Modern iPhones offer long battery life, but over time the battery degrades, and everyday user habits can significantly shorten a charge. After installing iOS 27, some owners notice that their phone holds a charge less well. Apple explains that this is temporary and linked to system indexing after the update, but the device’s own settings also play an important role.
This article brings together 13 tips that help extend your iPhone’s time away from the charger, making use of features in iOS 26 and iOS 27.
First, it is worth assessing how quickly the phone charges. iOS 26 introduced a feature that shows an estimated time to full charge on the Lock Screen and in the Battery menu. With Optimised Battery Charging enabled, the system also indicates how long remains until it reaches 80%. This does not increase the battery’s capacity, but it does allow you to plan your charging more effectively.
For more convenient monitoring of your charge level, you can enable battery percentage. To do this, go to Settings > Battery and activate Battery Percentage, after which a numeric value will appear inside the battery icon in the top right-hand corner.
In iOS 26 Apple added Adaptive Power mode, which automatically manages power consumption: it slightly reduces screen brightness, limits background activity and turns on Low Power Mode when the charge falls below 20%. The system analyses the user’s habits and predicts when power saving is needed. On iPhone 17 models this mode is enabled by default, while on iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max you need to activate it manually via Settings > Battery > Power mode by selecting Adaptive Power.
The classic Low Power Mode remains one of the most effective ways to cut power usage. When it is switched on, automatic downloads, iCloud sync and some other background processes are disabled. The mode is automatically suggested at 20% charge, but you can turn it on manually in Settings > Battery or add it as a separate button in Control Centre.
The screen is one of the main power “hogs”. In Settings > Display & Brightness you can manually reduce brightness using the slider; the same control is available via Control Centre. To prevent the system from increasing brightness automatically, it is worth turning off Auto-Brightness in Accessibility > Display & Text Size.
You can save additional power by adjusting auto-lock settings. In Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock you can shorten the time the screen stays on without user interaction. If needed, you can also disable Raise to Wake so the display does not turn on every time you pick up the phone.
On iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models and newer, the Always-On display is available, showing the time, widgets and notifications on the Lock Screen. If you prefer, you can turn it off in Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On to reduce power consumption.
Location services also have a significant impact on your charge. In Privacy & Security > Location Services you can completely disable location, but usually it is enough to limit it for specific apps by choosing modes such as Never, Ask Next Time Or When I Share or While Using the App.
Another way to save power is to manage Background App Refresh. Even closed apps can periodically update data in the background, which also uses energy. In Settings > General > Background App Refresh you can turn this feature off entirely or only for selected apps, such as email or social networks.
Frequent notifications that light up the screen each time also affect battery life. Through Settings > Notifications, you can choose which apps are allowed to send alerts and disable their display on the Lock Screen. If necessary, you can use Focus to temporarily limit notifications during specific hours.
In critical situations, turning off wireless radios can help. Via Control Centre you can disable Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, mobile data or activate Airplane Mode, which switches off all wireless connections at once.
As an additional source of power, you can use an external battery pack or a third‑party wireless MagSafe battery. Such accessories allow you to charge your iPhone away from a socket, including while it is simply in your pocket. Apple previously sold the MagSafe Battery Pack, but it has been discontinued. For the iPhone Air, the company has introduced a new battery pack that can also be used with the iPhone 17, although you have to place it horizontally to do so.
If the battery has lost a significant amount of capacity, Apple recommends servicing or replacement. When the battery’s condition deteriorates, iPhone will warn you in Settings. AppleCare+ owners are entitled to free battery service if its capacity has fallen below 80% of the original. The Self Service Repair Store offers replacement batteries priced at around 40–70 dollars (after returning the old component to receive a credit).