Battery boosters
Tips for saving energy and going longer between charges
These days, iOS is more transparent about what’s affecting battery life and offers greater control over it. Go to Settings > Battery to see charts of power usage and identify thirsty apps.
If you spot a big fall on the 24-hour chart, tap on that time period. The app list below then shows the greediest apps in that period only. Tap Show Activity to see if that app was in use (shown as Screen On). If an app is greedy when the screen is off, it may help to turn off its switch in Settings > General > Background App Refresh. Also go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and switch problematic apps to While Using only.
The biggest power drain is a device’s screen. Auto-Brightness (in Settings > General > Accessibility > Display Accommodations) may help, but even better is dimming the screen manually. Control Centre is quickest for this.
Dial down and go low
Switch off power-hungry features like AirDrop, Today view widgets you don’t need, and “Hey Siri” if you trigger it by holding a button. Don’t disable Wi-Fi if you’re online using it; searching for mobile signal and using it for data consume more power.
When the battery hits 20% and 10%, iOS asks whether to turn on Low Power Mode, which dials down features that shouldn’t impact typical use. You can add a button, in Settings > Control Centre > Customise Controls, to turn it on at any time. Note: the mode turns off when power hits 80%.