It is no secret that mobile devices are being relied on more and more in both our personal and professional lives.  As a result of continued increased usage, the phone’s battery life becomes a key selling point.  Look no further than every time Apple has a live video conference announcing their latest phone release as evidence.  With that in mind, Apple’s most recent iOS updates have introduced new battery usage information.  This article’s intention is to help you better understand your iPhone’s iOS 12 battery health, battery usage, and how you might be able to increase your battery life.

Battery Health

The battery health feature is not new.  If your current iDevice is running iOS 11.3 or greater, you already have the battery health feature.  That being said, most people are unaware that such a feature exists.  In order to see the approximate health of your iPhone battery, go into Settings > Battery > tap Battery Health.  This screen provides two crucial pieces of information: maximum capacity and peak performance capability.  Maximum capacity is a measure of battery capacity relative to when it was new.  Obviously, a brand new battery equals 100 percent.  Phone batteries are consumable components that become less effective as they age.  This is true of all rechargeable batteries.  Peak performance capability tells you if your phone is capable of operating the short bursts of maximum power that demanding apps call for.

Battery Usage

What’s new in iOS 12 is a more detailed iPhone battery usage that explains more than simply its health.  This information is located in the same area as what was mentioned above, directly below battery health.  iOS defaults to show the last 24 hours of your phone’s battery usage in two separate graphs; battery level and activity.  Underneath the graphs, displays the total usage time for “Screen On” (actually using the phone will looking at it) and “Screen Off” (applications running while the screen is not on such as podcasts, music, etc.).  Beneath battery usage graphs displays a list of all installed apps that ran during the last 24 hours.  You can toggle this information between activity, which will display a percentage next to each app, and battery usage, which will show the amount of time spent on each app.  All of this information helps you determine the efficiency of your apps. Obviously, certain apps like games and video players will more than likely account for more battery usage than podcasts, phone calls, or music.  However, this information will allow you to make decisions about which apps to prioritize when battery life is an issue.

How to Potentially Increase your Battery Life

There are many ways to potentially increase your battery life.  Listed below are some tips and suggestions.

1. Force quit apps when you are not using them.  Many apps will run in the background when not being used which consumes battery usage.  To do this, double-tap the home button and swipe the application you wish to close upwards.
2. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when they are not in use.  Go to Settings > Wi-Fi/Bluetooth > Turn off (toggle bar will not be green)
3. Turn off Automatic Downloads and Updates.  Having your apps automatically download and update is a nice feature, but it can consume battery usage at inopportune times.  It is definitely more work to manually download and update your apps, but helpful in saving your battery’s shelf life.  To turn off automatic downloads and updates, open Settings > iTunes & App Stores > turn off Music, Apps, Books & Audiobooks, and Updates under the Automatic Downloads section.
4. Keep Display & Brightness under control.  There are a few ways to do this.
   • Keep brightness at a medium level.  Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > make sure the toggle bar is either directly in the middle of the two sun icons or closer to the left sun icon.
   • Set Auto-Lock as short as possible.  Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock > set to 30 seconds or 1 minute.
   • Turn off Raise to Wake.  This will keep your iPhone from turning on every time you lift the phone.  To turn off Raise to Wake, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Toggle Raise to Wake off.
   • Make sure Display Zoom View is set to Standard.  Check this by going to Settings > Display & Brightness > make sure Standard is listed next to View under Display Zoom.
5. Allow Notifications from selected apps only.  Notifications are helpful and keep you up to date in your world but also drain your battery.  To monitor your notifications, go to Settings > Notifications and look under Notification Style.  A list of your apps will display.  Simply click on each app and turn off the switch next to Allow Notifications.
6. Disable Background App Refresh.  Background app refresh plays a large role in keeps apps running smoothly but it is known to be one of the biggest battery usage consumers.  iOS 12 allows you to either completely turn this feature off or let only a few apps refresh in the background.  To do so, open Settings > General > Background App Refresh > either select off or Wi-Fi based.  You can also individually select which apps will and will not receive a background refresh.
7. Disable Location Services.  Location services helps improves certain apps but it can be set to allow only while using the app.  To do this, open Settings > Privacy > Location Services > select the desired app and choose while using the app.
8. Disable Auto-Fetching of New Data.  Go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts > Fetch New Data > turn off the switch next to push and select manually.
9. Keep your apps updated.  Go to App Store > select the Updates tab > tap Update All.
10. Keep your iOS updated on your iPhone.  To do this, open Settings > General > Software Update > Download & Install
11. Enable Low Power Mode.  Low power mode is extremely helpful in maximizing the battery life of your iPhone but there are some downsides.  The main downside is if you need to receive email.  Enabling low power mode will stop your email from coming through.  However, it really does reduce battery consumption. To enable low power mode, open Settings > Battery > turn on Low Power Mode.

If you have any questions or wish to learn more about your iPhone’s battery health, please submit a ticket through the FIS portal.