Batteries

Maximizing Battery Life

and Lifespan
“Battery life” is the amount of time your device runs
before it needs to be recharged. “Battery lifespan”
is the amount of time your battery lasts until it
needs to be replaced. Maximize both and youʼll get
the most out of your Apple devices, no matter
which ones you own.

Tips for iOS Devices Tips for Apple Watch

Tips for iPod Tips for MacBook

Tips for Extending Battery Lifespan

Tips for iPhone, iPad, and

iPod touch
Update to the latest software.
Always make sure your device is using the latest version of
iOS.

If you are using iOS 5 or later, see if you need an

update. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.

If an update is available, you can plug your device into

a power source and update wirelessly or plug it into
your computer and update with the latest version of
iTunes.

Learn more about updating iOS 

Optimize your settings.

There are two simple ways you can preserve battery life —
no matter how you use your device: adjust your screen
brightness and use Wi-Fi.

Dim the screen or turn on Auto-Brightness to extend

battery life.

To dim, open Control Center and drag the Brightness

slider to the bottom.

Auto-Brightness adjusts your screen to lighting

conditions automatically. To activate it, go to Settings
> Accessibility. Tap Display & Text Size, then turn on
Auto-Brightness.

When you use your device to access data, a Wi-Fi

connection uses less power than a cellular network — so
keep Wi-Fi on at all times. To turn on Wi-Fi, go to Settings >
Wi-Fi to access a Wi-Fi network.

Enable Low Power Mode.

Introduced with iOS 9, Low Power Mode is an easy way to
extend the battery life of your iPhone when it starts to get
low. Your iPhone lets you know when your battery level
goes down to 20%, and again at 10%, and lets you turn on
Low Power Mode with one tap. Or you can enable it by
going to Settings > Battery. Low Power Mode reduces
display brightness, optimizes device performance, and
minimizes system animations. Apps including Mail will not
download content in the background, and features like
AirDrop, iCloud sync, and Continuity will be disabled. You
can still use key functions like making and receiving phone
calls, email, and messages, accessing the Internet, and
more. And when your phone charges up again,
Low Power Mode automatically switches off.

View Battery Usage information

With iOS, you can easily manage your deviceʼs battery life,
because you can see the proportion of your battery used by
each app (unless the device is charging). To view your
usage, go to Settings > Battery.

Here are the messages you may see listed below the apps
youʼve been using:

Background Activity. This indicates that the battery was

used by the app while it was in the background — that is,
while you were using another app.

To improve battery life, you can turn off the feature

that allows apps to refresh in the background. Go to
Settings > General > Background App Refresh and
select Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi & Cellular Data, or Off to turn off
Background App Refresh entirely.

If the Mail app lists Background Activity, you can

choose to fetch data manually or increase the fetch
interval. Go to Settings > Accounts & Passwords >
Fetch New Data.

Location and Background Location. This indicates that the

app is using location services.

You can optimize your battery life by turning off

Location Services for the app. Turn off in Settings >
Privacy > Location Services.

In Location Services, you can see each app listed with

its permission setting. Apps that recently used
location services have an indicator next to the on/off
switch.

Home & Lock Screen. This indicates that the Home screen
or Lock screen was displayed on your device. For example,
the display was awakened by pressing the Home button or
by a notification.

If an app frequently wakes your display with

notifications, you can turn off push notifications for
the app in Settings > Notifications. Tap the app and
set Allow Notifications to Off.

No Cell Coverage and Low Signal. This indicates either

that you are in a poor cell coverage area and your iOS
device is searching for a better signal or that youʼve used
your device in low-signal conditions, which has affected
your battery life.

You can optimize your battery life by turning on

Airplane mode. Open Control Center and tap the
Airplane mode icon. Note that you cannot make or
receive calls while in Airplane mode.

Plug in and power on your computer

to charge your device.
Make sure your computer is plugged in and powered on
when youʼre using it to charge your iOS device via USB. If
your device is connected to a computer thatʼs turned off or
is in sleep or standby mode, your deviceʼs battery may
drain. Note that iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS cannot be
charged with a FireWire power adapter or FireWire-based
car charger.

Tips for Apple Watch

Update to the latest software.
Always make sure your Apple Watch is using the latest
version of watchOS.

To see if you need an update, open the Apple Watch

app on your iPhone and go to My Watch > General >
Software Update.

If an update is available, connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi,

attach the charger to your Apple Watch (make sure it
has at least 50% charge), and update wirelessly.

Learn more about updating watchOS 

Adjust your settings.

There are a few ways you can preserve battery life on your
Apple Watch:

During running and walking workouts, turn on Power

Saving Mode to disable the heart rate sensor. To do
this, open the Apple Watch app on iPhone, go to My
Watch > Workout, and turn on Power Saving Mode.
Note that when the heart rate sensor is off, calorie
burn calculations may not be as accurate.

For longer workouts, you can choose to use a

Bluetooth chest strap instead of the built-in heart rate
sensor. To pair the Bluetooth chest strap with your
watch, make sure the strap is in pairing mode, then
open Settings on Apple Watch, select Bluetooth, and
choose from the list of Health Devices.

If youʼre very active with your hands and your watch

display turns on more than you think it should, you can
prevent the display from turning on every time you
raise your wrist. Open Settings on Apple Watch, select
General, select Wake Screen, and turn Wake Screen
on Wrist Raise off. When you want to turn on the
display, just tap it or press the Digital Crown.

Disabling Bluetooth on your iPhone increases the

battery drain on your Apple Watch. For more power-
efficient communication between the devices, keep
Bluetooth enabled on iPhone.

Enable Low Power Mode.

Introduced with watchOS 9, Low Power Mode is an easy
way to extend the battery life of your Apple Watch when
needed, for example if youʼre on a long flight or find
yourself without your charger for the night. You can enable
it by swiping up to Control Center and tapping on the
battery percentage, or by going to Settings > Battery.

Low Power Mode prolongs battery life by turning off

always-on display, limiting the cellular and Wi-Fi
connections of your Apple Watch, and disabling
background sensor readings including heart rate
measurements, high and low heart rate notifications, and
irregular rhythm notifications.

When not connected to your iPhone, your Apple Watch will

attempt to retrieve notifications approximately once an
hour. When your Apple Watch battery reaches 80% charge
Low Power Mode automatically switches off.

View Battery Usage information

To view your battery usage and charging history, open the
Settings app on your Apple Watch and go to Battery.

Plug in and power on your computer

to charge your Apple Watch.
If you want to charge from your computer, make sure it is
plugged in and powered on when youʼre using it to charge
your Apple Watch via USB. If your Apple Watch is
connected to a computer thatʼs turned off or is in sleep or
standby mode, the Apple Watch battery may drain.

If your Apple Watch battery needs service, use Apple or an

authorized service provider.

Tips for iPod shuffle, iPod nano,

and iPod classic
Update to the latest software.
Always make sure your iPod is using the latest version of
Apple software. Put your iPod in its dock or plug it into your
computer, and iTunes will notify you of available updates.

Optimize your settings.

Hold and pause. Set the Hold switch when youʼre not using
your iPod. This will prevent iPod from accidentally waking
up and using unnecessary power. If youʼre not listening to
your iPod, pause it, or turn it off by pressing the Play button
for two seconds.

Equalizer (EQ). Adding EQ to playback increases use of

your iPod processor, since EQ isnʼt encoded in the song.
Turn EQ off if you donʼt use it. If, however, youʼve added EQ
to tracks in iTunes, youʼll need to set EQ to “flat” in order to
have the effect of “off,” because iPod keeps your iTunes
settings intact.

Backlight. Setting the backlight to “always on” will

significantly reduce your battery life. Use the backlight only
when necessary.

Plug in and power on your computer

to charge your iPod.
Make sure your computer is plugged in and powered on
when youʼre using it to charge your iPod via USB. If your
iPod is connected to a computer thatʼs turned off or is in
sleep or standby mode, the iPod battery may drain.

Tips for MacBook Air and

MacBook Pro.
Update to the latest software.
Always make sure your MacBook is using the latest version
of macOS. If youʼre connected to the Internet, macOS
automatically checks for software updates every week, but
you still control when the updates are installed. To confirm
that youʼre using the latest software, go to the Apple menu
and choose Software Update.

Learn more about updating macOS 

Optimize your settings.

Energy. The Energy Saver preference pane includes several
settings that determine power levels for your MacBook.
Your MacBook knows when itʼs plugged in and runs
accordingly. When using battery power, it dims the screen
and uses other components sparingly. If you change this
setting to maximize performance, your battery will drain
more quickly.

Brightness. Dim the screen to the lowest comfortable level

to achieve maximum battery life. For instance, when
watching a video on an airplane, you may not need full
brightness if the cabin lights are off.

Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi consumes power, even if you are not using it to

connect to a network. You can turn it off in the Wi-Fi status
menu in the menu bar or in Network preferences.

Applications and peripherals. Disconnect peripherals and

quit applications not in use. Eject an SD card if youʼre not
currently accessing it.

Plug in and power on your MacBook

to charge other devices.
Make sure your MacBook is plugged in and powered on
when youʼre using it to charge other devices via USB.
Otherwise those devices may drain the battery in your
MacBook faster than normal. If another device is connected
to your MacBook when itʼs turned off or in sleep or standby
mode, the deviceʼs battery may drain.

Tips for Extending Battery

Lifespan
Automatic battery health
management.
To reduce battery aging, built-in software and hardware
systems are included to manage charging patterns and
battery temperature.

Optimized Battery Charging and Optimized Charge

Limit adapt to your daily usage and preserve your
battery lifespan over time. Optimized Battery Charging
is available on all platforms as of iOS 13, watchOS 7,
and macOS Big Sur. Based on your daily charging
routine, it may automatically defer charging to 100%
until shortly before you need to use the battery.
Apple Watch Ultra can further reduce time spent at
high states of charge by learning when to charge to an
Optimized Charge Limit and when to allow for a full
charge.

Charging may pause temporarily while in extreme

temperature conditions, and will resume once the
batteryʼs temperature returns to its normal operating
range. Starting in iOS 16, you may see a notification
appear on the lock screen when charging has paused
for this reason. Starting in iOS 16 and watchOS 9,
paused charging information is also available in
Settings > Battery.

Avoid extreme ambient

temperatures.
Your device is designed to perform well in a wide range of
ambient temperatures, with 62° to 72° F (16° to 22° C) as
the ideal comfort zone. Itʼs especially important to avoid
exposing your device to ambient temperatures higher than
95° F (35° C), which can permanently damage battery
capacity. That is, your battery wonʼt power your device as
long on a given charge. Charging the device in high ambient
temperatures can damage it further. Software may limit
charging above 80% when the recommended battery
temperatures are exceeded. Even storing a battery in a hot
environment can damage it irreversibly. When using your
device in a very cold environment, you may notice a
decrease in battery life, but this condition is temporary.
Once the batteryʼs temperature returns to its normal
operating range, its performance will return to normal as
well.

iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple Watch Comfort

Zone

32° F 95° F

Too Cold Room Temperature Too Hot

iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple Watch work best at 32° to 95° F (0° to
35° C) ambient temperatures. Storage temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20°
to 45° C).

MacBook Comfort Zone

50° F 95° F

Too Cold Room Temperature Too Hot

MacBook works best at 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C) ambient

temperatures. Storage temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C).

Remove certain cases during

charging.
Charging your device when itʼs inside certain styles of
cases may generate excess heat, which can affect battery
capacity. If you notice that your device gets hot when you
charge it, take it out of its case first.

Store it half-charged when you store

it long term.
If you want to store your device long term, two key factors
will affect the overall health of your battery: the
environmental temperature and the percentage of charge
on the battery when itʼs powered down for storage.
Therefore, we recommend the following:

Do not fully charge or fully discharge your deviceʼs

battery — charge it to around 50%. If you store a
device when its battery is fully discharged, the battery
could fall into a deep discharge state, which renders it
incapable of holding a charge. Conversely, if you store
it fully charged for an extended period of time, the
battery may lose some capacity, leading to shorter
battery life.

Power down the device to avoid additional battery use.

Place your device in a cool, moisture-free environment

thatʼs less than 90° F (32° C).

If you plan to store your device for longer than six

months, charge it to 50% every six months.

Depending on how long you store your device, it may be in

a low-battery state when you remove it from long-term
storage. After itʼs removed from storage, it may require 20
minutes of charging with the original adapter before you
can use it.

 Batteries Maximizing Performance

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