iPhone: Simple Tricks to Extend the Life of Your Battery

Whether you are already in line to buy the new Apple iPhone or still making do with an older model, you have a vested interest in making your device last as long as possible. If your iPhone is an early model, keeping your current iPhone in tip-top shape will help you get more money for it when it is time to upgrade.

If you do not feel the need to upgrade every time a new iPhone comes out, keeping your current phone in great shape will make keeping your current phone possible - and save you a lot of money in the process. No matter which category you fall into, there are some simple things you can do to extend the life of your iPhone and keep it going for many years to come. Apple has designed the iPhone to be durable as well as beautiful, but taking a few proactive steps can extend its life even more. Keep It Covered One of the best things you can do to keep your new iPhone looking like new is to invest in a quality case. A waterproof or floating case can save you from water damage or water loss.

At a minimum a hard-sided case will keep your iPhone clean and protect the glass from breakage, so be sure to pick one up when you buy your new phone. The waterproof cases are often bulky. A short term waterproof solution without the bulk is to use a transparent waterproof pouch. They come with a lanyard and still allow you to use the phone while it is protected. The phone can be used to take pictures in wet environments.

Keeping your iPhone in its case when it is not in use can also guard against fingerprints and other damage to the screen, but it is still a good idea to clean the glass on a regular basis. Get into the habit of cleaning the glass each time you put the device on the charger if you want to keep your iPhone looking like new.

Keep It Updated

It is important to take good care of the iPhone case, especially if you plan to sell the device when the newest model comes out, but keeping the software up to date is just as vital. Apple loves to release updates to its iOS, and those changes come so frequently that they are easy to miss. Some people simply forget to update the operating system on their phones, while others resist the changes out of fear of glitches or other issues. What they do not realize is that an iOS update may be all it takes to speed up a sluggish phone or protect it from software problems. If you are not sure where your current iPhone stands, just go to Settings, General and Software Update. Always make sure your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS - your phone will last longer and run better.

Give Yourself More Space

When Apple comes out with a new iPhone, they tend to increase the storage capacity, which in turn causes more people to upgrade. The new Apple iPhone 7 is a case in point - buyers can choose models with 32GB, 128GB and even 256MB of storage capacity. All that storage space can be tempting, especially if you love to keep lots of pictures, music and videos on your phone. Even so, you do not have to spend a fortune on a brand new phone to expand your storage capacity. If you want to store lots of stuff without shelling out big bucks for a new iPhone, consider using the iCloud service instead. Taking advantage of your iCloud account is a smart idea anyway, since it provides a seamless backup for the files already on your phone. Your iPhone comes with 5GB of free storage space, giving you lots of room to store your irreplaceable files. You can also purchase additional storage space for less than $1 a month, giving you an inexpensive alternative to buying a new phone with a higher storge capacity.

Keep It Charged

A perceived lack of battery capacity and an extended charging time are two of the most common reasons users choose to upgrade their iPhones, but those battery problems are often more perception than reality. While batteries do lose some of their power over time, there are plenty of ways to extend battery life and make your current iPhone last longer. Turning off location services on apps that do not need them is a good place to start. Some apps, like ride hailing services, obviously need to know where you are, but location sensing is not always a necessity. Taking the time to turn off location services on all but the most vital apps can greatly extend the life of your battery and reduce the need for an upgrade. You can also extend the life of your battery by turning down the brightness on your iPhone, setting it to blank the screen after a short period of idleness and disabling push notifications on your email. These changes may be small on their own, but when combined they can greatly increase the efficiency of your battery - and give you one less reason to buy that expensive new iPhone.

Extending the life of your current iPhone makes sense no matter what kind of buyer you are. If you crave the latest iPhone, keeping your old one in good shape means you will be able to sell it for top dollar. If you would rather wait for the upgrade, extending the life of your current device can help you do just that. Either way, you can make your phone last longer and save yourself a lot of money in the process.

By Beconrad