Apple iPhone: Top 10 Tips to Make your Battery Last Longer

Today's smartphones pack a ton of functionality, but all those features can be a drain on a phone's battery life. Fortunately, of all the phones on the market, the Apple iPhone still gets top marks for battery life. But even with a relatively longer lasting battery, certain factors like weak signals and location tracking can still cause a major drain.

Below are the top 10 tips to maximize your Apple iPhone's battery life:

1.Turn off "Setting Time Zone."

The iPhone operating system is set up to consistently monitor your location and update your time zone whenever you move. However, most people aren't switching time zones on a daily basis and the GPS tracking that your phone is doing is a quick drain on your iPhone battery. To remedy this, go into your settings (the icon with the gear) and switch your "Setting Time Zone" to off.

2. Disable some of your push notifications.

Push notifications are updates from third party apps like stock tickers and social networks. If you've downloaded a lot of apps to your iPhone, then chances are you're getting a ton of push notifications. These notifications put a lot of strain on your battery, so it's best to turn off the ones you don't really care about receiving. Again, the option to do this is in Settings. Then select Notifications and pick which apps you'd like regular updates for.

3. Change your screen's brightness.

The brighter your screen is, the more energy your Apple iPhone is going to take to operate. You can adjust your screen's brightness by selecting "Brightness" in your Settings menu.

4. Keep your iPhone locked.

An unlocked iPhone will constantly have an illuminated screen, and that will drain your battery in a matter of hours. To lock your iPhone, you can either press the silver button on the top of your phone or select an auto lock setting by going to the "General" tab in your Settings menu.

5. Customize your Location Services

It comes in handy for your iPhone to be able to access your location in real time, and many apps do indeed need your location in order to function properly. However, each app that uses the Location Services is taking life from your battery. By going to your Settings and selecting "Location Services," you can decide which apps are important enough to access your location.

6. Disable Siri's Raise to Speak.

There's a default setting on your Apple iPhone that can allow Siri to activate by simply raising your phone to your ear. This causes a significant drain on your battery, so unless you're a regular Siri user, it's recommended that you go to your Settings, select "Siri," and turn off Raise to Speak.


7. Change your email from push to fetch.

When you have your email set to push, you're getting instant notifications every time a new email comes in. This may be helpful if you're hooked on email, but if email notifications aren't super important to you, you can go into your settings, select "Mail, Contacts, Calendars," and turn off Push.

8. Turn off background apps.

One of the coolest features of smartphones like the Apple iPhone is to be able to use a bunch of apps at the same time. For example, you can listen to music on Pandora while checking your email or Facebook. The only problem is that after you are done using the apps, they're still running in the background and using your battery power. While most of the apps aren't using any significant power, certain apps will indeed gobble battery life. The maps app is often a major culprit, so definitely turn off maps when not in use.

To turn off background apps, go to your iPhone's home screen and push the round button on the bottom of your iPhone twice. A bar at the bottom will appear with all of your background apps. Press and hold your finger on one of them until little red circles with white minus signs appear. Pressing that circle will close the app.

9. Only check for Wi-Fi when you need it.

If your iPhone is constantly looking for a Wi-Fi signal, your battery is going to feel it. Instead, you can have your phone only look for Wi-Fi when you really do need a hotspot. Turn turn off Wi-Fi, go to Settings and select the Wi-Fi bar.

10. Visit the Genius Bar

If you've tried all these tips and your iPhone battery is still draining rapidly, make an appointment at the Genius Bar at your closest Apple Store. They'll take a look for free and hopefully be able to figure out what's wrong.

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