This post has been updated since it was originally published on August 8, 2022.
Your iPhone comes with so many settings, it can be overwhelming sifting through them and deciding which you should keep enabled and which are worth disabling for the sake of a better running phone. For the most part, the settings on your phone will help you achieve a better smartphone experience, but there are a few exceptions. Depending on which tech expert you ask, you’ll hear different answers when you ask them about the settings that are most draining to your battery. But three settings kept popping up to the top of the list: these are the settings that Steven Walker, CEO of Spylix, and Tech Expert Jason Wise, Chief Editor at EARTHWEB, say are a constant drain on your battery.
Background App Refresh
The best and most needed setting to disable to prevent draining out battery life is by disabling Background app refresh mode, according to Steven Walker, CEO of Spylix. “This feature automatically keeps finding the new updates of the currently using apps, which may not be helpful for the users,” Walker says. “Usually, we keep apps opened both when they use or keep the phone idle. But the background app refreshing system keeps the phone busy by refreshing all the apps altogether.”
With mobile data on, Background App refresh creates significant pressure on the battery, Walker says. “As a result, this consumes the battery almost at the same rate when we keep the phone idle,” he says. “But we hardly need that refreshing updated data — instead, it reduces the battery life. The battery has a specific capacity for load handling. So, the battery loses its power in the long run and drains out before serving for the expected time.”
The good news is that it takes just a few seconds to disable the Background App refresh. Take these steps to turn it off and give your phone battery back a bit of life.
•Go to Settings.
•Tap General.
•Tap Background App Refresh.
•Turn off Background App Refresh entirely by toggling it off.
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Reduce Screen Brightness
Lowering the screen brightness can significantly help conserve battery life on your iPhone, Wise reminds us. And there’s a good chance your screen is set to a level of brightness you don’t need and you won’t even recognize a change.
“Bright screens consume a considerable amount of power, and reducing the brightness level will reduce the energy required to power the display and extend the battery's lifespan,” Wise says. “To change this setting, go to ‘Settings,’ then ‘Display & Brightness,’ and adjust the brightness slider accordingly.”
Turn Off Push Email
“Push email is convenient as it instantly delivers new messages to your device, but it can also drain your iPhone battery faster,” Wise says. “Instead, consider switching to manual fetch or fetch at longer intervals to reduce the frequency of email updates. To change this setting, go to ‘Settings,’ then ‘Mail,’ followed by ‘Accounts,’ and select ‘Fetch New Data.’ Choose ‘Manually’ or ‘Scheduled’ and set a longer interval for data fetching.”
Changing these three settings is a fast and easy way to help reduce the strain they can place on your battery, leaving you with a phone that operates for longer without needing to be charged.
