Apple recently admitted to deliberately slowing down old iPhones with aging batteries to prevent phones from shutting down unexpectedly. The surprising admission triggered a widespread debate among iPhone users — whether to buy an expensive new iPhone or replace the battery of their old iPhone at a reduced price.
The company said that those phones affected by this ‘throttling’ include iPhone 6, 6S, SE, and 7 — leaving people, who are not willing to spend over 60 grand for iPhone 8, with no option at all.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t keep using your old iPhone. It’s a balancing act and the trick lies in putting less strain on the battery while ensuring that other apps you’re using don’t affect the overall performance of your iPhone. So, we have listed a bunch of tips and tricks that will keep your iPhone running:
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Lower screen brightness:
Ok folks, this is simple maths — brighter the screen, faster will be your battery consumption. The best way to preserve the juice is by turning ‘True Tone’ off and adjusting the brightness to the lowest setting while the screen still looks readable. You might have to adjust the levels from time to time, but this will help you save hours and hours of the precious battery life.
iPhone 8 Plus (Photo: Facebook)
Switch to Low Power Mode:
iOS 9 and 10 come with a special feature called ‘Low Power Mode’ which reduces the overall power requirement of your iPhone. While the option is available only when your battery hits 20% mark, you can turn it on manually. Just go to Settings> Battery> Turn on Low Power Mode. Doing so will help you save 2-3 hours of battery life.
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Update your OS:
This one can get a bit tricky. OS updates are there for a reason. They often help in fixing bugs, glitches, and vulnerabilities in your operating system. On the flipside, they can put unnecessary strain on your processor, making it work overtime. They also end up taking additional memory space. As CNBC puts it — don’t fix it, if it ain’t broke. However, if security enhancements are important to you, be prepared to compromise with the speed.
iPhone users’ data stolen in China (Photo: Facebook)
Shorten auto-lock time:
It’s really simple — your screen will remain bright for a longer duration if your auto-lock time is set to a longer time period. Consequently, this will end up draining your battery quickly. Short auto-lock time, on the other hand, ensures that you save precious battery life. To change auto-lock timing go to Settings> Display & brightness> Auto-Lock. Select the shortest time according to your usage.
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Expand storage space:
Storage space is important as it helps the processor to handle large chunks of complicated data with ease. To put it simply, more storage means a faster iPhone. Free up storage space by removing old photos and apps that are no longer in use. You can use iCloud to take a back up of all your photos and video.
iPhone7 (Photo: Apple)
Turn off auto downloads:
Auto downloads not only drains the battery but also use the precious memory space. You might not want to update every app. So, it’s advisable to turn off auto downloads. Instead, download the updates manually for specific apps.
Replace the battery:
If your battery still drains out quickly despite all the precautionary measures, just replace your old battery with a new one. This should give your old iPhone a new life.
