One of the primary things that the average consumer thinks about is the battery life on smartphones. In the last decade studies from companies like of JD Power (PDF), Statista, AYTM Market Research as well as Counterpoint Research has established that battery life and charging technology are crucial when making purchasing decision-making. But it doesn’t end there. Smartphone batteries are made up of chemicals that require the power of electricity for powering your smartphone and gradually become less effective with time due to the ionic breakdown.

It is not all under our control. But there are a few ways that a smartphone user can adopt to reduce the process of degradation and rise the lifespan of the batteries. Fortunately, iPhones now come with devices that offer users an in-depth look at the condition of their phone’s battery but they also offer couple of controls that can slow the aging process of batteries.

“The first 3 things anybody worried about battery life should do is check their battery health. Turn on ‘low battery mode’ and make sure that optimized battery charging is turned on,” suggests tech material creator Abraham van duijvenvoorde. Optimized charging, particularly the feature Apple introduced in iOS 13 which delays charging when the battery is at 80. This is to ensure that the battery isn’t required to endure the stress of a full charge-discharge process and its life can be extended.

What is effective and what isn’t?

With the launch to the iPhone 15 series, Apple added optimized charging technology that restricts the charging rate to 80percent of the battery’s capacity. The entire system comes into life through machines that on-device take advantage of a user’s use of smartphones. The temperature and charging patterns are the two primary aspects that determine the length of time the battery in your iPhone can last with regular use, depending on the capacity of its charge retention.

The first approach is to decrease the strain on the battery, so that it doesn’t need to be constantly running to charge the port. It is likely that stopping the background processes could provide some help however, it may not be the best solution as beneficial as it appears. “The biggest myth surrounding battery life is that you can save battery life by closing the apps in the app switcher. Apple does an extremely good job at freezing these apps and having to turn them back on from scratch actually costs more battery life,” van Duijvenvoorde says.

While the notion of background processes has been debunked however, there’s enough science that is involved in the creation of batteries, particularly in the context of recent advancements like a rise in the density of charge and super-fast wired charging. This is essential to the entire battery cycle debate and, in the end, the durability aspect, as chargers that are fast let the tank fill with much faster speed. Apple isn’t quite there yet, but it has nonetheless made strides.

A problem that is beyond our control

“A normal battery is design to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles when operating under normal conditions,” Apple claims. Apple. The battery section in the Settings app on your iPhone will provide information about the capacity of your battery. If the percentage numbers exceed 80 percent then your iPhone will function as normal. It generally takes two to three years of use for battery capacity to be at that threshold.

Anything lower than that indicates that you’ll have to go for the charger at the middle of the day. In the extreme case that the battery isn’t enough to last the full day, you’ll encounter problems with slow loading apps, decreased frame rates, less visible backlight frames dropping within apps, slight decrease in output of speakers, and a hefty backgrounds app refresh.

It’s a sign that you require a new battery and not necessarily buying an entirely new phone. “I would say that it would be worth it to replace your battery when you are planning to use your iPhone for at least another year and have to charge it at least twice a day,” says van Duijvenvoorde. Another aspect is outside of the ordinary iPhone owner’s reach. A study published by the Progress in Natural Science: Materials International and Batteries (2020) journals reveals that temperature outside is a major factor in the battery’s life span, in inverse as well as a direction-based fashion.

Preparing your iPhone’s battery for summer

The planet is warming up due to the path of irreversible climate change across a wide range of regions. In the south of the world temperatures in a number of hotspots with a high density of population reached record levels. I’ve also become accustomed to warnings about overheating on my iPhone. The issue of heat is especially evident for phones that have poor quality and insufficient thermal management equipment for example, graphite sheets or vapor chambers to disperse heat. What is to be done in this situation?

The most effective method is to store your device in a cool place. If this isn’t feasible then there are alternatives to avoid with an iPhone in direct sunlight (especially when performing tasks that require enough energy, such as high-quality video recording as well as playing games) as well as cutting down on the brightness when feasible. The removal of the case that protects it can benefit the phone to eliminate heat from its case more quickly.

However, if you work in a hazardous area and removing the case is not the perfect option make sure you purchase cases that have plenty of air inlets as well as a thermal pouch or even a cooling device which attaches to the phone’s back shell. There are a few protective cases available that use the use of hydrogel in order to benefit to keep your phone cool. Some brands, such as Razer are also selling fans that use the MagSafe technology in the iPhone and free users from the burden of juggling the wires that are a mess.

Q&A

How do I boost the iPhone battery to the 80% mark?

For iPhone 14 models and earlier you can go in Settings > Battery Health and Charging. Then, turn off the Optimized Charging. For iPhone 15 models, to select between Optimized Charging or 80% of Limit and none, go to Settings > Battery > Charging Optimization, and select the appropriate choice.

How do I help my iPhone battery drain faster?

The quickest method of draining your phone’s battery will be to switch on your flashlight. Turn off automatic screen lock and then rise your screen’s brightness to the highest. You can also play graphics-intensive games and apps Launch a variety of applications that make use of your location, and allow the use of vibrations and sounds.

What is the cause of the iPhone Battery health?

It’s crucial to not expose your device to temperatures above 95° F (35deg Celsius), which can permanently destroy the battery’s capacity. In other words, the battery will not provide the power to your device for as long as it does on a single charge. The device’s charging in extreme temperatures could harm it more.