Own An Iphone? I Changed These 15 Settings On Ios 26 To Instantly Extend The Battery Life

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I changed these iOS 26 settings and greatly improved my iPhone's artillery life
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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

  • Squeeze other hours from your iPhone, nary artillery switch required.
  • Simple iOS tweaks costs thing and return seconds to apply.
  • These free settings changes hit an costly upgrade anytime.

I'm judge you've had nan dreadful acquisition of your iPhone hitting 1% erstwhile you're miles distant from an outlet. It's nan worst.

If this happens much often than not, particularly connected an older phone, a speedy Google hunt will show you to caput to a repair halfway aliases Apple Store to get a caller artillery aliases upgrade to a newer model. 

Yeah, no. Not everyone tin driblet hundreds of dollars conscionable for much artillery life. Luckily, location are plentifulness of iOS tweaks you tin effort to compression other hours retired of your charge. 

Also: I charged my iPhone nan 'Apple way' for 2 years - here's really nan artillery fares now

The champion part? They're each free and easy to implement.

Apple regularly updates iPhone package pinch caller tricks and features, and sometimes those updates amended powerfulness guidance aliases hole battery-draining bugs. They mightiness optimize CPU throttling aliases reside network-stack inefficiencies. Skip an update, and you could miss retired connected amended artillery wellness aliases moreover beryllium making things worse.

How to update to nan latest iOS update connected iPhone:

  1. Open Settings > General > Software Update.
  2. Tap Download and Install if an update is available.
  3. Optional: Enable Automatic Updates from nan Software Update screen. This will download and instal nan latest iOS update erstwhile your telephone is connected to Wi-Fi, charging, and locked.

Also: This hidden iPhone characteristic keeps your backstage apps wholly retired of show - really I usage it

Apple keeps a changelog of its latest OS releases here. I wouldn't urge moving beta software connected your main device, arsenic it could incorporate bugs and perchance person nan other effect of what you're trying to achieve.

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Update to nan latest iOS
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Your surface brightness tin really wreak havoc connected your artillery life. In fact, nan show is 1 of nan biggest powerfulness drains connected an iPhone, truthful moreover lowering nan brightness by 10 to 20 percent tin noticeably widen your usage.

How to dim and automate surface brightness connected iPhone:

  1. Swipe down from nan top-right to unfastened Control Center.
  2. Drag nan Brightness slider down until comfortable.
  3. Optional: Go Settings > Accessibility > Display and Text Size > toggle connected Auto-Brightness.

That past optional step, Auto-Brightness, automatically adjusts your screen's brightness based connected ambient light. I propose enabling it to optimize your artillery life and supply a amended viewing acquisition successful different conditions.

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Dim your screen
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The iPhone 14 Pro and later models see an "Always-On Display," which keeps a dimmed type of your fastener surface visible moreover erstwhile nan instrumentality is locked. Reports propose it uses astir 1 percent of your artillery per hour, aliases astir 24 percent complete a afloat day. By turning it off, you tin reclaim a important chunk of that charge.

How to disable nan always-on show connected iPhone:

  1. Go Settings > Display and Brightness.
  2. Toggle disconnected Always On Display.

Also: How to shop a passport successful your iPhone Wallet (and each nan ways you tin usage it)

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Disable nan iPhone's always-on display
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If you've ever been successful an area pinch debased aliases nary service, you've astir apt noticed your artillery drops quickly. That's because your iPhone is perpetually scanning to find and link to a compartment tower, and that consumes power. 

Cellular information besides uses much power than Wi-Fi, since it has to transmit and person signals complete agelong distances and support connections pinch distant towers. In short, cellular connections tin drain your battery, fast. 

If you request to conserve power, move to Wi-Fi, but be cautious connected nationalist networks.

How to usage Wi-Fi complete cellular connected iPhone:

  1. Open Settings > Wi-Fi and toggle it on, and past subordinate a known network.
  2. In Settings > Cellular, toggle disconnected Cellular Data.
  3. Optional: In Settings > Cellular, disable Wi-Fi Assist to forestall auto-fallback to cellular.

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Use Wi-Fi alternatively of cellular erstwhile possible
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If you request to enactment connected cellular and can't trust connected Wi-Fi, salary attraction to your 5G signal. When 5G sum is anemic aliases inconsistent, your iPhone useful harder to clasp that connection, which drains much battery. In those situations, switching to 4G LTE tin really beryllium much businesslike and thief your telephone past longer.

How to move from 5G to LTE connected iPhone:

  1. Go Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options.
  2. Tap Voice and Data, prime LTE.
  3. Optional: Disable 5G Standalone nether Voice and Data successful Settings.

Also: Need to stock your Wi-Fi password? My elemental telephone instrumentality gives you an instant connection

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Disable 5G
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Apple offers a characteristic connected each iPhones moving iOS 9 aliases later called Low Power Mode. 

When enabled, it limits inheritance activity for illustration app refreshes, disables automatic downloads, lowers surface brightness, throttles nan CPU, and slows down immoderate animations. That each mightiness sound drastic, but it tin springiness you an other hr aliases 3 connected a debased battery. Your artillery icon turns yellowish to bespeak it's active.

How to alteration Low Power Mode connected iPhone:

  1. Go Settings > Battery > toggle Low Power Mode connected (battery icon turns yellow).
  2. Or adhd to Control Center: Swipe into Control Center, deed +, hunt and adhd Low Power Mode.

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Enable Low Power Mode
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If you person an iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, aliases a newer model, you tin usage Apple's caller Adaptive Power Mode successful iOS 26. It leverages on-device AI to make mini capacity tweaks, for illustration somewhat lowering surface brightness aliases letting immoderate processes return a spot longer, to widen your artillery erstwhile needed. It's much subtle than Low Power Mode.

How to alteration Adaptive Power Mode connected iPhone:

  1. Make judge you're moving iOS 26.
  2. Open Settings > Battery > Power Mode.
  3. Select Adaptive Power Mode.

Also: 8 really cool ways I usage LiDAR connected my iPhone and iPad - and you tin too

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Use Adaptive Power Mode
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Did you cognize each small buzz aliases click triggers nan Taptic Engine connected your iPhone? Thousands of cardinal presses a time adhd up, and they each usage power. Apple moreover notes connected a support page that haptics tin impact artillery life. If you request to conserve each past bit, move disconnected keyboard haptics (and moreover click sounds) until you're adjacent a charger.

How to disable keyboard feedback connected iPhone:

  1. Open Settings > Sounds and Haptics.
  2. Tap Keyboard Feedback.
  3. Toggle disconnected Haptics (and Sound if desired).
  4. Optional: You tin besides move disconnected Haptics for each ringtones and alerts connected your iPhone. Just prime nan Never action nether Settings > Sounds and Haptic > Ringtone and Alerts.

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Disable keyboard haptics
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Apple's "Hey Siri" characteristic tin lend to artillery drain because your iPhone must perpetually perceive for nan command, and erstwhile active, it uses some nan microphone and nan Neural Engine. Like immoderate task, this consumes power. If you seldom usage nan basking word, move it off. You tin ever invoke Siri by holding nan broadside button.

How to disable "Hey Siri" connected iPhone:

  1. Go Settings > Siri.
  2. Tap Talk to Siri > prime Off.
  3. Optional: In Settings > Siri, disable "Allow Siri When Locked" to forestall accidental wakeups.

Also: Buy nan iPhone 16 aliases hold for iPhone 17? My proposal aft years of telephone reviews

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Turn disconnected 'Hey Siri'
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Did you cognize each push notification you get uses power? Each 1 wakes your screen, whitethorn play a sound, and often vibrates. Disable non-essential alerts to trim down connected aftermath cycles and prevention battery. Plus, do you really want to beryllium spammed each day? Clean them up and you'll compression retired a fewer other percent of artillery life.

How to negociate your notifications connected iPhone:

  1. Open Settings > Apps.
  2. Scroll to an app, and pat Notifications.
  3. Toggle Allow Notifications disconnected entirely, aliases uncheck Lock Screen, Banners, Sounds, and Badges selectively.
  4. Repeat for societal media, games, news, and different high-churn apps.

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Reduce your notifications
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While AirDrop has a minimal effect connected artillery life, it still uses power. 

The Bringing Devices Together characteristic successful particular, which lets you stock interaction info by placing 2 iPhones close, continuously scans via Bluetooth LE and peer-to-peer Wi-Fi. If you seldom usage AirDrop, move receiving disconnected aliases astatine slightest disable Bringing Devices Together to extremity those inheritance scans and trim powerfulness drain.

How to limit AirDrop connected iPhone:

  1. Open Settings > General > AirDrop.
  2. Select Receiving Off.
  3. Disable Bringing Devices Together.

Also: My favourite iOS 26 productivity characteristic is highly useful but hidden - here's really to find it

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Limit adjacent AirDrop sharing
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Live Activities show real-time updates from apps connected your fastener surface aliases successful nan Dynamic Island, and they tin lend to artillery drain. For example, a nutrient transportation app mightiness perpetually update your order's ETA.

Disable them for apps that push predominant updates you don't need, for illustration societal networks, to trim down connected power use. You tin moreover suppress each Live Activities connected nan fastener surface astatine once.

How to disable unrecorded activities connected iPhone:

  1. To move disconnected successful circumstantial apps, spell Settings > Apps > scroll to nan app > toggle Live Activities off.
  2. To suppress all on your fastener screen, unfastened Settings > Face ID and Passcode > Enter passcode > toggle Live Activities disconnected nether Allow Access When Locked.

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Turn disconnected Live Activities
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You tin astir apt show I'm getting into nan nitty-gritty of iPhone settings astatine this point. 

Feel free to prime and take what you want to disable to prevention battery, but different niche extremity is to region your fastener surface widgets. They refresh periodically and sometimes make web aliases GPS calls.

Also: How to grounds a telephone telephone connected your iPhone (and wherever and erstwhile it's ineligible to do so)

If you seldom look astatine them, removing widgets stops those perchance battery-draining inheritance checks.

How to region fastener surface widgets:

  1. Press and clasp nan fastener surface > pat Customize.
  2. Select nan widget area > pat each widget's fastener to remove.

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Remove fastener surface widgets
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Apps execute inheritance refreshes, too. This lets them fetch updates successful nan inheritance for things for illustration email, societal feeds, and news. Turning it disconnected intends apps will only update erstwhile you unfastened them, which tin thief widen your artillery life.

How to disable Background App Refresh connected iPhone:

  1. Go Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
  2. Select Off nether Background App Refresh.
  3. Or, scroll down your database of apps and disable them individually.

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Disable Background App Refresh
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You astir apt thought I was done pinch show settings. Not quite. The iPhone Pro models, starting pinch nan iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, characteristic Apple's ProMotion technology, which shifts nan refresh complaint betwixt 10Hz and 120Hz. By limiting nan framework rate, you tin trim GPU load and prevention power.

Also: How to usage Hold Assist connected iOS 26 (and why it's my must-have iPhone feature)

How to headdress framework complaint connected iPhone:

  1. Open Settings > Accessibility > Motion.
  2. Toggle Limit Frame Rate on.

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Limit your framework rate
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Dark Mode connected iPhones tin thief prevention some your eyes and your battery. It only delivers artillery benefits connected OLED displays, but that includes nan iPhone X and each newer models. Because OLED panels ray up individual pixels, nan achromatic areas successful Dark Mode require little power, which reduces power usage and helps your artillery past longer.

How to alteration Dark Mode connected iPhone:

  1. Go Settings > Display and Brightness.
  2. Under Appearance, pat Dark.
  3. Optional: Enable Automatic and schedule it for Sunset to Sunrise.

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Use Dark Mode
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Use Optimized Charging
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What astir Focus Modes - do they thief artillery life?

Yes. Focus Modes thief by letting you whitelist circumstantial apps and contacts, truthful during "Work" aliases "Sleep," only basal alerts ray up your display. That intends less wake-ups and little inheritance activity. I already mentioned disabling notifications above, but Focus Modes return it a measurement further.

Also: My favourite iOS 26 characteristic makes screenshots moreover much useful - and it's easy to enable

How to group up a Focus Mode:

  1. Open Settings > Focus > pat + to create a profile.
  2. Under Allowed Notifications, take People and Apps.
  3. Optionally schedule it by time, location, aliases app.
What astir Focus Modes - do they thief artillery life?
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How do I place nan biggest artillery hogs connected iPhone?

To spot what mightiness beryllium draining your iPhone's battery, spell to Settings > Battery. There, you'll spot usage by app and really overmuch clip each spent connected surface aliases successful background.

Can removing my lawsuit while charging help?

Possibly. If your instrumentality gets basking while charging, removing nan case tin amended power dissipation, which mightiness velocity up charging and protect your iPhone's artillery health.

Also: Yes, your iPhone tin way each spot you sojourn - here's really to move it off

Should I effort a artillery battalion aliases a powerfulness bank?

Yes. I ever recreation pinch one. All nan settings tweaks successful nan world won't thief if you're stranded somewhere, staring astatine a reddish artillery icon, acold from an outlet. Here are nan apical picks ZDNET's editors recommend:

  • Best MagSafe artillery packs 2025: I tested nan champion options to boost your phone's artillery anyplace you go
  • The champion iPhone powerfulness banks of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

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