I’ve owned a Iphone for a while now, it’s an amazing phone, the best I have ever used so far. But when I first started using it, my only concern was that the battery didn’t last as much as I expected. After two days, it was gone, and when I needed it, the phone just didn’t turn ON. I used to let the wireless on almost all the time and downloading many new apps. Now that I have some more experience on how my little gadget works, I will try to share some ideas on how you can optimize your iphone’s battery life and have a better iExperience.
Wireless connectivity will drawn your battery even if you are not using it. Keeping it on, it will always try to connect to some open hot spot, try to check your emails and much more. So a good idea is to turn it on when using, and after, turn it off.
Bluetooth have a similar battery usage as Wi-Fi, so there’s not much reason to leave it on if you are not using it (I believe that the most common usage for bluetooth today is the headsets and car kits).
Auto-Brightness is a interesting thing apple made to make the battery last longer. It uses iphone’s camera to adjust brightness based on the lighting conditions outside, so it will automatically set, for example, to make it less bright when you are on a dark place. Great feature!
Music EQ will have a significant battery usage if you listen to your songs for many hours everyday, as it uses more processing power. So if you want to charge less your iphone, it is another thing you may consider turning it off.
Heat can be a problem to your iphone, as it is a very bad thing to lithium-ion batteries, making them harder to charge and destroying it due the intense ionization. So remember to never let your phone in a hot place such as inside a car or in direct sunlight. If you are using some kind of carrying case, you need to be even more careful about this, and remember to take it off when charging your mobile, as it gets warm when charging.
Keep it charging! After putting your phone to charge, leave it there for some hours more after it says it’s full. It will make your phone battery last much more, you will be surprised! After done that, my iphone battery lasted more then a week, way more if you compare to the 2-3 days when I was disconnecting if from the dock just after it says its full.
Background Programs! This is important, new iphones, such as Iphone4 allows you to run multiple apps on the background, but this will drain your battery fast if you forget to close them. To do this, double click on the round button and it will show all the apps currently running, keep clicking in one of the apps and a red “X” will apear, then you can close all apps.
What else do you do to make your iphone battery last longer?
thanku for the advice
does the phone charge faster if phones is off? does it hurt the battery if I use the phone while its charging?
Hey jake, I’m not sure if it charges while off, you can try it! You can use your phone while it’s charging, there is no problem!
Hi, thank you for the advice on saving battery life, will try it. What really irritates me is the fact that you have to download almost eveything on this device.
I own a BlackBerry a well and for those of you who haven’t used a BB before, APPLE SUCKS!
This is a gimmicky device, not a phone!
thats the point, its you can customise it urself besides most apps used on a daily basis are free and others cost between 2 or 3 quid if u reaqlly want to indulge or 59p not asking much. Besides u dont have to download anything to make it a normal phone, or to recieve emails on it or texts or surf the internet. Blackberries are uncustomisable and rubbish phones that need to catch up!
I found a great place to replace all kinds of batteries. Anything from laptops to camcorders, cordless phones etc. the site has a cool name for battery replacement
k thanks and i tried ur advise to let charge for a few extra hours after battery is full and that it would last for 2 to 3 weeks on 1 charge and i did that but it only lasted me 1 day ( but the phone was off while it was charging) do u leave ur iphone on while charging it? i think i have a defective battery:-( is there any way i can check how much time i have on my iphone before it dies?
thank u for alll the advise u have given me i enjoy my iphone alot more now:-)
is there any way u can zoom in on the iphones camera?
yeah touch above the camera button on the screen
Yes, if you tap on the screen while using the camera there will be a zoom in gauge and you slide it with your finger, though the picture isnt that great when zoomed in on!
what they said
how was the beach?
Jake, the beach was cool, more then 2 weeks on a beach house isn’t bad.
Good news for you, if you go to the Installer App in your iPhone, you will see that now there’s a new program that adds the ability to make digital zooms using your phone.
were is the installer app?
Go to http://jailbreakme.com/ using your iphone, then install the software.
if u go 2 settings and choose usage then it says lifetime is that the lifetime left on the iphones battery? and wt does TTY mean?
I have a strange prob with my iphone, it wont keep a charge for long. when its a fully charged it takes bout 4 hrs to go to the 20%, thats on standby time! and when its charging the iphone gets rally warm. someone please help!!!
ma99ie, that can be a problem with the battery! Do you use some kind of carrying case? Take a look at the heat part of the article. Have you tried over charging?
I just purchased my iphone and love it all except the battery life. It can barely last a day and I’ve turned off the wifi and bluetooth. I don’t even use the web browser much or the other high intensity apps. I’m going to try overcharging to see if it holds more but could it be possible that I have a clunker? Any sense of the new iphones will have better battery life?
thanks!
Lynda
If u switch off location services it improves battery alot
it’s in settings then in general
How can I know the battery status? Only the icon uper right side? Is there some program that gives information about battery life?
Thanks!
Hi!
I just got a new iphone in Singapore. I don’t know why the battery does not last for 2 days. i tried all those that you have suggested but still got the same battery life. Was I screwed on my purchase?? Please help.
thanks,
Will having 3rd party apps which might be running in the background have an adverse effect on the battery life???
@Qaj, yes, if the more programs you are running on the background uses iphone’s cpu procceses, it will effect the battery life for sure!
Thank you Daniel.. I’ve noticed a big difference since I’ve tried your tactics.
Thanks man, my new iPhone has been great to me lately, but while in use i was sucking away battery life, using ur advise it works out much better, i was chargin it in the case which was a problem as well.
well ty for the advice man!
does jailbreaking your iphone affect battery
Hey mike, I don’t think so!
I because I jailbroke mine and my iPhone only lasted a day not even I don’t know if its from jailbreaking it
I don’t think so, I also jailbroke mine old one, and there was no problem. Iphone’s battery goes really fast if you use your phone to surf web or play games.
ok thanks
Nice blog, i have added it to my favourites, greetings
hi.. I have just bought the new iPhone.. My battery lasts 24hrs including standby n usage.. Is this ok??
Hey i got the Iphone 3g in August and it now is updated to the 2.2 software, do you have any tips for the battery life? Also, is it ok to use my Iphone while it’s charging??? Thanks
-Yianni
I would also like to add that I charge it the whole night (about 9 hours)and that i have many apps.
I luv the iPhone but the battery is weak mine lasts bout 5 hours and I charge it for bout 9 hours
Thanks for the great tips, I’ll check them out. My iPhone 3G is two months hours, barely lasts for a day on one charge, and that’s with what I consider normal, not excessive, usage (3G and bluetooth turned off).
But, dude, there is no way in hell to make the iPhone’s battery run for more than a week, let alone TWO TO THREE WEEKS. Maybe if the phone completely turned off… maybe then. But in standby or while actually using the thing? Never EVER.
Also, there are no background processes on the iPhone, at least no third-party ones. Apple simply doesn’t allow it. But there are plans to include push functionality for those apps who need it (instant messaging etc.), so there will be a lot more pressure on the poor little battery once firmware 3.0 (or 2.5 or whatever they’ll call it) comes around.
Ok so I love my iPhone, except the battery life…I charge all night atleast 8 hours and my wifi and bluetooth is off but if I play around on the apps or browse the apps store for aawhile then within 4 hours I’m down to 20% battery life WTF if I don’t cruise the apps store and just have my iPhone on for texting and phone calls then by the night it’s dead…this is not cool any other suggestions or did I get a dud? Note: my his and got his iPhone the same time I did and his battery is the same!
I always have my iPhone in the dock when I’m home. Will it hurt the battery, you know, it is sitting in the dock all night and every time I’m home.
I have just heard about some phones with week battery because they were charging all the time. I’m just using the dock as a place to have it, is it okay?
Please answer 🙂
@mathias I think this is not the best thing to do =P
All right I’ll find a new place for it 🙂
Thank you 🙂
hi i have been using the iPhone for more then a year now, I had some applications instaled even when it was unheard, like Volume buster, msg forwarding, video camera with zoom & some more features, video recording, converter for currency, measures etc DEFINATELY ONE HAS TO HAVE INTERNET FOR IT. Infact now after the release of Iphone S there must be some more applications with the local hackers who can download this on my old phone but the battery problem remains the same. Whatever we do, it cannot last for more 4-5hrs if we use the phone frequently.
Romi Singh (India)
My iPhone only lasts for about 8, I text alot maybe close to 500 a day and i am a twitter user plus i am always calling people for 30 minutes at a time. Is there anything i can do to prolong my battery life??
Just got my iPhone a couple of weeks ago and like you all say, The Battery Sucks!! We all got Jipped how could they make such a cool phone that only lasts 10 hours per charge?? Not cool, so dissapointed!
Here’s some added tips. Don’t turn on push notification. Set email fetching to manual. Avoid heat as much as possible. Don’t play ipod games for such a long time. Games are cpu intensive and generate more heat than other applications. Don’t let your batteries fully drained frequently. Lithium batteries are better with partial charges than charging it from 0%. Let it fully drained only once a month. Google on how to take good care of your lithium batteries. Even standard laptops don’t last more than 5 hours when used intensively so don’t expect too much from iphone. If you feel the need to replace the battery, do it. It’s only 80 dollars i think.
Is it okay. To always have an iphone charging or is if bad for it
Hey I was just reading over these and I decided to comment because I found a great app. If you have the 3.0 or higher update you should get the Battery Magic app. It will tell you the % of your battery and how much time you can use your iPhone for listening to music, watching movies, using the Internet, talking on the phone…..
Hope I helped
-Dman
Hey Daniel I just thought about how you said keep it charging for awhile after it’s fully charged and I wantedto say that in the Battery Magic app you can also check to see how long it will take to charge. So you could look at the app and say it says 1 hr 00 mins then you could just let it charge for 2-3 hrs and that way you won’t be overcharging it too much.
-Dman
hey my iphone charges quick when i charge it but when i start using it, it dies quick, even if im not using it, it still dies, what should i do???
I’ve turned off lots of things on my phone and my iPhone 3GS still DES really fast. It only lasts up to about 5 hours. If I leave my phone there and not use it, it will still lose battery. I’ve turned off my 3g, push, auto brightness, and many more. It’s still dying quite fast. Can you help please? Thank you.
If you plan on using it for awhile just leave it plugged in and use it. That’s what I do all the time and then when I go out somewhere I can still have a full battery.
I have wifi, 3g, bluetooth, auto brightness, push, all off. Brightness to 0 percent, email maunally, and location services off. I will try not overcharging so much. Does anyone know how long the iphone battery lasts while texting?
I’m glad you can get your iphone to last a week, mine can’t even manage a day, even when its in standby for pretty much all of that time. You should count yourself lucky!!!
Another way to save battery lie is turning the Location OFF if not using GPS because it constantly push your current Location even if not in use. 🙂
Battery life I mean
your battery probs are you own fault, not apple’s…excersise your battery and understand that when you first get a new iphone you must, let me say again, mmuusst use it untill the battery is close to needing its first charge, about 10-20% ..dont let it drain to 0%. also on the iphone 3gs and i believe the pervious version you do not need an app to tell you battery percentage left, the phone it self under general options allows you to select to see battery % next to the battery icon. but don’t bother using it. the type of battery in the phone will last very long, a good 2 days of talking, internet, text etc. what i mean is you can use your iphone for lots of talk, text, internet etc for a good 2 days without needing to charge it. you can get do all that but i would keep it down to 1hour and then just let it rest for about 20min and then continue with what you want for another hour or more. keeping your iphone charging longer once it is full is not a good idea and will infact makes your battery not last long at all. its all about the very first few charges when you first get the iphone that will make it a long lasting battery, along with turning wifi or bluetooth off when not needed. letting the battery sit on the charger thing it will “charge it even more†will infact make it worse. the battery can hold and charge, not expand because im just keeping it charging for longer, once it has a full charge, it will not charge any further. that’s like saying il just keep filling my tank of gas with more fuel, even though it only is a 18 gallon tank, it will just over flow on to the ground or the pump keeps stopping because it has reached full….anyway its all about excersising the battery to achieve long life and long usage time. and anyways you cannot charge the phone anymore once it has a full charge..people, do some research on how to properly use li-po batterys, there not nickel cad. style, they are lythium and etc etc bla bla…what i have said is fact, not my own opinion, but i have been building and use li-po style batterys for years and if you don’t take special care, and of course apple does not really tell you because they want you to keep buying new batterys, do your self a favour and “exersise your battery†and you will see a massive difference, even if your battery is already crapppy. do some google search on it and get some knowledge about how to use these specials batterys, also many phones use li-po’s and other types in toy’s etc…
It actually doesn’t use the camera for auto-brigntness, but if you look to the left of the iPhones speaker there are 2 or 3 sensors depending on your module. Two of these are the light sensors that will automatically adjust your brightness, and the last one is Bluetooth( and Nike )
Thanks for all the tips and ideas…nice to know I am not alone….just getting used to my new iphone and yes, love it but was worried about the shorter battery life….what does exercise your battery mean?
hey i think my battery is damaged if i send a few texts threw the day it goes flat or if i have my music on for bout 2 hours its dead afer ive cracked the bootm of my iphone which is crap but does anyone know if you cn replace the battery at shops or something ? all help appricated thanks
turn of the fetch option if you dont need it resfreshing your inbox every 30 minutes, just manual do it, will save more battery!especially on a car ride, there should be an app whereyou can turn all these settings on when youre doing different things (when you dont need certain applications or uses)
I think that the battery on the iphone lasts a lot longer if it is charged in full from the mains plug… the computer/car charging never seems to put as much power into the battery.
Hey, if I keep plugging and unplugging the iPhone from the charger, does that increases the time that the iPhone endures to reach a full charge
Lithium batteries offer higher capacity and very light weight compared to conventional batteries””‘
lithium batteries are very expensive but they are very lightweight~;~
Helpz helps I really need help… I have had my iPhone for a bit more than a year Nd the battery lasted lyk two or three dayz and what happens now that it even doesn’t last a day, it now lastes lyk half of a day with full charge…. I leave it plugged in charging all night long and it stills last the same…. I domt kno what to do…I dont really get ur steps of how to last longer… Am only 13 nd not very good at English…. Well I guess I am but some of the words I dont gett.. thank yhu for this website…. Trying to help people….. Am wo worried cuz ihf it keeps on going lyk that then it will only last a minute…. I really use my iPhone a lot…. Hope yhu help!!! Thanks
ok hi guys i know this site is about the battery life and although i have a probleme with that, thats not why i’m here and as i can see u all know alot about this phone i was just wondering:
i was given this phone from a friend so he obviosly had an account to download apps because wen i go on to app store and try to download some random app it says enter username and password but what i want to know is:
how to make an account to download apps??
thanx for reading hope you know what i mean 😀
Settings > Store> View Apple ID
My battery life is horrible i can barely get it 2 last me a day. A friend says it bc my apps are running in the background, if so how can i turn thm off?
i have a i phone. When i browse internet its batry goes down only in 3-4 hours. From 100 to 0%. what to do. To incrrease batry life. Plz mail me on dat id
Hey guys i have an iphone 4 and a friend was playing with it and he double clicked on the button and all these icons came up, like apps, phone, facebook preety much all of my apps, if u touch one of those apps for a few seconds a red lime comes up and that properly exits the app, ive been doing this and noticed a massive difference
@Konee, if you run many apps on the background, it will use the battery alot! I will add this to the list! 🙂
I’ve been syncing and charging whenever I sit down with my macbook. So I’m charging when it has between 60% and 80% charge left. Should I let the battery get really low before charging?
Thank you! I did not realize all those programs were still running in the background (I’m on i-day 3)! I bet my battery may actually last the rest of the day now; I had 15 things “running!” Is there a way to actually close programs other than going back to the homescreen then double-clicking the button and hitting the minus sign? I would like my text messages to close automatically when I’m done reading them for instance. There appears to be no value-add to having them remaining “running” in the background. My phone is brand new and the battery was lasting a mere 5-7 hours. This was very disappointing since my “dumb-phone” battery lasted 3-5 days WITH regular use.
You say “lasted more than a week” what phone do you have???
Brightness also has a lot to do with it even with auto brightness it needs to be about halfway
hey daniel i wanna ask something, is it okay if i do not turn off my iphone when i charged it? thankyou.
Yes, it’s ok! I do the same, it will just take a little longer to change.
ok daniel thanks a lot.
hey wil leaving my phone on a dock all day that charges it be bad for it?
When I use Internet,listen songs and put the charge my iPhone is getting very hot..
I want to how can I salve this problem??
Hey Daniel just got the iPhone 4S and I just charge it to 100% like an hour ago and it’s already halfway down. Any suggestions?
@Nick, you probably have something running on background that is sucking all power. Double-click on the button to see whats ON, press and hold the icon to close application! 🙂
i purchased a new i phone 4……most disappointing thing is battery
i double clicked and just about every app i had was on. how did they get on? and what is the difference if i shut it off and go to use it…why would i leave an app on? such as itunes, pandora, voice memos. if they are shut off will i not be able to use that app??