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Apple introduced a lot of new features and improvements in iOS 17. Many of them can be useful on many occasions, but they can also translate to high battery usage. Thankfully, you can always disable them:
Decrease Widgets usage. Apple added some new Widgets in iOS. However, the more Widgets you use, the more battery your iPhone will consume. This is particularly true for Widgets that always have to update their information, such as Weather and other location-based Widgets.
Live Activities. Just like Widgets, Live Activities can actually consume some battery power even if you are not completely using an app. The feature reacts to notifications, so every time there is one, it would have to give you updates even on your Lock Screen. If you want to disable this notification to save some power when your device is locked, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Live Activities. Toggle this option off. This same idea applies to all notifications you are receiving from different apps. If you want to disable them, go to Settings > Notifications and change the notification settings of each one.
Turn off AirDrop‘s new sharing gesture. iOS 17 introduces a new way to easily share files with other users via AirDrop’s new sharing gesture, allowing you to send or receive by simply bringing two iPhones together. However, it may cause accidental triggers that can wake the devices up, leading to battery consumption. As such, if you are not frequently using it, disable it in Settings > General > AirDrop. Toggle off the “Bringing Devices Together” option.
Live Voicemail. While the Live Voicemail looks cool, the feature will always wake up your device to transcribe a call in real-time on your screen. To disable it, go to Settings > Phone > Live Voicemail. Toggle off the option.
Live Wallpapers. While the new Live Wallpapers Apple added in iOS 17 look inviting, using them can contribute to the fast draining of your battery. As such, you might want to refrain from using them regularly.
Always On Display. This setting can apparently contribute to a significant amount of battery consumption. As such, it is not ideal to use it frequently. The option can be found in select iPhone models’ Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On Display. On the page, you’ll see some options, including the general setting for AOD alongside customization settings.
How to save more power
Aside from these new features, other areas of iOS can also affect your battery usage. Some include the Location Settings, display brightness, Background App Refresh, Bluetooth, mobile data, frame rate, 5G connectivity, and more. You can always turn them off or customize them based on your preference but note that this could limit the performance of your device (which also means you won’t be able to enjoy your device in the best possible ways). Yet, if you really want to save your battery, especially in critical situations, you always have the option to turn the options off.
Moreover, you also have the option to use Low-Power Mode, albeit it means limiting the device’s performance. Some areas it could affect are HDR video viewing, video autoplay, Always On Display, CPU, and GPU.
On the other hand, to protect your battery and extend its life, you can use the new Charging Optimization page. Although limited to the recently released iPhone 15 models, this feature can help preserve your battery health for several years. On the page, you have three options: Optimized Battery Charging, 80% Limit, and None. Choosing the first option will cause the system to observe the charging routine of the unit, so it can delay the charging past 80% around the time it usually gets unplugged. This should allow the iPhone not to overcharge or reach 100%, protecting the battery and helping it to last longer. On the other hand, opting for the 80% Limit option will directly stop the charging at the said level and won’t go beyond that.
