Last week we put up a post about how to protect your iPhone's battery. But fortunately for you, the tips don't end there! Here are some more best practices when it comes to dealing with those pesky iPhone 5c battery problems. We've divided them into two categories: short-term fixes – i.e. getting the most battery life from a single charge – and long-term, which include tips for extending overall life.
Short-term fixes:
- Decrease screen brightness: If you're waiting for that business call in the airport and your battery's down to a few percentage points, it's time to conserve as much as possible. This includes decreasing the overall brightness of the screen. To do this, simply place your forefinger at the bottom of your device's screen and swipe upward. This will bring up a dropdown menu with, among other things, your device's brightness setting.
- Shut off WiFi: Of all the things that can drain a phone's charge, enabling Wi-Fi ranks toward the top of the list. That's because if you have the feature activated, your phone will constantly be searching for connectivity if it's not tapped into a network. This is a strenuous task for the phone, and will result in limited overall battery life. For the days when you need your phone to last the 9 to 5 and beyond, shut off the Wi-Fi for good measure.
- Make sure Auto-lock activates after a minute: Sometimes people mistakenly set their phones to “never” on Auto-lock. What this means is that if you finish a call or a text and forget to temporarily shut the phone off with a click of the power button, then your iPhone 5c will simply remain on until the next time you use it. This is a sure-fire way to drain the battery, but can easily be avoided through Auto-lock. To make sure your phone's preset to lock after one minute, go to Settings > General > Auto-Lock.
Long-term life:
- Prevent your phone from getting a lot of sun exposure: Excess heat is not good for your iPhone, plain and simple. If you're partial to leaving your smartphone in a hot car for hours on end or having it tan with you at the beach, you're basically guaranteeing that the overall life of your battery will take a hit. Be mindful of temperatures and never leave your iPhone near a heat source for too long. Over time, it'll fry the battery.
- Don't apply large amounts of pressure to the iPhone 5c: This may sound like a pretty intuitive one, but you'd be surprised how many people toss their iPhone 5c into their back pocket as though it's a wallet. Well let us tell you, it's not – just ask the people whose batteries have exploded. Even if you buy a sturdy case for the device – which we recommend you do – it's still best to keep it in your pocket.
By following these steps, you can get the most out of your battery in both the short and long-term. But if your battery does fail somewhere down the line, we've got you covered.