You who have an iPhone may already know that there are lots of different settings that you can choose to have running in the background, without noticing them. This can be things like location-based services or apps that are automatically updated. Although some of these are really good to have, there are many services that just eats up your battery. If you switch off some functions, that you do not need anyway, the battery life can instead be improved.
We’ve listed some features that you can turn off in your iPhone with good conscience without noticing any difference.
1 iPhone Analytics
The iPhone Analytics feature sends information about your phone to Apple, something that drains battery and which is also a matter of privacy. Apple collects this data so they can improve their services, but many people think that longer battery life is more important than helping Apple.
How to turn off iPhone Analytics?
- To disable this feature, click the Settings app, and then click Privacy.
- Scroll down to Analytics and deactivate Share iPhone Analytics.
2 iCloud analytics
iCloud analytics is, like iPhone analytics, a feature to help Apple develop its services. Siri is one such feature that iCloud analytics should help provide information about. If you are not comfortable sharing this with Apple or simply want your battery to last longer, the feature is easy to turn off.
How to turn off iCloud analytics?
You will find the button to turn off the feature on the same page as you turn off your iPhone analytics
- Open Settings, click Privacy.
- Scroll down to Analytics, further down on that tab you will find Share iCloud Analytics.
3 Signifikant Locations
When giving your iPhone access to Significant Locations, your phone should be able to provide information about places that are important to you in Maps and Pictures, etc. If you visit the Significant Locations tab you will see a list of the places you have visited (a bit unpleasant huh?). In order to make this list of Significant Places, your phone must keep track of where you are, which means that it needs to use your GPS. This obviously uses up your battery.
How to turn off Significant Locations?
This setting can be a little difficult to find as it is hidden under many layers of menus. Which might indicate that Apple doesn’t want you to turn it off because the feature helps advertisers do site-specific advertising.
- Go to Settings and then Privacy. There you will find a tab called Location Services. At the bottom of that tab is a selection called System Services.
- In the list that comes up you will find Significant places.
- At the top of that page, you will find the selection Significant Locations. Check this option to turn off the setting.
4 Fetch New Data
Under Password & Accounts there is a tab called Fetch New Data. If you click there you will find a few different options. If you have the Push option, your phone will constantly check if something new has happened. A feature that drains a lot of battery.
If you are using a work phone and want your mail to pop up as soon as possible then Push is a good alternative. But many also have private mail inboxes on their phone and do not need to know at the same second that an email has been sent.
Then automatic fetch is a good alternative. You can choose whether to fetch every quarter, half hour, full hour or just manually. If you choose manual download, you must open the app to look for new information. Every 15 or 30 minutes is usually a good option for many. Then you get a regular update of your mail but it does not drain your battery.
And remember, you can always go directly into the app, and it will be updated instantly, no matter what interval you have chosen.
How do I set Fetch New Data?
- Under Settings there is a button called Password & Accounts.
- At the bottom of that tab is a button called Fetch New Data. There you will immediately see what setting you have.
- Deactivate Push and set the desired time interval.
5 Unnecessary System Services
Under System Services you will find other features that use your location. Some of them are really good to have, such as Find My iPhone and Emergency Calls & SOS. These we recommend you to keep activated.
But there are a lot of features that using up the battery without being of much use to you. Some features that you can confidently deactivate are:
- Compass Calibration
- HomeKit
- Location-Based Alerts
- Location-Based Apple Ads
- Location-Based Suggestions
- Setting Time Zone
(If you travel a lot, it is enough that you go in and switch on the service for a short while. Then your iPhone adapts to where you are and you can then switch it off again.)
How do I turn off System Services?
- Under Settings, click Location Services.
- Click on System Services. Then you will see the list of System Services that are running.
6 Tracking for advertising
This is a service that, according to Apple, should help you get advertising tailored to your interests. Tracking for advertising lets advertisers track your behavior on different pages and then give you advertising that will fit what you like. It is not possible to turn the service off completely, but it can be restricted. Note that it does not reduce the nuber of ads, it just means that advertisers cannot target as specific advertising to you.
How do you limit Ad Tracking?
There is a button to restrict tracking for advertising. By default, this feature is not running, instead you must click the Limit Ad Tracking feature.
- Under Privacy, at the bottom, there is a choice called Advertising.
- Click there to find the Limit Ad Tracking button.
These were some settings that you can click out to both protect your privacy and save valuable battery life on your phone. So do not be afraid to go in and turn off the ones you are not using. And don’t worry, the apps will work anyway.
Latest update October 2020