Tech Pros Say These iPhone Settings Are ‘Crucial’ For Protecting Your iPhone Battery

1. Optimized Battery Charging

Optimized Battery Charging is a feature designed to help slow down battery aging by learning your daily charging habits. When it’s turned on, your iPhone will delay charging past 80 percent until it thinks you’ll need it—usually right before you wake up or unplug it. If this setting is off, your phone may frequently charge to 100 percent and stay there for hours (especially overnight), which can stress the battery over time. To protect your battery, make sure Optimized Battery Charging is turned on by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and switching it on.

2. Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode is a helpful tool when your battery is running low, but relying on it all the time can interfere with your phone’s normal operations. It temporarily disables background app refresh, mail fetch, and some visual effects to save energy—but if left on constantly, it can lead to slower performance and possibly stop some apps from functioning the way you need them to work. Instead of using it as a permanent solution, only turn on Low Power Mode when your battery is under 20 percent or when you really need to stretch it, and focus on managing other settings for long-term battery health.

3. Auto-Lock

Auto-Lock determines how long your iPhone screen stays on when you’re not using it. If it's set to a long time—or you have it on Never—your screen can stay on much longer than necessary, quickly draining your battery.

To fix this, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and choose a shorter time, like 30 seconds or 1 minute. This small change can have a big impact on saving your battery throughout the day.