How to Increase Battery Life on iPhone: 10 Smart Ways

Your iPhone does a lot—calls, texts, social media, maps, music, and everything in between. But all that multitasking comes at a cost: your battery. If you're often watching your battery percentage drop faster than you'd like, you're not alone.

The good news? There are simple, effective ways to make your charge last longer. In this guide, you'll learn exactly how to increase battery life on iPhone—from quick setting tweaks to smarter habits that actually make a difference.

1. Enable Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode is Apple's built-in shortcut for stretching a dying battery. When you flip it on, iOS automatically turns down or pauses features that quietly sip power—think 5G data, mail fetch, automatic downloads, visual effects, iCloud Photos syncing, and even the display's refresh rate.

How to turn it on:

1. Open Settings > Battery and toggle Low Power Mode. You'll know it's active when the battery icon turns yellow.

2. Faster still: add the Low Power Mode switch to Control Center so you can tap it on demand.

iOS will offer to enable Low Power Mode automatically at 20% and switch it off once you're back above 80%. But keeping it on all day won't harm your battery; you'll simply notice slightly slower data pulls, gentler animations, and a dimmer screen—all small trade-offs for noticeably longer runtime.

2. Dim the Brightness or Use Auto-Brightness

Your display is one of the hungriest parts of the phone. Running it at full blast can cut hours from a charge, while dialing it back—or letting Auto-Brightness do the work—can increase iPhone battery life.

Quick fixes:

• Swipe down from the top-right corner and slide thebrightness bar just low enough to stay comfortable; outdoors you may need more light, but most indoor spaces don't.
• Head to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and toggle Auto-Brightness, so your iPhone adjusts the screen in real time instead of locking it at max.

3. Turn Off Background App Refresh

Background App Refresh lets apps update themselves when you're not using them; handy for instant headlines, but it also means dozens of silent data requests and radio pings every hour. Turning it off (or limiting it to Wi-Fi only) is one of the quickest ways to trim idle drain.

Your move:

1. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh.

2. Tap Background App Refresh at the top to disable it entirely, set it to Wi-Fi only, or—best balance—scroll the list and flip off any apps that don't need instant data.

Resist the myth that force-quitting apps in the App Switcher saves power; Apple and battery engineers have confirmed it usually costs more energy to relaunch an app than to let iOS manage it in the background.

4. Disable Push Notifications for Non-Essential Apps

Every alert lights up your screen, wakes network radios, and often vibrates the phone—all tiny hits that add up. Trimming the chatter keeps both you and your battery calmer.

Streamline alerts:

1. Open Settings > Notifications and tap through your apps.

2. For anything that isn't critical, switch off Allow Notifications entirely, or at least disable the Lock Screen and Banner options so the display stays dark.

3. If you still want summaries, use Scheduled Summary (iOS 15+) to batch low-priority alerts into one digest that arrives at times you choose instead of all day.

Cutting just the noisiest offenders—think shopping apps, games, or social networks—can save more battery than you'd expect, especially if they ping servers frequently for updates.

5. Turn on Optimized Battery Charging

If you're wondering how to increase iPhone battery life, keeping your iPhone's battery healthy over time is just as important as making it last through the day. That's where Optimized Battery Charging comes in.

This feature learns your routine, pausing the charge at 80% overnight and topping up to 100% just before you normally unplug. The pause lowers the time the battery spends at full voltage, which slows chemical aging.

How to enable it:

1. Open Settings > Battery > Charging.

2. Toggle Optimized Battery Charging to On.

Tip: On iPhone 15 and later models, you can set a Charge Limit (85 or 90%) and still leave Optimized Charging active for extra protection.

6. Keep iOS and Your Apps Up to Date

Apple regularly releases iOS updates that include bug fixes, performance improvements, and battery optimizations. Keeping your iPhone's software up to date can patch issues that might be draining your battery without you realizing it.

The same goes for apps—older versions might run inefficient background processes or crash more often, both of which can eat into your battery life.

To stay current:

1. Head to Settings > General > Software Update weekly.

2. Tap Update All in the App Store while on Wi-Fi and power.

7. Prefer Wi-Fi Over Cellular

When you're in a spot with both Wi-Fi and cellular coverage, always go with Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi uses less power than 4G or 5G, especially when your cellular signal is weak and your phone has to work harder to stay connected.

Leave Wi-Fi turned on in Control Center, and your iPhone will auto-connect to trusted networks you've used before—saving both data and battery in the process.

8. Manage Location Services

Location Services are essential for apps like Maps, ride-sharing, or Find My iPhone, but not every app needs constant access to your location. Some apps quietly track you in the background even when you're not using them, which can drain your battery faster than you'd expect.

Instead of turning off Location Services entirely, it's better to control which apps can use your location and when.

How to dial it in

1. Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.

2. Scroll through your apps and switch permissions from "Always" to "While Using" or "Ask Next Time"—most apps don't need 24-hour GPS tracking.

3. For apps that only need a general area, toggle off Precise Location to stop constant fine-grained tracking.

You can also scroll to the bottom and switch off System Services you don't need—like Location-Based Apple Ads or Suggestions—while keeping critical ones like Emergency Calls and Find My active.

9. Avoid Extreme Temperatures

iPhones are designed to work best in temperatures between 32°F and 95°F (0°C to 35°C). Exposing your phone to extreme heat or cold—like leaving it in a hot car or using it out in the snow—can cause temporary drops in performance or even long-term battery damage.

Try to keep your phone out of direct sunlight, and if it's freezing outside, keep it in your pocket to stay warm.

10. Use Reliable, MFi-Certified Chargers

Not all chargers are created equal. Using knock-off or uncertified accessories might save you a few bucks upfront, but they can cause slow charging, overheating, or even damage your iPhone's battery over time.

Apple recommends using only MFi-certified (Made for iPhone) Lightning or USB-C cables, which meet specific safety and quality standards. When you pair that standard with GaN chargers from trusted brands—which runs measurably cooler and wastes less energy as heat—you get a double benefit: faster refills today and a healthier battery in the long run.

Here are two multi-port GaN chargers worthing checking out:

If you normally travel with both your iPhone and a laptop, this three-port Anker 735 Charger (Nano II 65W) lets you leave the MacBook adapter at home. Despite fold-up prongs and a footprint smaller than a business card, it can push up to 65W—enough to top off a MacBook Air or fast-charge an iPhone while still leaving a second USB-C and a USB-A port free for earbuds or an Apple Watch.

Anker's GaN II circuitry keeps surface temps lower than older silicon chargers, which further protects your phone's battery when you're topping up on a crowded power strip.

Powering a full mobile office? The Anker 747 Charger (GaNPrime 150W) steps up with four ports—three USB-C, one USB-A—and a combined 150W output. Its PowerIQ 4.0 algorithm senses each device and reallocates current on the fly, so your iPhone gets its quick burst without starving a connected iPad or MacBook Pro.

ActiveShield 2.0 monitors temperature in real time and makes micro-adjustments to stay within a safe thermal envelope, another battery-friendly perk. Even with that headroom, GaNPrime lets the body stay compact enough to slip into a jacket pocket—perfect for one-charger-fits-all travel setups.

Conclusion

None of these tweaks alone is a silver bullet, but together they form a solid battery-saving playbook. The next time you wonder how to increase battery life on iPhone, start with these switches: Low Power Mode, brightness tweaks, Background App Refresh control, notification pruning, or a better charger kit. Believe me, you'll feel the difference by bedtime.

FAQs

How can I make my iPhone battery last longer?

Start by enabling Low Power Mode, reducing screen brightness, and turning off background activity. You can also switch to Wi-Fi when available and limit apps that use location services. These adjustments help stretch your battery throughout the day without sacrificing usability.

How do I increase iPhone battery health?

To support long-term battery health, avoid letting your phone stay at 100% charge overnight and don't let it drop to 20% too often. Use features like Optimized Battery Charging and charge your device with reliable chargers such as the Anker 735 Charger (Nano II 65W) or Anker 747 Charger (GaNPrime 150W) for efficient, controlled power delivery.

Why my iPhone battery is draining so fast?

Fast battery drain often comes from apps running in the background, screen brightness, or poor signal conditions. Checking Battery Usage in Settings > Battery can show which apps are using the most power. Adjusting these areas can quickly improve battery performance.

How do I keep my battery 100% healthy?

Battery health naturally declines over time, but you can slow the process by keeping your device cool, using certified cables and chargers, and avoiding extreme charging patterns. Try not to charge above 80% or drain below 20% frequently. Turning on Apple's Optimized Battery Charging feature helps too.