I was at a holiday party this past weekend and, for reasons I cannot explain, iPhone battery life became the discussion topic. A slightly overserved holiday reveler was demonstrating how you can extend the battery life of your iPhone by setting the maximum charge to 80% instead of choosing "Optimized Battery Charging" in the Battery Health & Charging section of your settings. I was asked to confirm the veracity of the claim. The answer: "Yes… but…"
If your iPhone is less than two years old, just choose "Optimized Battery Charging." The operating system will take care of the rest.
If you really want to extend battery life during the day, turn off "Background App Refresh" and limit Location Services to "While Using." These two battery saving tips really work, but they are also really annoying. You’ll have to wait for your apps to refresh when you use them, and your phone will ask you if you want to share your location, but the battery savings can be significant. As for the 80% setting in battery health, it's not something you need to do for a phone that's less than two years old.
As your phone ages, its battery degrades. At a certain point (generally after about two years), its capacity to charge will have degraded to the point where you will need a new battery (or a new phone). This is a fact of battery life.
Why does Apple even have the 80% setting? If you are going to keep your phone for more than two years, and if an 80% battery charge will get you through the day, this setting will likely extend the life of the battery beyond the two-year average. Is it worth it? I don't think so, but – as they say – your actual mileage may vary.
As always your thoughts and comments are both welcome and encouraged. Just reply to this email. -s
ABOUT SHELLY PALMER
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named he covers tech and business for , is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular . He's a , and the creator of the popular, free online course, . Follow or visit .
