What you should know
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- Reducing the white point setting on an iPhone when in Low Power Mode can help conserve battery life by making the display darker and reducing background activities like mail fetch and downloads.
- Background App Refresh, a feature enabled by default on iOS 17, allows apps to update content in the background, which can consume more battery life.
- Disabling Background App Refresh entirely or adjusting it to function only over Wi-Fi can significantly extend an iPhone’s battery life by preventing apps from updating in the background.
- Users have the option to customize Background App Refresh settings, including turning it off completely, enabling it only for Wi-Fi, or allowing it over both Wi-Fi and Cellular Data for individual apps to manage battery consumption more effectively.
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Full Story
Oh, remember last month? We chatted about that nifty trick with your iPhone, where it dims the screen when the battery’s crying for help. Yeah, that one. When you flick on Low Power Mode, it not only dims your display by tweaking the white point setting but also puts a pause on all that mail fetching and background downloading. Until, of course, your phone’s juiced up nearly to the brim. You can fiddle with the darkness level, find your sweet spot. But hey, keep this trick up your sleeve for real battery emergencies, like when you’re hitting below 20% and there’s not a power bank in sight.
Now, onto something iMore spilled the beans on. It’s about squeezing more life out of your iPhone battery. There’s this thing called Background App Refresh. By default, it’s on in iOS 17, keeping your go-to apps fresh and ready. Imagine not having to refresh your social feeds or email inbox manually. Pretty convenient, huh?
But here’s the kicker: Disabling Background App Refresh can actually extend your phone’s battery life.
Sure, having Background App Refresh on means your apps are always up-to-date, even when you’re not looking. But, it’s also a bit of a battery hog. Want to save some juice? Head over to Settings > General > Background App Refresh > Off. You’ll see three choices staring back at you. Choose ‘Off’ for the biggest battery boost, but say goodbye to automatic updates in the background. ‘Wi-Fi’ is your middle ground, letting your apps refresh only over Wi-Fi. This is perfect for when you’re out but will hop onto a Wi-Fi network at, say, Starbucks or any spot doling out free Wi-Fi.
Lastly, there’s ‘Wi-Fi & Cellular Data,’ the default for iOS 17. This one keeps your apps fresh no matter what, using either Wi-Fi or your data plan. It’s the most battery-intensive option. When you’re poking around in the Background App Refresh settings, you might notice you can turn off updates for individual apps too. Handy for keeping some apps in line while letting others roam free.
