Dealing with a smartphone battery that refuses to hold its charge is always a challenge. Should you buy a brand new battery? Charge it more often? Less often? Throw in the towel and buy a brand new iPhone?
The answer (for now is): none of the above. Before you take drastic measures or change the way you charge your device, there are a few settings worth exploring that may just fix your charging woes. If you want a longer-lasting phone battery, tech experts say you should turn this setting off ASAP.
Turn off Background App Refresh
There are a number of features on the iPhone that make it smarter and more useful — and Background App Refresh is one of these things, according to Kavin Patel, Founder and CEO of Convrrt. “This feature looks at the apps you use the most and when you use them the most,” Patel says. “Then, it updates those apps so that when you open one of them again, it has the most up-to-date information. For example, if you check social media at 7:30 a.m., iOS will learn that and update social apps before that time, Patel says. The problem with useful features that can do so much is that they also use up a lot of power — and Background App Refresh is no exception. The best thing you can do for your battery is turn off the feature. “Open the Settings app on your iPhone, go to General, then Background App Refresh, and then choose Background App Refresh > Off,” Patel says. “Or, turn the option off for only certain apps.”
Turn off Location Services
Location Services is another feature to keep on your radar if your concern is conserving battery. “Even when you’re not using them, some apps keep track of where you are and where you’re going,” says Matt Weidle, Business Development Manager of Buyer’s Guide. “They do this with a process called “Location Services,” which is meant to be quiet but can use up a lot of battery power.”
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To change Location Services, go to Settings, tap Privacy, and then hit Location Services. “From here, you can edit each app individually or turn off location tracking for all apps at once,” Weidle says. “The less power those apps will use, the more you limit them.”
