If you’re someone that is easily tempted by the fun options on sites like Bazaar Gadgets, you’re probably a techie who gets excited at every new Apple launch, too.
New gadgets are fun, but it makes more fiscal sense to maintain the iPhone you already have instead of purchasing a new one every other year.
There’s still debate over whether or not Apple has anything to do with the degradation of older models as soon as a newer one is released. Many iPhone holders claim they experience a pattern of battery draining and performance issues when newer versions are released.
Even if that’s the case, there are 10 things you can do to maintain your current model.
1- Keep the charging port clean.
Trouble holding a charge? Use either a specialty SIM removal tool or a household toothpick to gently pick out any gunk from the lightning port. If you’re still having trouble, you may want to consider taking a trip to the nearest Apple Genius Bar. Check your charging cable too. Faulty and dirty charging cables are a common problem.
2- Don’t let the microphone and speaker collect debris.
Phone call quality and music playback can quickly degrade when your speaker or microphone get covered in dirt, makeup, and debris.
Find a clean and unused soft-bristled toothbrush and use it to gently scrub the opening. After loosening up the debris, carefully place a piece of tape on top. The dust will stick to it and lift easily. You can also speed up the process by blowing it out with a canned duster.
3- Wipe down the screen.
If you use a screen protector, you should remove it, clean the screen, and replace it with a new protector every six months or so. This allows you to clean the glass surface of your phone and wipe away any tiny bits that snuck their way in. If you don’t have a screen protector, do the same.
Use a lint-free or eyeglass cloth to gently wipe away any specks.
4- Air dust the headphone jack.
If you have an older model (iPhone 6s or prior), you still have a headphone jack. This is where compressed air is a good call. Use an air duster just outside the jack to gently clean the inside. In a worst-case-scenario, you can also use a toothpick to dislodge any pieces that are stuck.
5. Recalibrate the battery.
If you battery is draining much faster than normal, it’s likely time to recalibrate it. When you recalibrate your iPhone, your battery will drain much more slowly and lifespan will increase. To do this, you’ll need to drain your battery completely, wait three hours, charge it beyond 100%, drain it again, wait another three hours, and charge it back up one last time.
6. Open up storage space.
Take some time to go through your photos, music, and videos that are taking up large amounts of space on your phone. Phones with less storage perform better.
7. Keep your data backed up.
Save yourself heartache of losing everything precious data on your phone by regularly backing it up onto your iCloud, or via iTunes on a computer. Having your data backed up into a safe space means you can feel more confident in deleting storage from your phone, too!
8. Restart it.
This is the oldest advice in the iPhone book, but it’s a good recommendation. Rebooting your iPhone every now and then will free up RAM space, prevent unexpected crashes, fix memory leaks, and can even improve your battery’s life.
9. Update your apps.
You can adjust your settings to automatically update your apps when new versions are released. This will eliminate bugs, increase security, and add new features to the apps you love.
10. Review app settings.
Review the settings you have in place for your apps. They may be sucking data or battery out of your phone in the background without you realizing it! Since the app menus change over time, you should be checking in every few months to follow up.
