How to Fix Bad iPhone XR Battery Life
If your iPhone XR battery starts draining rapidly there are a few things to try before you get in touch with Apple customer support. Many iPhone XR users are getting a full day of use out of their smartphone, but others are running into abnormal battery drain issues. Abnormal battery drain is a common issue and sometimes it’s related to bad hardware. That said, more often than not, it’s a software issue. If your iPhone XR can barely hold a charge you might have a defective battery. If your battery percentages are dropping rapidly, you might need to bring the device into an Apple Store or a local store to get it checked out. If you’re still able to use your phone and your battery just seems like it’s bleeding faster than it normally does, you should be able to fix the issue on your own after a few minutes of work.
In this guide we’ll take you through some steps to take to fix bad iPhone XR battery life. We’ll also provide you with some tips that could help prevent issues in the future.
Restart Your Phone
If you start noticing weird battery drain, your should restart your iPhone XR. Power the phone down, leave it off for a minute, and power it back on. This will often fix the issue.
- Head into Settings.
- Tap Battery. Tap Low Power Mode.
- Toggle it On whenever you need to save battery.
We highly recommend adding a shortcut to Low Power Mode in Control Center. Control Center is the menu that appears when you pull down from the top right of the display. Here’s how to add Low Power Mode to Control Center:
- Head into Settings.
- Tap Control Center.
- Tap the green plus sign next to Low Power Mode.
You can now quickly toggle Low Power Mode on and off whenever you need it.
Manage Your Display
The iPhone XR’s 6.1-inch LCD can suck up your battery life if you aren’t careful. If your screen is bright for no reason, your device could be draining battery faster than it should.
Auto Brightness works well, but there are times when your phone’s sensors might misread the environment. If you’ve been having major issues with your battery life, try manually adjusting the display to suit your lighting conditions.
To this you simply need to pull up Control Center (swipe down from the top right of the display) and adjust your screen as needed. You can also adjust the brightness from the Settings app if you head into the Display Brightness section.
iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s
Average battery life: Around 5 to 11 hours for both phones.
Released in 2012, the iPhone 5 featured a 1440 mAh battery, and Apple claimed a single charge on this device could last up to 225 hours if the phone wasn’t in heavy use. But Engadget reported the iPhone 5 lasting just a little over 11 hours during its tests, while AnandTech’s tests showed closer to an average of just five hours per charge, with the phone losing 10% to 15% of its charge each hour. Many users experienced similar results or malfunctioning batteries, and to this day, some people still lament the iPhone 5’s short battery life.
The iPhone 5s has a bigger battery at 1560 mAh, but it still showed only slight improvements compared to the 5. Tech Radar did not find a single charge lasting the 10 hours Apple claimed the phone would when in regular use.
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s
Average battery life: About 7 to 14 hours for both phones.
In 2014, Apple introduced a 1810 mAh battery for the iPhone 6. Tom’s Guide found that the phone only lasted 7 hours and 25 minutes with continuous use, but at Trusted Reviews, tester Evan Kypreos had better results: his iPhone 6 lasted 14 hours when in heavy usage (at 50% brightness), and up to 35 hours when not being used at all.
The iPhone 6s fared worse, due to its smaller, 1715 mAH battery. Although it seemed to be a downgrade, Engadget stated the smaller battery was to make room for the new 3D Touch hardware on this model. Apple claimed the 6s was more energy efficient and would offer the same battery life as the 6, but Trusted Reviews did not find that to be the case, reporting the 6s having 5% less battery capacity than the 6.
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
Average battery life: About 10 to 12 hours for both phones.
2016’s iPhone 7 came without a headphone jack, in order to make room for better cameras and a bigger battery, according to The Verge. Indeed, the batteries for both models were impressive: the iPhone 7 had an 1960 mAh battery, while the 7 Plus had a 2900 mAh battery. According to Apple, the greater size was meant to increase the 7’s charge time by two hours from the 6s.
In tests, The Verge found the iPhone 7 lasting about 10 hours, and the 7 Plus lasting 12 hours, when in medium usage. Tech Radar’s testing found the iPhone 7 barely making it through a day, and overall lasting just seven minutes more than the 6s. The site’s review of the iPhone 7 Plus was more positive, though, with the phone apparently lasting a full day of heavy usage.
What does iPhone battery health mean?
The Battery Health page shows your iPhone’s remaining battery capacity, among other breakdowns of battery health.
Per Apple’s description, the Maximum Capacity listed is a measure of battery capacity relative to when it was new. Lower capacity may result in fewer hours of usage between charges. The closer your device is to 100%, the better.
Apple says that your phone’s battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity after 500 complete charge cycles, which for most people takes about two years of use.
So anything above 80% is considered good, but when the battery dips below this threshold, it’s considered worn, and you should consider replacing it because it will degrade much faster.
Note: If you notice that your iPhone won’t charge past 80%, don’t panic — it could be that the Optimized Battery Charging feature is on.
In the Peak Performance Capability section, you’ll see a more detailed explanation of how your battery is doing. Here’s what they all mean:
- Your battery is currently supporting normal peak performance. This means that your battery is working normally and has the highest capacity available. To keep it that way for longer, there are a couple of things you can do to keep your iPhone‘s battery healthy.
- Built-in dynamic software and hardware will help counter performance impacts that may be noticed as your iPhone battery chemically ages. As your battery ages, you might see this message. This means your battery is beginning to degrade, which may affect performance.
- This iPhone has experienced an unexpected shutdown because the battery was unable to deliver the necessary peak power. Performance management has been applied to help prevent this from happening again. This message is an indication your battery is causing issues with your iPhone, and it might soon be time to upgrade. You’re likely going to see performance issues, like slower loading times.
- Your battery’s health is significantly degraded. The iPhone will display this when the battery’s capacity is below 80%, and it can significantly affect your phone’s ability to work normally.
If your iPhone is older and can’t upgrade to iOS 11.3, then you can’t check on battery health in Settings. However, you can ask Apple to run a diagnostic test on your battery for you. You can do this by visiting an Apple Store, or by talking to Apple’s customer support online.
Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he’s also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.
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How to Prolong Your iPhone Battery Health
Aside from extracting a decent resale value, there are several other reasons why you would want your iPhone battery health to last longer. Here are some tips to make your iPhone battery last longer.
Don’t Fully Discharge Your Battery
If you’re concerned about maintaining good battery health, you’ve probably heard that letting your battery drain to 0% before charging is a good idea. However, this isn’t so.
Ensure you charge your iPhone before it completely shuts down, and stop charging once the battery is full. Ideally, your iPhone’s battery level should be around 30% and 80% for optimal battery health.
Enable Optimized Battery Charging
Nothing degrades the health of your battery quicker than continuous charging. Your iPhone battery has a set number of 500 complete charge cycles. When you exceed that number, your battery’s health will begin to deteriorate.
Enabling optimized battery charging is one way to avoid exceeding charging cycles too frequently. This feature allows you to charge your iPhone slowly to be at around 80 percent or 100 percent when you are ready to use it.
Enable Low Power Mode.
The key to extending the life of your iPhone’s battery is to avoid draining the battery needlessly. The more your battery drains, the more you’ll have to charge. Furthermore, if you charge your phone too frequently, the battery health will worsen.
For this reason, you need to activate the low power mode on your iPhone to ensure your battery doesn’t drain too quickly.
Update to the Latest iOS Version
Updating the device’s operating system is important to keep your iPhone’s battery healthy. Regular updates help to keep the battery in good condition. Furthermore, these updates usually include new battery-saving features for optimizing battery life.
Charge Your iPhone As Soon As It Fully Discharges
Because iPhones feature lithium-ion batteries, which have a limited lifespan, you should try to preserve your battery as much as you can. Allowing a smartphone’s battery to die completely is one of the most damaging things you can do because when a battery cell reaches zero charges, it might not work again.
iPhone batteries usually retain a reserve charge even when turned off to avoid this problem. However, if your iPhone dies, remember to charge it immediately to preserve the battery.
Cost of Replacing iPhone Battery
If your iPhone is still under warranty or you have AppleCare, Apple will repair your battery for free. However, if a defect not covered by AppleCare causes the problem, you’ll have to pay 69 for more recent models.
You can send your phone in for repairs or visit an Apple store. Repairs in a physical store could be finished in one visit or, in more difficult cases, could take up to three to five days. over, shipping the iPhone for repairs will take a little longer, and you’ll also have to pay 6.95 in shipping fees if your phone is out of warranty.
If this doesn’t work for you, consider third-party vendors who offer iPhone repair services. However, the quality of the repair varies by vendor, so read reviews and ask questions to find the most suitable vendor.
Conclusion
The health of your phone’s battery is one of the most accurate indicators of how powerful the battery is. If your iPhone battery health is 85%, you don’t have to replace the battery yet. However, ensure you follow the tips above to prolong the battery life as much as possible.
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iPhone XR vs iPhone XS Max
If you’re looking for the best iPhone on the market, you have two main choices: the iPhone XR and the iPhone XS Max. Both phones are great choices, but which one is the best for you?
The Apple iPhone XR is the cheaper of the two phones, but it still has a lot to offer. It has a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display, an A12 Bionic chip, and Face ID. It also has a 12-megapixel camera and comes in a variety of fun colors.
The Apple iPhone XR offers a dust-resistant cover and is splash resistant. The iPhone XR is also water resistant and was put under a depth control test where it was found to be resistant at a depth of one meter for half an hour.
The iPhone XS Max is the more expensive option, but it has a few features that the iPhone XR doesn’t have.
It has a larger 6.5-inch Super Retina OLED display, a better camera with dual 12-megapixel sensors, and a faster A12 Bionic chip. It has strong performance and a larger display.
Does The Camera app take away from the Longer Battery Life?
In short, yes. The iPhone XR has a Truedepth Camera that runs off of a neural engine. All of this means that the camera app could use up a lot of battery life, especially if you use features such as Smart HDR, auto FOCUS pixels.
Using your phone in low light will also use battery life as the XS will use the flash to capture the best photo possible.
TrueDepth Camera Specs
The TrueDepth Camera is a standard 7-megapixel camera that can take selfies or FaceTime calls as an added advantage. From iOS 14, it will stream iOS FaceTime conversations in 720p on Wi-Fi connections.
The rear camera of the iPhone XR supports several new features, including Smart HDR for portraits, captures a deeper depth of shadow and highlight, and a new Depth Control feature which allows for adjustment of brightness for portrait images in front if there’s a blur.
All of this can take away from the battery life of the Apple XR Battery.
Wireless Charging
Apple’s XR supports wireless charging since its release and continues to provide glass body and incorporated wireless charging coils and will support wireless charging.
Haptic touch replaced 3D touch as seenin previous models, holding a button for a certain amount of time will now trigger something to happen, for example pressing the sound button for 10 seconds could trigger the camera to start up because of haptic feedback.