Skip to main content
"Tom Brady and Alix Earle at Wimbledon"
"Woman experiencing bloating"
"Katy Perry dancing with Justin Trudeau at the Tribeca Festival"

Tech

The Surprising Display Setting You Should Change Immediately Because It’s Draining Your iPhone Battery

February 19, 2023 by Lisa Cupido
shefinds | Tech
Featured image

The ability to personalize your iPhone and its home screen are special touches that can enhance your user experience. But with creative control comes one major downside: some display settings are capable of draining your iPhone battery big time. Getting a handle on which settings are worth turning down is a smart way to save battery power and ensure that your device holds a charge for as long as possible. This is the surprising display setting you should change immediately because it’s draining your iPhone battery. 

Brightness Setting

The most common culprit of iPhone battery drainage is the Brightness setting, which controls the intensity of the screen’s light output, notes Tech Expert Jimmy Huh at ThinkWave. “If your brightness is set to a high level, it will draw more power and end up draining your battery quickly,” Huh said. “Additionally, Auto-Brightness can also be a cause of battery drain. This setting adjusts the brightness of the display based on the environment’s lighting.”

Put simply, Huh says, the higher the brightness settings on your iPhone, the more power it requires to keep the display lit up. “This means that the more illuminated your display is, the more battery it will consume,” he said. “The same can be said for Auto-Brightness, as it is constantly adjusting the brightness settings which requires additional power consumption.”

The best way to avoid draining your battery due to display settings is to manually turn down the brightness, Huh concludes. “If you find that you need a brighter display, try using the night mode setting to conserve battery life. Additionally, you can turn off Auto-Brightness to prevent your iPhone from constantly adjusting the display’s brightness.”

Beware Of Other Display Settings

Although the brightness setting is the most oft talked about, be on the lookout for other display settings that can also drain your battery, including auto-lock, which Jared Floyd, founder at Ajax Creative, says will keep the screen on for as long as it’s set and consume a ton of battery power. 

“The best way to prevent your iPhone battery from draining quickly is to adjust the display settings,” Floyd says. In addition to lowering the brightness, Floyd recommends turning down the contrast and consider changing the wallpaper. You can also reduce the auto-lock time to a shorter period of time.

“To adjust the display settings, go to Settings > Display & Brightness. From there, you can adjust the brightness, contrast, and wallpaper,” he said. “You can also adjust the auto-lock time by going to Settings > General > Auto-Lock.”

You may be pleasantly surprised at how much battery power these simple changes help restore. 

Author:

Lisa Fogarty is a lifestyle writer and reporter based in New York who covers health, wellness, relationships, sex, beauty, and parenting.

"Person holding an iPhone 17"
"Hands using a smartphone to check notifications"
"Close-up image of an iPhone screen displaying battery statistics"
"Person holding an iPhone"
"iPhone plugged in for charging"
"Man holding an iPhone"
"Woman using a laptop in a modern workspace"
"iPhone battery health information displayed on screen"
"iPhone 17 charging"
"Woman working on a laptop"
"Android phone on a table"
"Focused moment of a person typing on a laptop"
"iPhone charging plugged into a laptop"
"iPhone charging showing settings"
"iPhone 16 on a table displaying apps"
"Holding an Android phone showing apps"
"iPhone 17"
"Woman working on a laptop"
"Smartphone plugged in for charging"
"iPhone apps displayed on screen"
"Person holding an iPhone 17"
"Hands using a smartphone to check notifications"
"Close-up image of an iPhone screen displaying battery statistics"
"Person holding an iPhone"
"iPhone plugged in for charging"
"Man holding an iPhone"
"Woman working on a laptop"
"iPhone battery health information displayed on screen"
"iPhone 17 charging"
"Woman working on a laptop"
"Android phone on a table"
"Focused moment of a person typing on a laptop"
"iPhone charging plugged into a laptop"
"iPhone charging showing settings"
"iPhone 16 on a table displaying apps"
"Holding an Android phone showing apps"
"iPhone 17"
"Woman working on a laptop"
"Smartphone plugged in for charging"
"iPhone apps displayed on screen"