It’s really annoying to watch your iPhone battery deplete right before your eyes. But there’s actually a pretty straightforward trick that can help extend its life much more than you might expect.
Thanks to a lesser-known software update rolled out about six years ago, you just need to put your phone down when you’re not using it.
That’s it—it’s really that simple.
By laying your phone face down, you prevent the screen from lighting up every time a notification comes through. This is particularly useful for people who juggle several emails or participate in multiple group chats.
Even if your phone is buzzing, there’s a way to know if there are notifications without lighting up the screen, which can, you know, wear down the battery.
This nifty feature is called Facedown Detection, which was introduced in iOS 9 back in 2019.
Facedown Detection makes sure that your iPhone won’t activate the display when notifications come in, as it can tell whether it’s lying flat on a surface using ambient light and proximity sensors.
This technology is the same one that prevents the screen from turning on when you’re holding the phone to your ear, keeping you from accidentally hanging up or pressing random buttons.
One major reason batteries drain fast is when the screen lights up. So, minimizing that certainly helps prolong usage.
You might also want to consider cutting down on the number of notifications you get.
If you want to see how to manage notifications, go to Settings, then Notifications, and choose the app you want to tweak. Turning off “Allow Notifications” will stop them from draining your battery.
Another option is to enable Scheduled Summary, which compiles notifications from a specified timeframe into one summary that you can check at your convenience. Just set the time for receiving that summary and select the apps you want to include.
