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Apps can make life easier, but they can also make life more challenging if they are using up your phone’s battery life and cellular data. If you have an unlimited data plan and have plenty of battery charge left at the end of the day, then you may not need to worry about managing your app settings.
But if you tend to run out of battery life on your phone, and use most of your cellular data by the end of the month, then you should take a few moments to adjust two app settings. By adjusting these two settings, you can improve your phone’s battery life and use less cellular data.
In your iPhone’s app settings, you can control which apps are consuming battery and cellular data. Two settings, in particular, can make a big difference in how much battery and cellular data your apps use.
Turn Off Background App Refresh
You can save both battery life and cellular data usage by turning off Background App Refresh. This iPhone feature updates information in apps so that when you open an app you don’t have to wait to download current information.
Background App Refresh can be a handy time-saver when you use an app often and want updated information immediately when you open the app. But Background App Refresh can also drain battery life and use up cellular data, which can be annoying, especially for apps you don’t use much.
The good news is that you can turn off Background App Refresh for all apps or only for apps you don’t use often.
To manage Background App Refresh go to Settings => General => Background App Refresh.
There you can turn off the setting for all apps, or restrict Background App Refresh to work only over Wi-Fi.
You can also turn Background App Refresh off for individual apps. Scroll down and turn off Background App Refresh for apps you don’t use much. Also, if you don’t need current information immediately when you open the app, turn off Background App Refresh for that app.
Managing Which Apps Can Use Cellular Data
If you find yourself running out of data at the end of the month, you can adjust the settings of your apps so they’ll only work when your phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network.
To turn off cellular data for apps on your iPhone, go to Settings => Cellular, then scroll down to the list of apps on your phone. You will see how much data each app has used.
Check out => How to Tell Which Apps Are Draining Your Battery
Turn off any apps you don’t want to use cellular data. You can change this later for individual apps if you find you need to connect when you’re away from Wi-Fi.
Your Thoughts
Do you adjust your settings to manage how apps use battery life and cellular data? Do you delete unused apps from your iPhone? Do you often run short of cellular data at the end of the month and battery life at the end of the day?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
*iPhone image (edited) courtesy of Neil Soni via Unsplash and Creative Commons
Amazing article, I have iPhone x and facing big battery issues during traveling. I was charged the full battery but after some time it was around 20 %. I will surely use your techniques for battery saving. Thank you!!
Hi Nathan, Yes, sometimes if apps are busy updating in the background then battery life can drain more quickly. That can be frustrating, especially with apps you don’t use often. I’m glad you’re adjusting your iPhone settings to make the most of your phone’s battery life.
Thanks for the information. I have turned my background refresh off and i will see how it works.
Hi Macky, I hope you have great success in extending your battery life and preserving data with this new setting on your iPhone.
Very nice and really help me! it was unknown to me. I have turned it off. Because my iPhone is 4 version. Now it is working fine. Thank you! God bless
Hi Allaudin, Yes, with your iPhone 4, your battery life may be limited so adjusting your settings to get the most out of your phone is especially important.
As someone with an older phone, it’s tips like these that keep my phone in the game another 6 months to a year. Thanks for taking the time to put together this article. Looking forward to reading more.
Hi Hunter, Yes, older phones may be the ones that benefit the most from adjusting these settings. Battery power reduces over time but with these settings you may be able to get more power out of your phone.
Honestly, I was getting frustrated with my iPhone battery problems that I have been experiencing for some few weeks but I think this post will go a long way in helping me out.
Thanks a lot, cheers!
Hi Chukwuka, Yes, running out of battery can be extremely frustrating, but with a few adjustments to your phone’s settings you can extend your battery life. I hope this works well for you, Chukwuka.
Hi Carolyn,
This is very helpful for tons of iPhone users. This is such a common issue with them and I am glad they have a found a way to fix it through your post.
Thanks for sharing, keep up the good work.
Hi Sajid, Yes, by taking a few minutes to adjust your settings, you can make your phone work better for you. I hope this helps you too!
Hey Carolyn,
Your website named wonderoftech.com is a blessing to the technology and blogging industry. You are a great polygadgetist and your posts are live proof of that. And this post titled “How to Improve Your iPhone Battery Life and Data Usage by Changing 2 Settings” really helps me with my iPhone battery consumption. Keep it up!
Hi Sudipto, I’m so glad you’re a fan of The Wonder of Tech! That’s great you were able to change your settings to improve your phone’s battery life. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts here.
To maximize battery life on any phone, set your screen to automatically adjust based on the available light, turn off wifi and bluetooth when not being used, choose a dark theme, set your phone to autolock after a short period of time, and limiting notifications or disabling them for email and other apps may all reduce the drain on your battery. You can turn push off for mail and set it to manual so that you’re only pulling down new emails when you check your email.
Hi Mayra, Thank you for all of these helpful suggestions to preserve battery life. You’re right, adjusting those settings will help too.
This article in particular is about changing settings that you won’t have to change back when your battery is fully charged. By changing these settings you will be preserving battery life and not missing any features that you need. Just set it and forget it!