Here’s How to Improve Your iPhone or iPad’s Battery Life on iOS 9

Published on March 23, 2016

Apple’s latest iOS update, iOS 9, comes with a slew of great new features and functionality. Unfortunately, for many users, it has also led to a noticeable loss in battery life.

If you’ve seen a quicker drop in battery life since switching to iOS 9, or, more recently, to iOS 9.2, or 9.2.1, don’t throw away or reset your iPhone just yet!

We here at Geek know that battery issues can be really draining. That’s why we’re here to help.

With our thanks to Gotta Be Mobile, here are five ideas to boost your battery life with any version of iOS 9:

1.) Analyze Your Apps

Noticing an inexplicable battery drain? One or more of your third-party apps may be to blame. Facebook’s mobile app, for example, has repeatedly come under fire for causing battery life troubles on iPhones.

To check whether Facebook or any other apps have been sucking your devices’s energy dry, go into “Settings” and “Battery.” From there, dig around with the “Battery Usage” tool: You can use it not only to check which apps are using up the most of your battery, but when they’re doing the most draining.

Notice anything odd? Try updating, reinstalling, or deleting the troubling app. A small update could go a long way to making the app run more efficiently on your system.

2.) Limit Background App Refreshes

While we’re on the subject of apps, did you know that many of your apps automatically refresh in the background with iOS? While this feature can be useful for apps that constantly need to be bringing in new data, it can also be a major drain on your device’s resources.

To save power across the board, try turning off the feature completely by going to “Settings,” then “General,” then “Background App Refresh.” If you do need some apps to refresh, you can also use this page to turn off the feature on an app-by-app basis. It’s a slog, but it may save you energy in the long run.

3.) Turn on Airplane Mode

If you find yourself frequently walking around the city – or even if you camp out in an area with spotty service – your phone or tablet will constantly search for a signal, which can take a real toll on your battery. One fix? Airplane mode, which will kill all of your connections, saving your battery (and taking you off the grid for a bit).

4.) Turn on Low Power Mode

One of the best battery-saving updates of iOS 9 is Low Power mode, a great way to make the most of your battery in a pinch.

As iOS describes it, Low Power mode, “temporarily reduces power consumption until you can fully charge” your device.

Like Airplane mode, Low Power will reduce or turn off some functionality (including automatic downloads, background app refresh, and mail fetch). Still, turning on Low Power mode can automatically add several hours of use to your iPhone without having to turn any other features on or off manually.

5.) Adjust Your Display Settings

Could your device’s brightness be dimming your battery’s future?

Apple devices use many sensors, including one that adjusts your screen automatically in certain lighting settings. Often though, this sensor doesn’t work like a dream – or its adjustments are minimal, at best. Turning off auto-brightness may be a fix to inexplicable battery drain, and iOS 9 makes it easier than ever: Simply swipe up from the bottom of your screen to access an auto-brightness toggle.

Of course, if none of these quick fixes seem to work and your battery problems persist, you may need to take more drastic measures – from resetting your device to taking it in for inspection at an Apple store.

Have you found any other ways to hack your iPhone’s battery? We’d love to hear from you! Drop us a line and let us know how you make the most of your Apple device. And for any other questions on technology, mobile optimization, or social media, feel free to reach out to Geek! Our experienced team is here to give you all the tools you need to compete in the competitive digital marketplace.