery aging caused by staying at 100% for long periods.

2. Adjust Screen Brightness

The display is the biggest battery drain on any smartphone. Lowering brightness from 100% to 50% can add hours of battery life. Enable Auto-Brightness in Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size, and manually lower brightness when indoors.

3. Turn Off Background App Refresh

Many apps refresh content in the background even when you are not using them. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off for apps that do not need real-time updates. Keep it on for messaging and email apps only.

4. Use Low Power Mode

When your battery drops below 20%, iOS prompts you to enable Low Power Mode. But you can enable it manually at any time in Settings > Battery, or add it to Control Centre. Low Power Mode reduces background activity, visual effects, and fetching to extend battery life by up to 3 hours.

5. Disable Location Services for Non-Essential Apps

GPS is a major battery drain. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and set most apps to "While Using" or "Never". Only keep "Always" for navigation and weather apps that genuinely need it.

6. Manage Notifications

Every notification wakes your screen and uses battery. Go to Settings > Notifications and turn off notifications for apps you do not need instant alerts from. For messaging apps, disable notification previews on the lock screen to reduce screen wake time.

7. Avoid Extreme Temperatures

iPhones are designed to work best between 0C and 35C. Exposure to temperatures above 35C can permanently damage battery capacity. Avoid:

Leaving your phone in a hot car
Using the phone in direct sunlight for long periods
Charging while running graphics-intensive games (causes heat)
Using thick cases that trap heat during charging

Bonus: When to Replace Your Battery

If your iPhone battery health drops below 80%, you will notice significantly shorter battery life and possible performance throttling. A battery replacement costs - in Australia and restores full performance.

At USEDIPHONE, we offer a Refurbished New battery option on many models - a brand new battery installed before shipping, so you get 100% battery health from day one. Browse our iPhones and look for the Refurbished New battery option.