Since the advent of Apple’s iPhone in 2007, one of the most significant downsides of the series has been the battery. The iPhone’s battery is not removable, which means when the battery dies, there’s no way to revive the phone at all, and your only recourse is to replace it with a new one.
Those who haven’t tried owning an iPhone yet has this one question: “How long do iPhone batteries last?”. In this post, i’ll answer that specific question, plus, i’ll discuss some tips and tricks in helping extend the life of an iPhone’s battery.
It’s understandable that users should be aware of the lifespan of any gadget they invest in, especially if it’s from a reputable brand like Apple. Just recently, however, Apple has acknowledged that it has slowed down their phone’s performance for the battery to cope up with the processor.
Even though Apple has communicated that it is not the company’s intention to deceive customers by intentionally shortening the life of any of their products, customers cannot be blamed if they feel they have been shortchanged. But what really is the lifespan of an iPhone’s battery? How long can customers expect to enjoy their beloved phone?
According to Apple, the iPhone will lose around 20% of its capacity after 300 to 400 full charge/discharge cycles. When we say ‘cycle,’ we’re referring to the complete draining and recharging of the battery. So, if you’re a heavy user and allow your phone battery to drain almost every day, you can expect it to last only for a year or so.
The good news is using a little of your phone’s battery and then placing it back in its dock doesn’t count as a full cycle. In this case, your phone’s battery will still be in good condition even after two to three years.
On the other hand, if your concern is on the life of the battery during daily use, it’s safe to say that under normal conditions, an iPhone’s battery would last up to 7 hours in constant use before it goes zilch. But then again, everything will depend on how you use your phone.
3 Factors That May Affect Your iPhone’s Battery Lifespan
There is no ultimate answer as to how long an iPhone’s battery lasts because, in reality, that would depend on the user.
Here are 3 common factors that affect the life and performance of your iPhone’s power source.
1. The Battery Cycle. As mentioned, your phone’s battery will eventually die after approximately 400 full cycles. That explains why some iPhones don’t seem to age even after how many years. That’s because the owner knows not to allow his phone’s battery to drain all the time.
2. High Temperature. Electronic devices such as the iPhone are designed to perform in a wide range of temperatures. The ideal comfort zone for an iPhone would be 62° to 72° F. If your device is regularly exposed to temperatures beyond that range, you can expect its battery to die prematurely.
3. Wear And Tear. Smartphones are not as hardy or rugged as the phones of the late 90’s like, let’s say, the Nokia 5110. Mobile phones of today are more advanced in application and interface, but they’re not built to withstand impact. If you’re not too careful with handling your iPhone, don’t be surprised if one day the battery suddenly stops charging.
6 Tricks To Prolong Your iPhone Battery Life
An iPhone’s battery typically doesn’t drop a charge when not in use. Once you notice that it slowly drains even when it’s idle, then you just might have a problem. The good news is that there are simple changes you can make in using your phone that will help extend the life of its battery.
1. Turn Off Notifications
Your phone won’t be half as useful without notifications, but it sure would appreciate if you can turn off some of them. Email notifications may be important, but notifies from your NBA app, for instance, are not always urgent. By disabling notifications for some of your phone’s app, you can help prolong the life of the battery. You can do this simply by visiting the Settings menu and tapping on Notifications. From there, pick the apps you don’t actually need notifications from.
2. Say No To Force Quit
Force quitting apps may seem to be a good move in preventing unwanted battery drains, but if you come to think of it, it’s actually counterproductive. If you’re always force-quitting an app that you regularly use, you’ll be spending more power because it would mean relaunching the app, which is more energy-draining. Close apps you seldom use, but keep important apps open so you can easily pick up from where you left and not spend that much amount of power.
3. Turn Off Auto-Sync
Some apps like Facebook or Gmail run in the background even when they’re not in use. They’re designed this way to make sure you see the updates as soon as you open the apps again. While this is convenient, it can drain your phone’s battery fast. Save your battery by turning off auto-sync. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. Auto-sync is no doubt very useful, though, so you might want to turn it off only when the battery level is critical.
4. Lower The Brightness
You probably know this already. Among all other things, it’s your phone’s display that eats much of your battery. It’s a good thing that you can easily limit how much power it uses. One way is by turning off the auto-brightness setting, especially if you notice that sets the display to a level that’s higher than you actually need. Unless you’re outdoors and need to read something very important on your phone, you can even set the brightness to the lowest level to save energy.
5. Get Rid Of Some Apps
Not all apps are created equal. Some simply consume more battery life than others. Take Facebook, for instance. It’s quite a high-performing app and can use up a lot of energy whether it’s open or is running in the background. If you’re not a big Facebook app user, you can uninstall it and run it through your phone’s web browser instead. You can also go to Settings > Battery and check which apps you can afford to delete.
6. Disconnect From The Net
It’s good to disconnect from the World Wide Web once in a while, especially if you’re trying to save some battery power. Staying connected to the internet, especially through your phone’s mobile data, can use up a lot of battery. And speaking of mobile data, you might also want to turn it off if you’re already connected to a Wi-Fi network.
3 Tips You Can Do To Enjoy Your iPhone Longer
Knowing how to extend the battery life of your iPhone is one thing, and knowing how to prolong its lifespan is another. If you’re not aware of it yet, battery life refers to the length of time your battery lasts before needing to be recharged, and it’s measured in hours.
Battery lifespan, on the other hand, is the length of time your battery is usable before its ability to hold a charge is impaired. This is measured in years. If you want to enjoy your phone for a very long time. Here are key practices you need to observe below.
1. Keep Your Phone At Room Temperature
I’ve already mentioned earlier that extreme temperatures will degrade your phone’s battery. Apple suggests that you keep your iPhone away from too much heat. For this reason, avoid leaving your phone inside the car when the sun is up, or you’ll find your device fried under the heat. It’s also important to check your phone from time to time when it’s charging. If the device gets abnormally hot during the process, remove it from the power source immediately and find out what might be causing the phone from heating up.
2. Run Down The Battery
Since the iPhone uses lithium-based batteries, it needs to go through at least one full cycle per month. This means charging your phone to a hundred percent and then allowing it to drain completely. This will keep the electrons inside the batteries moving as they should, and the battery performing at its peak.
3. Phone Protection
Hard impacts and strong vibrations can shorten the life of your iPhone. For this reason, it’s crucial that you find some way to protect your device. One such way is by investing in a high-quality casing and screen protector. Both will keep your phone protected in case you drop it.
However, you should also watch out for some phone protectors, as some casing’s design can cause the device to get too hot during charging. Devices such as the iPhone do not come cheap, which is why it makes sense that iPhone owners do all that they can to extend their phone’s lifespan.
Conclusion
With that being said, i believe i’ve answered that question of How long will an iPhone battery last? through this post. But if you still have some concerns regarding the subject, don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments section.
In the mean time, if you are the iPhone 5 and 6 user then, go these article i have written below.
Related Articles:
● How long does an iPhone 5 battery last?
● How long does an iPhone 6 battery last?
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