10 Battery Saving Settings in iOS 15 You’ll Want to Change Right Away

Use Dark Mode

Dark Mode was first introduced in iOS 13 a couple of years ago. And not only has it been the best way to use your iPhone since then, but it also helps with battery life. Here's how you can start using Dark Mode on iPhone:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on Display & Brightness.
3. Select Dark.

If you want to save even more battery, make sure that the Automatic option below Light and Dark Mode stays off. Having your iPhone switch from Light to Dark mode can reduce your battery life in the long run, as Dark Mode is always the better choice for longer battery life.

Turn On Optimized Battery Charging

It doesn't matter if it's an iPhone or an Android phone; rechargeable batteries age with time. There are things you can do to prevent aging, but that doesn't mean that your iPhone's battery is the same now as it was one year ago. Here's what you need to do:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on Battery.
3. Select Battery Health.

You'll be able to see the maximum capacity of your iPhone. This will help determine if iOS 15 is draining your battery or if it's just your iPhone, the one that can't hold as much charge as it used to. 

Make sure to turn Optimized Battery Charging on if you haven't already. This will help your iPhone trickle charge past 80% of battery life based on your charging habits. In the long run, it'll prevent your battery from aging as quickly. 

Turn Off Automatic Updates

Software updates help to improve your iPhone's security and performance. If you're having issues with your battery life, it's possible that you're not the only one. But, Apple's probably working on fixing it, so you need to keep your iPhone updated to help its performance. To check for updates, just do this: 

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Software Update.
4. If there's an update available, tap on Download and Install.

If you want your battery to last even longer, make sure to turn Automatic Updates off. That way, your iPhone doesn't have to look for updates on battery power when it doesn't need to.

Don't Share Your iPhone's Analytics

With every major update, Apple always asks if you want to share your device's analytics so it can improve its products and services. The truth is, Apple can improve them without your data. Don't worry; Apple will still deliver another Awesome iPhone next year. So it's okay if you turn it off to save some power.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap Privacy.
3. Scroll to the bottom and select Analytics & Improvements.
4. Toggle Share iPhone & Watch Analytics off.

Turn Off Some Location Services

Location services is a feature that helps apps know where you are so they can provide a better service. With that said, some apps want to know your location at all times. Not only is this going to drain your battery, but it's also kind of creepy. If you want to manage your location services, do the following.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and go to Privacy.
3. Tap Location Services.
4. You can choose to turn Location Services off completely or select which apps can have access to your location.

What we recommend is reducing the location access to only While Using the App or Never. Most apps don't always need to know your location. If you feel like an app must always know your location (like Weather) you can then toggle on Precise Location.

Reduce Motion

Whenever you do something on your iPhone, like switching to another app or going back to the Home Screen, you'll see a small animation. This is called Motion, and although it's oddly satisfying to see, it can hurt your battery life. Fortunately, you can turn Motion off like this. 

1. Go to Settings.
2. Select Accessibility. 
3. Tap Motion.
4. Toggle Reduce Motion on. 

Turn Off Automatic App Updates

Your iPhone will automatically search for updates on the App Store and update your apps as soon as possible. Even though this is convenient, having your iPhone constantly looking for app updates isn't such a good idea if you want more battery life. To turn automatic updates off, do this:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to App Store.
3. Undo Automatic Downloads, toggle App Updates off.

Manage Background App Refresh

Apps are constantly refreshing their content with news and updates, so you can see what's new before you even need to. Of course, not every app needs to do this constantly, and that's what Background App Refresh is for. You can turn off Background App Refresh, so apps don't constantly refresh content and will save some battery life—and maybe some cellular data as well. 

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on General.
3. Tap Background App Refresh.
4. Manage which apps you want to stop refreshing constantly.

If you want, you can also turn Background App Refresh off completely. This will save more battery life, but it's better to manage each app individually since there may be some apps you want to refresh their content constantly.

Disable Auto-Play

When someone sends you a video or a message effect, they will usually automatically play when you enter the message. If you want to improve your battery life, you might want to consider turning auto-play off, so you decide when to play them instead. Here's how:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to Accessibility.
3. Tap on Motion.
4. Toggle Auto-Play Message Effects and Auto-Play Video Previews off.

Turn on 5G Auto

If you have an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13, chances are you've used 5G – 5G is fast and sometimes even better than your Wi-Fi connection. The problem is, it can also drain your battery faster. Fortunately, you can manage your Cellular data on your iPhone like this:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Select Cellular.
3. Tap on Cellular Data Options.
4. Tap Voice & Data.

You can choose to keep using 5G, only use LTE, or use 5G Auto. With 5G Auto selected, your iPhone will use 5G only when it's not going to reduce your battery life significantly.