How to Extend Your iPhone's Battery Life With iOS 6

Start the Guide
Extend Your iPhone's Battery Life with iOS 6

How to Extend Your iPhone's Battery Life With iOS 6

These are just a few simple, but effective ways of maximizing your iPhone's battery life with Apple's newest operating system, iOS 6.

17.6k Views
Step 1 of 22
Start off by Opening "Settings" from the Home screen.

Start off by Opening "Settings" from the Home screen.

Step 2 of 22
Next select "Privacy", and then "Location Services".

Next select "Privacy", and then "Location Services".

Step 3 of 22
Next, turn off all the apps that don't need to know your location, and then scroll down to the bottom and continue into "System Services"...

Next, turn off all the apps that don't need to know your location, and then scroll down to the bottom and continue into "System Services"...

Step 4 of 22

Apps like "Passbook" and "Foursquare" check your location frequently so you may want to keep that in mind when looking up and down the list.

Step 5 of 22
Now turn off "Location-Based iAds" and any others you see fit to have turned off. Obviously the less your phone needs to use GPS, the better off your battery will be.

Now turn off "Location-Based iAds" and any others you see fit to have turned off. Obviously the less your phone needs to use GPS, the better off your battery will be.

Step 6 of 22
Next return to the main "Settings" page and make sure "Bluetooth" is off. (If you happen to use Bluetooth and prefer to have it on then of course that's fine. However most don't use it regularly.)

Next return to the main "Settings" page and make sure "Bluetooth" is off. (If you happen to use Bluetooth and prefer to have it on then of course that's fine. However most don't use it regularly.)

Step 7 of 22

Also if you don't plan on using Wi-Fi for awhile, turning it off can be a life-saver. Your iPhone constantly searches for a Wi-Fi connection if left on.

Step 8 of 22
Next jump into "Notifications" from the main "Settings" page and turn off all the apps you don't need to get notifications from. (The less apps are notifying you, the less energy used.)

Next jump into "Notifications" from the main "Settings" page and turn off all the apps you don't need to get notifications from. (The less apps are notifying you, the less energy used.)

Step 9 of 22
Return to the main page of "Settings" and tap on "Sounds". Now many don't know that vibrations use more energy than the ringer. So you may think about turning off vibrate when the phone is on "Ring".

Return to the main page of "Settings" and tap on "Sounds". Now many don't know that vibrations use more energy than the ringer. So you may think about turning off vibrate when the phone is on "Ring".

Step 10 of 22

Now the following step is for the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5. This step is about turning off the "Proximity Sensor", which the "Raise to Speak" feature, leaves on constantly.

Step 11 of 22

The "Raise to Speak" feature uses the "Proximity Sensor" to detect when a face gets close to the screen. When one does, it turns on Siri, but turns off the screen and only sounds through the Earpiece.

Step 12 of 22

It's a useful feature but can be a waste of energy if you don't use it. So if you decide to turn it off, here's how...

Step 13 of 22

Go back to the main page of "Settings" and then tap "General". Then tap "Siri" and at the bottom you'll see "Raise to Speak". Slide the switch to "Off".

Step 14 of 22

With iOS 4, Apple introduced Multitasking. It's a simple way to switch between, and close, opened apps. But many don't realize that never closing out opened apps leaves them running in the background.

Step 15 of 22

Some opened apps keep a constant internet connection, or use GPS occasionally. Simply closing these apps can save you battery (and maybe even data).

Step 16 of 22
Open the Multi-tasking tray by pressing down on the home button twice. Now you will see all the apps you have left open.

Open the Multi-tasking tray by pressing down on the home button twice. Now you will see all the apps you have left open.

Step 17 of 22

Now tap and hold on one and they'll begin to jiggle. Tapping on any of the red buttons will close the app. Don't worry, this is not deleting the apps. It is simply closing them.

Step 18 of 22

You may want to get in the hang of closing unwanted apps frequently. It saves you battery, and also helps your iPhone's performance.

Step 19 of 22

Now for the final tip. Return to the main page of "Settings". Then tap "General" and then "About" at the top. Then lastly, scroll down and tap "Advertising".

Step 20 of 22
Turn the switch to "On". This will limit advertising services from tracking your location, which can be at any point throughout the day.

Turn the switch to "On". This will limit advertising services from tracking your location, which can be at any point throughout the day.

Step 21 of 22

Obviously these are only a few ways to maximize your iPhone's battery life, but doing some digging throughout the operating system can really help you maximize your iPhone in every area.

Step 22 of 22

Thank you for reading :)

Start Over

40 Comments
Supplies

An iPhone Updated to iOS 6

Nelle Bing

This was great!

Nelle Bing 3 weeks ago

Khizra Jamal

And i thought i knew all the ways to save my battery. Thank you so much!!!!! God Bless you. Life saver.

Khizra Jamal last month

Laurie Breckenridge Wendel

Thank you, thank you! Great tips I didn't even know existed!!

Laurie Breckenridge Wendel last month

Diogo Silva

Thanx !

Diogo Silva last month

John Park

What does he mean by digging through the Operating system?

John Park 3 months ago

Yesthisisharley Xxxxx

Thanks !!!!

Yesthisisharley Xxxxx 3 months ago

Dee Sutjahjo

Hey the tips are great. Another thing that I usually do is by decreasing the brightness (esp. indoors). Also, if I work and don't want to get bugged by notifications I simply activate Do Not Disturb button that prevents my iPhone flashes/vibrates until I really press any button. Just my 0.02.

Dee Sutjahjo 3 months ago

Linda Dey-Harpole

Thanks for the great tips

Linda Dey-Harpole 3 months ago

Swaine Thompson

Maybe 4 hours

Swaine Thompson 3 months ago

Jessica Henderson

How long can u guys go without charging your phone?

Jessica Henderson 3 months ago

Carmen P

Very helpful. I also liked the explanations along the way. Thank you.

Carmen P 3 months ago

Swaine Thompson

Very good info!!

Swaine Thompson 4 months ago

Linda Yost

Great advice

Linda Yost 5 months ago

Glyn Thomas

Some things I didn't know....thanks

Glyn Thomas 5 months ago

Carole Jolley

Great for beginners thanks

Carole Jolley 5 months ago

Jerry White

Great advice. Thanx

Jerry White 7 months ago

Alejandro De Leon

This has been very helpful. Thank you.

Alejandro De Leon 7 months ago

Buffy Nelms

Thank you!!

Buffy Nelms 7 months ago

Tony Pho

Thx for the guide

Tony Pho 7 months ago

Lisa Santonato

Did not know about the Ad Tracking! Thanks!!

Lisa Santonato 7 months ago

Stacy Jensen

Thank you! I did all those things (except for Siri, which I realized was annoying as heck within a day of having my phone!). Great tips, well presented and much appreciated.

Stacy Jensen 7 months ago

Kiran Hosadurga Honnaswamy

Thanks.

Kiran Hosadurga Honnaswamy 7 months ago

Magally Monge Céspedes

Thanks!!

Magally Monge Céspedes 7 months ago

Pat Kijek

Thanks for the helpful guide. The only thing that I would have liked to know is a little more about why these things tend to suck up battery. Not sure why some of these apps were looking up my location constantly or push notifications were happening. Oh well, that's the developers' faults.

Pat Kijek 7 months ago

Michael K.

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2011/05/extend-your-iphones-battery-life-by-quitting-apps/

(author) 7 months ago

Brandon Martin

You actually don't have to close any apps in the multitasking tray. Leaving them open does not affect battery life. It's purpose is to quickly switch between apps without having to go to the home screen, and to kill apps that aren't functioning properly. All my apps remain "open" in the multitasking tray and I have great battery life.

Brandon Martin 7 months ago

Ian Smith

Great guide, really glad someone thought of this!

Ian Smith 7 months ago

John Chan

I see a significant improvement for my battery life today. Good tips.

John Chan 7 months ago

Marc Sinson

Thanks for the nice tips!

Marc Sinson 7 months ago

Borja Llamero Chico

Perfecto, gracias por la información

Borja Llamero Chico 7 months ago

Aman Kapoor

Thanks jerk

Aman Kapoor 7 months ago

Donna Griffin

Thanks, great info!!

Donna Griffin 7 months ago

Corey Fann

Thank you I really needed this cause my phone would die really fast thanks.

Corey Fann 7 months ago

Naie Deane

This is awesome! Great tips

Naie Deane 7 months ago

Sinu Ar

Hey, nice tips! Thanks for sharing

Sinu Ar 7 months ago

April Miller

Thank you!

April Miller 7 months ago

Kay Huebner

Thank you! My 4s drains my battery so quick!

Kay Huebner 7 months ago

Andrius Bražas

Very usefull, cheers

Andrius Bražas 7 months ago

Lakshmi Silva

This was really good thanks

Lakshmi Silva 7 months ago

Pablo Elidez

Good tips

Pablo Elidez 7 months ago

Be first to comment on Step 1.

Be first to comment on Step 2.

Be first to comment on Step 3.

Be first to comment on Step 4.

Be first to comment on Step 5.

Be first to comment on Step 6.

C Hirtle

Consider mentioning to turn off prompt to add new networks. It only searches if you have that option enabled.

C Hirtle 7 months ago

Be first to comment on Step 8.

Be first to comment on Step 9.

Be first to comment on Step 10.

Be first to comment on Step 11.

Pablo Elidez

Np

Pablo Elidez 7 months ago

Michael K.

Oops! Fixed it, thanks :)

(author) 7 months ago

Pablo Elidez

LOL you wrote waist not waste

Pablo Elidez 7 months ago

Be first to comment on Step 13.

José León

Not true, double clock doesn't show you running apps, it shows you recent used apps. iOS doesn't have true multitasking, it just pauses every app (with exceptions like music) when you hit home button. Closing out apps from this menu does nothing to the battery.

José León 5 months ago

Be first to comment on Step 15.

David Samwell

Sorry, but that is incorrect.... Urban myth! It just shows list of RECENTLY USED apps, so all you are doing is knocking them off your history list. Google this to check!

David Samwell last month

Be first to comment on Step 17.

Be first to comment on Step 18.

Be first to comment on Step 19.

Be first to comment on Step 20.

Be first to comment on Step 21.

Tonje Richards

Excellent how to guide. Very helpful.

Tonje Richards 7 months ago