Foiled again? You don't have to be. (Getty)
The average American spends 36.8 hours per day on their phone (no need to fact-check me, I'm a professional). Is it any wonder battery life is such a problem? With all that texting, scrolling, recording and reading, there's never enough juice. And the longer you keep your phone, the worse the problem gets: Rechargeable batteries lose capacity over time, often to the point where you can't get through the day on a single charge.
Granted, there are AC outlets and USB ports just about everywhere, meaning it's not difficult to find a place to power up. But what if it's not convenient to stay tethered to one? What if you don't have the right charging cable? What if you're lost in the woods, it's getting dark and wolves are howling?
Don't panic. (Unless there really are wolves, in which case, go ahead.) There are several ways to extend your iPhone's battery life, whether it's making a few strategic tweaks to the settings, packing a power bank or just replacing the battery altogether. Let's take a look at these options, and I'll tell you my experience with all three. (Note to Android users: While much of this advice still applies, stay tuned for a separate article that's Android-specific.)
There are lots of iPhone features that consume more than their fair share of power, but if you're really looking to extend battery life, there's a fast, easy, effective place to start: the screen.
Dial it down as low as you can stand. (This setting is accessible in the Control Center.) If you're starting from 100%, drop it to 50%. If you're already at 50%, try 25%. Your first reaction will be, "Ugh! Too dim," but I guarantee that you'll get used to it quickly. Remember, too, this doesn't have to be a permanent thing; just lower the brightness if you see your battery getting low or you know you're going to be away from a charging port for an extended period.
You may need to disable auto-brightness, which adjusts the screen based on ambient lighting. Do that in the Settings app by tapping Display & Brightness, then toggling Automatic to off.
Although you can manually toggle cellular data on and off via Control Center or Settings, I recommend setting up a shortcut to automate it. You'll need Apple's Shortcuts app, which you may or may not already have installed.
Actually, you'll need two shortcuts: one to turn off cellular data when you arrive at home (or the office) and another to turn it on again when you leave. Here's the step-by-step process for setting up the first one:
Open the Shortcuts app and tap the Automation icon at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the "+" to create a new "personal automation," then choose Arrive.
Tap Choose and enter the address of your home or office, then tap Done.
Back at the previous screen, you can choose Run After Confirmation or Run Immediately; I recommend the latter so you don't have to constantly deal with it (and risk missing the confirmation request), but do whatever suits you best.
Tap Next, then New Blank Automation.
Search for "cellular" and choose Set Cellular Data.
In the subsequent screen, it should read "Turn Cellular Data Off," the italicized items being those you can modify. If it's set to "On," tap and choose Off.
Tap Done.
Repeat this process to create your another shortcut that turns Cellular data back on when you leave home or the office. In step 2, you'll choose Leave instead of Arrive; in step 7, On instead of Off.
Starting with iPhone 14, Apple offers an Always-On Display, which is exactly what it sounds like. Even though this mode is designed to use minimal power, it still uses more than when the screen is dark. To manually disable Always-On Display on compatible iPhones, just go to Display & Brightness in Settings and toggle Always-On Display to "off."
There are other ways to extend iPhone battery life, such as disabling Background App Refresh and Notifications, but I recommend caution when fiddling with these things. Many apps need to refresh in the background to function properly, and you don't want to miss any important notifications (like from, say, an airline or weather app).
Of course, desperate battery times may call for desperate battery measures. Low Power Mode, which you can toggle on at any time, keeps your phone running longer by reducing or disabling various background activities (like automatic email downloads and iCloud sync). When your battery drops to 20%, your iPhone will give you the option of enabling LPM — and then again if you hit 10%. Don't worry: After you plug in and recharge, LPM will automatically toggle off.
Even with screen brightness cranked down and other features dialed back, your battery is going to run out eventually. That's why you should always keep a power bank — aka a mobile charger or an external battery — at the ready.
If possible, take advantage of your iPhone's MagSafe capabilities, which allow these devices to ride piggyback instead of plugging into the power port: Just snap the charger onto the back and presto, instant recharging. (Thanks, magnets!) Most modern iPhones support MagSafe; the new iPhone 16e does not, but you can effectively add it by using one of these third-party cases.
Below I've shared two great picks — one an affordable, surprisingly versatile charger, the other a speed demon. They're from my larger roundup of the best MagSafe battery packs to keep your phone charged all day.
This multi-featured mobile charger makes others look like slackers. In addition to supplying MagSafe charging to your iPhone, the Eazpower pack can magnetically charge your AirPods or Apple Watch — a capability I haven't seen in other battery packs. It also has built-in Lightning and USB-C cables for charging other stuff, and just to round things out, there's a folding kickstand.
One downside to MagSafe charging is that it tends to be a little slow. That changes with this Anker Qi2-certified power bank, which promises twice-as-fast charging on compatible phones (basically, iPhone 13 and later) thanks to its 15-watt pad. Thankfully, it's no larger or heavier than similar models, though it's definitely on the pricey side. (If you're not in a rush, watch for sales; Anker products tend to get discounted regularly.) You do get a two-year warranty, double that of most power banks.
It's compact enough to fit in your palm but packs a 10,000-mAh battery, built-in USB-C cable and pair of USB ports (one Type-A, one Type-C). It even squeezes in a digital status display, which I greatly prefer to the usual row of remaining-charge LEDs.
Just as impressive, it can put out up to 45 watts for some pretty fast charging, and that built-in cable also works for charging the Picogo itself. Pretty sweet for $30 — and it's often on sale for less.
If you're not interested in a wireless-charging solution — meaning you prefer a battery pack that plugs in — here's a budget-priced gem:
There's battery life, and there's battery lifespan. The latter refers to how long it lasts before needing to be replaced. That will vary depending on the age of your phone and how you use it, but I'll tell you where I'm at: After 3.5 years with my iPhone 13, the Battery Health & Charging page shows a maximum capacity of 82%. (Find yours by tapping "Battery" and then "Battery Health" in the Settings app.)
In real-world terms, I've discovered that by around mid-afternoon each day, my battery level is dangerously low; by dinnertime, my phone will be dead. Heck, at the time I'm writing this, it's 9 a.m.; I've been awake for all of 90 minutes, and my battery is already down to 80%.
This is purely anecdotal, but I suspect this kind of power loss is the No. 1 reason people buy new phones. But I'm cheap and I don't want to do that; my iPhone 13 is chugging along just fine. I have zero need right now for a newer model (and I'm loathe to trade my mute switch for Apple's Action button).
Therefore, instead of spending upwards of $800 for a new phone, I invested $89 for a new battery. That's what the Apple Store currently charges for an iPhone 13; the cost may be different depending on the model you have.
Why not go with a local phone-repair shop? After calling around, I discovered that most charge about the same; one was about $10 less. This is a pretty delicate surgery; if something goes wrong, I want Apple standing behind it. Luckily, I live pretty close to an Apple Store; after setting up an appointment with the Genius Bar, I dropped the phone off on a weekday morning. Ninety minutes later, the job was done. Now my battery should last as long as it did the day it came out of the box.
I don't know how much longer I'll hold onto the iPhone 13, but even if it's only another year or so, I consider this money well spent.