I’m a phone expert – changing three hidden iPhone settings can extend the life of your mobile by years
A PHONE expert has revealed that changing three hidden iPhone settings could extend the life of your mobile by years.
Kewin Charron, senior lead refurbishment operations manager at Back Market, says there are little-known tweaks you can make which reduces the strain on the phone’s battery.
Kewin told DailyMail.com: “‘The battery is a key component when it comes to making your iPhone last longer.”
There are some simple steps, such as switching to dark mode, which can reduce the battery drain caused by bright displays and switching off location services when not in use, as well as making sure you are connected to Wi-Fi.
By not only taking steps to preserve your mobile do you save money but it is also better for the environment.
Kewin said: “One way to reduce the drain on your phone’s battery is to enable the auto-brightness feature and set the maximum brightness to roughly 50 percent.”
Although he advised not to set it so low that it strained your eyes.
He added: “This setting automatically adjusts the brightness level based on the ambient light.”
To set this up, go to Settings, hit Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Auto-Brightness and simply switch it on.
You can also protect your battery by using Apple’s High Efficiency photo format (HEIF) by just reducing the file size of photos and videos.
This reduces the load viewing pictures takes on your handset’s battery.
Kewin explained this setting can decrease the file size of both photos and videos by as much as 50 per cent.
To switch this on, click Settings > Camera > Formats and then turn on High Efficiency.
Another tip Kewin recommended is to turn on Battery Optimization, so you don’t overcharge your phone which can impact the life of the battery.
For iPhones with iOS 13 or higher, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and then select Optimised Battery Charging.
Another way to keep the battery going is to opt for Low Power Mode but Kewin warned this could change your experience of using your device.
He said that the setting means you won’t get notified of new emails until you launch the Mail app and the display brightness will be turned down.
The auto-lock timer will also be set to around 30 seconds.
But by using Low Power Mode it will ensure the battery is being used a efficiently as possible, helping it last in both the short and long term.
To switch on Low Power Mode, go to Settings > Battery to switch it on.
To make Low Power Mode your default setting, once again go to Settings > Control Center > Customise Controls and select Low Power Mode.
ANDROID TIPS
There are also a number of steps Android users can take to help preserve the battery.
Kewin said Adaptive Battery was a key setting which prevented apps which aren’t used much from running the background unless they are actively being used.
The expert said: “Overtime, your device will learn about your app usage and optimise your battery in-line with your behaviour.”
He said the setting on android devices might vary but recommended trying Settings > Battery and then switching on Adaptive Battery.
Like iPhones, preventing and Android device from burning up energy on the screen can prolong the life of the handset.
This can easily be achieved with the Auto Screen Brightness or Adaptive Brightness in the handset.
To set this up, go to Settings > Display and turn on Auto Screen Brightness or Adaptive Brightness.
As with iPhones Kewin recommends not to set it so low you strain your eyes when reading the display.
The French expert also advises stopping your Android device from overcharging, as with IPhones, this can affect your battery’s overall health.
To set this up go to Settings > Battery and then turn Battery Care, although on some devices the procedure might be Settings > Battery > Battery Usage and then clicking on Optimised.
Activating the Battery Saver setting will also help prolong the life of your device but Kewin warned though that this might also impact your experience of using the phone.
He said by enabling the Battery Saver Setting your phone might automatically switch to the Dark theme and some visual effects and features might become limited and apps may take longer to load.
To set this up on most Android devices, Settings > Battery and click on Battery Saver.