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Published on: 21.01.2024 | updated on: 08.04.2024
iPhones are expensive, and you can see yourself paying over $1,500+ for one. To prevent the need for repairs and to make the phone last longer, it’s important to look after the phone the best you can. By looking after the phone properly, you can gain at least another year or two without buying a new phone.
In this article, Simply Fixable team provides an important guide that gives iPhone users tips and essential information on how to look after their phones, such as installing updates, using a protective cover, avoiding overheating and charging, and optimizing charging.
iPhone screens are delicate and will break or crack with a small amount of force; they can scratch easily, too. Nothing is worse than looking at a screen covered in scratches, which can affect your touchscreen if the scratches are deep enough.
When shopping for a phone screen protector, you need to know the exact model of your iPhone. You need to get a protector that is suited to your phone as they are cut to fit the face of your phone. If you get one that is not fitted correctly, it can cover the earpiece and not protect the screen properly. Always look for a tempered glass screen protector to protect your phone best
It’s important to carry out regular iPhone screen cleaning. You can do this either by using a damp microfiber cloth and wiping over the screen or buying actual wipes specifically for phone screens. Doing this every few days while maintaining clean hands will help to keep the screen clean.
Like the screens, an iPhone frame and back cover can smash and become damaged easily. Keeping the phone in a hardcover will protect all parts of your phone, including the screen, camera, charging port area, back cover, and frame. Some parts can be expensive to fix after becoming damaged.
The hard cases are the same as a screen protector. You need to find the one that is suitable for your phone's model. If you get one too small, the phone will not fit in properly, and one too big will just allow the phone to fall out.
Hardcovers have a cut-out for the charger, camera, and side buttons, so you must find one that fits your model properly to allow you easy access to the buttons and ports.
Certain habits you might have with your phone can degrade your battery quickly, such as high usage, frequently completely draining the battery, overcharging, using power-intensive apps, and overheating. By avoiding these habits, you can prolong battery health.
Both hot and cold temperatures can impact how well your iPhone battery performs, charges, and holds charge. High temperatures can degrade and lower the battery performance, and cold temperatures can lower the efficiency. Hotter weather can increase the battery's internal resistance, degrading the battery and shortening its lifespan. The cold will lower the discharge rate and affect the battery’s efficiency.
It is important to optimise good charging habits to ensure you look after the health of your battery. There are ways you can do this below.
Try to go the whole day without charging your phone. Close down apps and turn off automatic fetch for email, which can help retain battery. When you do charge the phone, avoid leaving it on overnight and turn on optimized battery charging.
Optimizing the battery is a great way to look after your battery. You can do this by going to your settings, battery, then battery health and charging, and turning on optimized battery charging.
Monitoring your battery health can help you determine when the phone is ready for a new battery so you can get it done before problems with charging and function occur.
Check your phone battery health by going to your settings, finding battery, and then going to battery health. In this section, you will find a report that shows you what percentage your battery is on and what you can do to improve the battery’s performance.
If you have an iPhone, you will know that every now and again, an update will be sitting in your settings waiting for you to download and install, but why do we need them?
When you update your iPhone, you gain new features and enhancements and fix any glitches or minor bugs that your phone may have. Having an updated iPhone means software runs smoother, and you get a better user experience. It also ensures the device is secure.
When apps and software are up to date, they are enhanced and gain more features to run smoother and without problems. A phone that is freezing, glitching, and not loading anything may need an update. Without updates, the phone will slowly fail to do normal processors.
If you have an iPhone 12 or above, you can turn on automatic updates, which means when an update is ready, the phone will automatically download and install it. Simply go to your settings, general, find software updates, and turn on automatic updates. You will need to check manually if you have an older model phone.
App clutter can significantly slow your phone down. Many apps, like emails, will run in the background and refresh every few minutes. When the app does this, it can cause the phone to run slowly and sluggish, especially if you have too many people doing it.
Every app, document, picture, etc, has files and programs that are installed on your phone that you don't see, and these use space and eventually clog the phone, causing it to run slowly as there is not enough room for the normal phone functions to use.
Using the cloud is great for storing all your data without clogging your iPhone, but you can only benefit from that if you have proper organizational methods in place, such as the following:
The camera will only require a wipe down every few days, and you can do that with a damp microfiber cloth and wipe it over the camera lens. If there are stubborn fingerprints or gunk, you can squirt some glass cleaner onto the cloth, and when it has sunk in, wipe over the lens with that part of the cloth.
The camera sensors take images of your face and compare it to the previous photos of your face when you set the ID up, and if it matches, the phone will unlock. If you don’t keep the lens clean, dirt and fingerprints will obstruct the view, the facial recognition software will not be able to see your face, and the phone will not unlock.
When you are not connected to Wi-Fi, your phone can use a lot of data, which can be a problem, especially if you have a limit. When you are not connected to Wi-Fi, you need to change your settings. Go to settings, then cellular data options, then choose reduce cellular Usage from here toggle on low data mode. This will stop updates and background tasks like constant mail fetching, etc, when you are only using cellular data.
Bluetooth can use battery power, and when you do not need this feature, it is best to turn it off to conserve your battery life. Bluetooth won’t use much battery when you are not using any apps that need to use Bluetooth. If you are using a Bluetooth speaker, then the Bluetooth will start to drain your battery. Try to keep connected devices close together and always turn Bluetooth off when you’re not using it.
Updating your iPhone will update the security patch, giving you access to a better level of security. It can help to remove bugs in the system and keep your phone and software running smoothly.
If you are not updating your phone, features like the face and touch ID can malfunction and you may not be able to log into the device. It will require professional assistance. Keeping the phone updated will ensure this does not occur.
The security features that come with the find my feature mean if your phone or other device is lost or stolen, you can track it and even activate a lock, which means no one can access the device without your Apple ID and your password. If your iPhone is not locked, using this app will automatically lock it. It’s an important feature to have to protect your data.
To begin, connect your phone to a computer that you have used with this phone and Apple account before. Next, open iTunes on the computer and select the device button at the top. Then, navigate to the Summary tab. Finally, locate the Backups section and click on the back up now option to initiate a backup process.
Protective screens are easily removed if you are putting another one on. Be careful if the protector is shattered or cracked, as tiny bits of glass can get into your fingers or under your nails. If you can remove the protector with a pair of medical gloves to protect your hands.
The best way to clean a protective screen on your phone is by using a damp microfibre cloth or screen wipes. Avoid any clothes that are more than damp, as this can cause water drips to go under the screen and cause it to lift up.
Hard cover cases are one of the best for keeping your phone protected. Some heavy-duty covers may seem expensive, but when you compare what you are protecting it outweighs the cost of buying a new phone. Wrap-around covers that protect the whole phone are recommended.
An iCloud backup can take between half an hour to two hours. It will depend on your internet connection, how old the phone is, and how much data you have to back up.
It’s important to look after your phone the best way you can to prolong its lifespan and ensure that it works to the best of its ability. We hope the information and the tips and tricks we have provided will help you understand why you need to protect your phone. Things like a good cover, a screen protector, and keeping the phone updated are all things you can do to extend the life of your phone.
Author: Hollie Spooner
LinkedIn: Hollie Spooner
Professional Content Creator
Hollie is a technical writer with over 15 years of experience specializing in creating content to help keep the rest of the world informed and updated on all tech-related subjects. Hollie has created content for many writing platforms in the tech and IT industry, and her passion for turning words into helpful articles is still growing. Hollie holds several certifications, like "Professional Article and Blog Writing", "Writing Editing and Publishing", "Creative Writing" and "Technology Digital Solutions" by Open Education and Thompsons Education Direct. When she isn’t creating content for the web, she is enjoying a crazy life with her family and friends.
Professional Content Creator
LinkedIn: Hollie Spooner
Hollie is a technical writer with over 15 years of experience specializing in creating content to help keep the rest of the world informed and updated on all tech-related subjects. Hollie has created content for many writing platforms in the tech and IT industry, and her passion for turning words into helpful articles is still growing. Hollie holds several certifications, like "Professional Article and Blog Writing", "Writing Editing and Publishing", "Creative Writing" and "Technology Digital Solutions" by Open Education and Thompsons Education Direct. When she isn’t creating content for the web, she is enjoying a crazy life with her family and friends.
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