If possible, I turn off my iPhone until needed. I turn off my phone if I only need to check navigation a couple of times in the day, do not take pictures or videos, and do not listen to music, audiobooks, or podcasts. Using my phone for just minutes daily will allow me to go weeks between charging the battery. However, this is impractical since I take pictures and videos and listen to music, podcasts, and audiobooks. I do turn my phone off during the night since I’m not using it.
I do not watch movies or TV shows in the backcountry because active screen use will drain my phone battery. If I watch and stream movies, my phone’s battery will only last about 11.5 hours.
I usually get three days on a charge.
Use Airplane Mode
Airplane Mode turns off cell and Wi-Fi services and prevents the phone from searching for cell signals and Wi-Fi hotspots. GPS and Bluetooth still work.
Settings ⇒ Airplane Mode ⇒ On
Turn Off Unnecessary Location Services
Only allow apps to use location services when using the app. For each app in the list, either set to Never or While Using.
Settings ⇒ Privacy ⇒ Location Services
Lower Screen Brightness
The screen uses the most power, so turn down the screen brightness.
Settings ⇒ Display & Brightness ⇒ Brightness (slider)
Turn Off at Night
Turn off the phone at night.
Settings ⇒ General ⇒ Shut Down
Set a Timer
Set a timer to stop playing if you might fall asleep while playing media.
Clock ⇒ Timer ⇒ When Timer Ends ⇒ Stop Playing
Keep Device Near Room Temperature
Cold temperatures reduce battery charge and life, so sleep with the phone.
Set Lock Screen Time
Automatically shut the screen down when finished using.
Settings ⇒ Display & Brightness ⇒ Auto-Lock ⇒ 30 seconds (lowest)
Prevent Movement From Waking Phone
Usually, moving the phone will wake it up. Turn this off to prevent the phone from accidentally waking.
Settings ⇒ Display & Brightness ⇒ Raise to Wake ⇒ Off
Shut Down Apps Not Needed
Some apps continue to work in the background. Close apps when finished using to prevent this.
From the home screen, swipe up from the bottom of the screen, pause in the middle of the screen, swipe left or right to find the app, and swipe up on the app to close the app.
Turn Off Background App Refresh
Some apps try to load data in the background to appear more responsive. Turn this off.
Settings ⇒ General ⇒ Background App Refresh ⇒ Off
Use Low Power Mode
Low Power Mode helps reduce the amount of battery the phone uses. Even if you have done all the power-saving settings, Low Power Mode reduces the power consumption of the CPU and GPU, slowing your phone down and reducing power consumption up to 40%. The battery icon with turn yellow when Low Power Mode is on.
Settings ⇒ Battery ⇒ Low Power Mode ⇒ On
Turn Off Notifications
The phone will automatically check for notifications at frequent intervals using power. For each app in the list, set notifications to off.
Settings ⇒ Notifications
Turn Off Personal Hotspot
Turn off Personal Hotspot to prevent your phone from monitoring if other devices want to connect.
Settings ⇒ Personal Hotspot ⇒ Allow Others to Join ⇒ Off
Turn Off Siri
Siri requires an Internet connection but still may be activated using power.
Settings ⇒ Siri & Search ⇒ Listen for Hey Siri ⇒ Off
Settings ⇒ Siri & Search ⇒ Press Side Button for Siri ⇒ Off
Close Phone After Taking Pictures/Video
Close the phone after taking a picture or video to stop the screen from displaying everything pointed at the lens.
Press the right-side button or close the Photo app.
Update
Keep iOS and apps up-to-date to take advantage of new features that conserve battery. Turn off automatic updates when done to prevent the phone from checking for updates in the backcountry.
Settings ⇒ General ⇒ Software Update ⇒ Automatic Updates ⇒ Download iOS Updates ⇒ On/Off
Update apps through the App Store.
Check Battery Consumption
Some apps use a lot of power. Check the battery consumption periodically to see which apps use lots of energy and either uninstall, don’t use, or shut them off as soon as finished. The last 10 Days tab gives the best listing of what apps have been using power. The bar graphs show how much energy your iPhone has used each day and the associated apps. Under each app is displayed what each app has been doing.
Settings ⇒ Battery ⇒ Last 10 Days