[iPhonetosh]

I found a few tips on conserving my batterly life on my iPhone and keeping it healthy and I thought I would share them.

Getting the Most out of one Cycle

Brightness
This is one of the biggest battery eaters. When you are in-doors, full brightness is not necessary. Try and keep it about 50% brightness inside or lower, and when outside, try and keep it below 100% if possible (obviously not over ). The brightness can be adjusted on your iPhone under: Settings > Brightness.

3G Off
3G loads data faster, but decreases battery life. It even says it in settings. If 3G is not available where you are, turn it off. If it is available but you are not using any data, turn it off. 3G is only an advantage when loading data, therefore it is not necessary when you are listening to music, watching a movie or using any other non-data apps. So, you guessed it, turn it off. 3G can be switched on/off under: Settings > Network then tapping the on/off switch next to 3G.

Wi-Fi
I couldn't believe how much more I got out of my battery when I switched off Wi-Fi when I wasn't using it. When you are in a Wi-Fi area, it is faster than 3G and doesn't use as much battery so use it. But, if you are out and about in the car or at school, switch it off. When Wi-Fi is on, even if you aren't downloading/uploading any data, your iPhone is always searching for networks around you which sucks up your battery pretty fast. Wi-Fi options can be changed under: Settings > Wi-Fi.

Turn off Bluetooth
Bluetooth in the iPhone is useless if you don't connect it to your car or headset, so turn it off under network settings when not in use.

Limit 3rd Party App usage
Excessive use of applications such as games that prevent the screen from dimming or shutting off or applications that use location services can reduce battery life.

Minimize use of location services
Apps that actively use location services such as Maps may reduce battery life. To turn off location services, go to Settings > General > Location Services or use location services only when needed.

Push
Applications such as Mail can be set to fetch data wirelessly at specific intervals. The more frequently email or other data is fetched, the quicker your battery may drain. To fetch new data manually, from the Home screen choose Settings > Fetch New Data and tap Manually. To increase the fetch interval, go to Settings > Fetch New Data and tap Hourly. Note that this is a global setting and applies to all applications that do not support push services.

Let It Breathe!
Charging your iPhone while in certain carrying cases may generate excess heat, which can affect battery capacity. If you notice that your iPhone gets hot when you charge it, take it out of its case first. Also, using iPhone in hot environments (30+ degrees) can drain the battery faster than in cooler areas.

Turn off EQ
Applying an equalizer setting to song playback on your iPhone can decrease battery life. To turn EQ off, go to Settings > iPod > EQ and tap Off. Note that if you’ve added EQ to songs directly in iTunes, you’ll need to set EQ on iPhone to Flat in order to have the same effect as Off because iPhone keeps your iTunes settings intact. Go to Settings > iPod > EQ and tap Flat.

Just lock it
When you are finished using your phone for the time being, lock it instead of just leaving it on the Home screen. Everything helps. Also, make sure you use the auto-lock feature and set it to the lowest amount of time possible.

Keep up to date
Apple are always trying to work on extending the battery life of the iPhone, so be sure to check for iPhone updates in iTunes regularly.

Getting the Most out of Your Battery Lifespan

Don't let it die
I thought this was a good thing to do, but I was wrong. Lithium-ion batteries (in the iPhone) do not like to be drained to 0%. I did this twice and both times I was stuck on the battery charging screen for 8+ hours. It said it was charging, but wasn't. Think of it like a car engine. If it is really cold and stalls, it may take some effort to start up. Same with a battery. If it is drained, it may take a while to start charging, if it even does.

Partial charges don't hurt
This is another thing I learnt. Lithium-ion batteries do not have memory, meaning that if you give your iPhone short charges and dis-charges, it won't be affected.

Do the occasional power off
iPhone is a computer, no matter what it looks like. So, every couple of days, power off iPhone by holding down the sleep/wake button and then sliding the red slider. Leave it off for about an hour and then boot it up again, just to do a refresh.



If you have any more tips, please post them here and I will add them. Also, if you spot any spelling or grammar mistakes, please point them out.

Cheers,
The iPhonetosh

[Reubania]

Thank you for those easy tips. I guess I am too dependent on 3G and wifi, but I have turned off bluetooth and don't have push - and it lasts about 2 days. Which is sufficient. But I've just bought the 3G dock and now am constantly "topping" up the charge everyday from work. I was worried that it wasn't good for the battery, but reading yours and other peoples opinions, it shouldn't hurt. So thanks for the information!

[Huy]

Welcome to MacTalk,

Apple - Batteries - iPhone

Don't let it die
I thought this was a good thing to do, but I was wrong. Lithium-iron batteries (in the iPhone) do not like to be drained to 0%.

Partial charges don't hurt
This is another thing I learnt. Lithium-iron batteries do not have memory, meaning that if you give your iPhone short charges and dis-charges, it won't be affected.

Lithium-iron?! Ion.

Brightness
This is one of the biggest battery eaters. When you are in-doors, full brightness is not neccessary. Try and keep it about 50% brightness inside or lower, and when outside, try and keep it below 100% if possible. Auto-Brightness constantly changes your brightness which can use alot of battery power because of constant changes, so try and avoid it as well.

How can you go above 100%?

I also think you are incorrect with Auto-brightness. This is a GOOD thing as it adjusts to the ambient lighting conditions rather than remaining static/fixed to a set brightness level.

[ikonology]

Thanks for your info. Very good to know how to take care of my new iPhone.

[iPhonetosh]

Originally Posted by Huy

Welcome to MacTalk,

Apple - Batteries - iPhone


Lithium-iron?! Ion.

How can you go above 100%?

I also think you are incorrect with Auto-brightness. This is a GOOD thing as it adjusts to the ambient lighting conditions rather than remaining static/fixed to a set brightness level.

Fixed. And yes, I took some of the important info out of the Apple site and combined it with other sources.

[Huy]

Do the occasiaonal power off

Occasional is also spelt wrong.

I personally don't 'reboot' the iPhone every few days. There is really no need to (but if this isn't a big hassle for you, then yes, it couldn't hurt. I have passcode lock on my iPhone as well as SIM locks so I hate having to enter them all the time with reboots).

Do you restart OS X every day? Only when you need to... e.g. kernel panic or complete freeze on the iPhone, firmware restores, software updates (e.g. 10.5.5 on a Mac when it comes out), etc.

[iPhonetosh]

Originally Posted by Huy

Occasional is also spelt wrong.

I personally don't 'reboot' the iPhone every few days. There is really no need to.

Do you restart OS X every day? Only when you need to... e.g. kernel panic or complete freeze on the iPhone, firmware restores, software updates (e.g. 10.5.5), etc.

Lots of times people wonder why their iPhone starts lagging a bit. Mine has and my friends has and a reboot always fixes it.

Thanks anyway.

[Huy]

Yeah it's really the 2.x firmware that is causing it.

A reboot is just a temporary fix to alleviate the symptoms but it will only 'truly' be fixed when Apple issue a firmware update to correct it. e.g. maybe 2.0.5 or something.

2.0.1 did not fix this 'laggy' firmware either, in my testing.

Spelling mistakes:
batterly: battery
neccessary: necessary
brighness: brightness
ajusted: adjusted
beleive: believe
arn't: aren't

[Huy]

Whoops double post.

[battye]

Thanks for the tips

Overnight, is it best to switch the phone off completely or just let it sleep?

From a battery perspective, how much would it use to leave it "sleeping" overnight?

[Huy]

Sleep it.

Unless you are 100% sure you won't receive an SMS or emergency phone call...

Sleeping is not a big issue. I don't notice a significant battery decrease by sleeping it. If I was to guess I would say 1% for a 6 hour sleep. Just a guess.

[iPhonetosh]

Originally Posted by battye

Thanks for the tips

Overnight, is it best to switch the phone off completely or just let it sleep?

From a battery perspective, how much would it use to leave it "sleeping" overnight?

When it is asleep, on a full charge, according to Apple, the battery will last 250-300 hours. So, as an answer - next to nothing. Let it sleep overnight.

[battye]

Originally Posted by Huy

Sleep it.

Unless you are 100% sure you won't receive an SMS or emergency phone call...

Sleeping is not a big issue. I don't notice a significant battery decrease by sleeping it. If I was to guess I would say 1% for a 6 hour sleep. Just a guess.

Ah alright, sleeping it it is then

Thanks for the quick reply Huy and iPhonetosh.

[rob05]

I tend to fully cycle the battery from fully charged to the time it switches itself off. I did this with my previous 3G Nokia phone and used to get 3 to 4 days after a few months.

Sleeping overnight should use a great deal of power.

[iPhonetosh]

Thanks for the feedback and spelling mistake point outs.

[Erwin]

Originally Posted by rob05

Sleeping overnight should use a great deal of power.

You probably meant "shouldn't use a great deal of power".

[gtext]

Saw this somewhere else and I've proved it correct.

Quite a bit can be gained by continuing to charge after the battery shows 100%.
Seems that represents only 80% and the remaining 20% takes up to an additional 4 hours.

Just leave mine on charge overnight and the additional battery life is quite noticeable.

[DJY]

Originally Posted by iPhonetosh

Getting the Most out of Your Battery Lifespan

Don't let it die
I thought this was a good thing to do, but I was wrong. Lithium-ion batteries (in the iPhone) do not like to be drained to 0%. I did this twice and both times I was stuck on the battery charging screen for 8+ hours. It said it was charging, but wasn't. Think of it like a car engine. If it is really cold and stalls, it may take some effort to start up. Same with a battery. If it is drained, it may take a while to start charging, if it even does.

Cheers,
The iPhonetosh

I'm confused?
The Apple site has this:
Apple - Batteries - iPhone
Use iPhone Regularly
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).

So should I let my iPhone battery run right down or not?

[tomricci]

Originally Posted by DJY

I'm confused?
The Apple site has this:
Apple - Batteries - iPhone
Use iPhone Regularly
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).

So should I let my iPhone battery run right down or not?

Hi DJY,

I read what Apple have said, but I have had my own experiences aswell as my friends and others. It won't hurt to let it go below 10%, but I've had lots of problems with mine once it hits 0. Either I'm right or my battery is stuffed .

tom

[Huy]

I would not let it cut out/drain completely.

5% or whatever the last warning level is, will be the last warning for me. I always recharge when it is in the red.