Tyler Morgan spent two years working in sales at Apple, where he watched countless customers walk into the company’s iconic, minimalist stores to upgrade their iPhones.
It wasn’t flashy new cameras or the latest features driving most purchases. Instead, deteriorating battery life was what finally convinced people to replace an otherwise perfectly functional device.
In the coming months, millions of those same customers will once again face the prospect of spending more than $1,000 to upgrade when Apple unveils its next generation of iPhones.
But according to Morgan, many of them don’t have to.
Drawing on his experience as a former Apple employee, Morgan revealed to the Daily Mail how iPhone users can get the most out of their current devices, spending just under $100 or, in some cases, nothing at all.
Morgan said users can dramatically improve performance by replacing the battery, spending just a fraction of what they would have spent on a new device.
He added that many people do not realize Apple offers the $80 service at its retail stores. Those who are comfortable working on electronics can even order a self-service repair kit directly from Apple and replace the battery themselves.
And the process of replacing an iPhone battery is not the technical challenge many may think.
The biggest reason iPhone users buy a new device is because their battery is failing
Tyler Morgan, who worked for Apple in sales for two years. He now shares tips and tricks to help people get the most out of their iPhones
He also noted that customers who have AppleCare may qualify for a free battery replacement once their battery health falls to 79 percent or lower.
Apple has continued to face scrutiny over battery performance years after agreeing to settle lawsuits related to slowing older iPhones, while denying any wrongdoing.
The controversy, dubbed ‘Batterygate,’ erupted in 2017 after Apple acknowledged it had been reducing the performance of certain older iPhones with degraded batteries.
The company claimed it was a necessary measure to prevent unexpected device shutdowns caused by aging, chemically degraded lithium-ion batteries.
Critics argued the company failed to clearly tell customers that their phones were being intentionally slowed, leading many to believe they needed to buy a new device instead of simply replacing the battery.
Apple ultimately agreed to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to settle class-action lawsuits in the US without admitting liability.
The company has maintained that the software changes were designed to extend the usable life of aging devices and improve reliability, not force customers to upgrade.
In response to the backlash, Apple introduced Battery Health, Performance Management controls and lower-cost battery replacements, giving users more insight into their battery’s condition and whether it was affecting performance.
For those with an even tighter budget, Morgan also revealed an iPhone battery hack that won’t cost a penny.
‘The biggest, biggest one is the Background App Refresh,’ Morgan told the Daily Mail. ‘Most likely, if you go and look in your settings right now, it’s probably on for every single one of your apps.’
Background App Refresh is a feature that allows apps to periodically check for new content and updates while they are running in the background.
The single biggest mistake iPhone users make is leaving Background App Refresh enabled for dozens, or even hundreds, of apps they rarely use, according to Morgan
However, it can drain your phone’s battery by waking up your processor and using mobile data or Wi-Fi to fetch updates while apps are minimized.
To locate the setting, navigate to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. From there, you can toggle it off entirely or limit it to Wi-Fi only and choose which individual apps are allowed to update in the background.
Morgan said this is ‘especially [good for] people who are transferring to a new phone, coming from years of backups and all their apps that they probably don’t use.’
When those apps are restored to a new device, many immediately begin refreshing data behind the scenes, even if they are rarely opened.
‘Your background app data is gonna skyrocket the second you download everything and reinstall into a new phone,’ Morgan explained. ‘Even if you don’t use that app… that’s just eating away.’
Morgan recommended switching off Background App Refresh for most applications, saying users are unlikely to notice much difference beyond apps refreshing only when they are reopened.
‘You really don’t need them,’ he said. ‘The only thing you’ll notice is if you go off Instagram for a few hours and come back, it’ll refresh. If you turn it off, that will never happen.’
Display settings can also have a surprising impact on battery life, particularly on iPhones equipped with OLED screens.
Morgan recommended using a darker wallpaper, reducing screen brightness when possible and disabling features such as Auto-Brightness and True Tone if battery life is a priority.
‘The display is really a big factor,’ he said. ‘The darker you keep your phone… that’s obviously going to help.’
Heat is another major enemy of lithium-ion batteries.
Morgan advised avoiding unnecessary overheating by not leaving phones charging for hours after reaching full capacity and by keeping them out of direct sunlight during the summer.
If it’s too late for your device, and your battery is already failing, Morgan recommended replacing the part – not the whole phone.
‘It’s like 80 bucks, and it’ll work basically like brand new,’ he said.
Apple will send instructions along with a battery replacement. But the specialty precision tools required to get the job done are not included.
However, users can rent a professional tool kit for $49, which ships to your house for free, and you can keep it for one week.
Users need a Pentalobe P2 screwdriver to remove the bottom screws, a Y000 tri-point screwdriver and a Phillips #000 screwdriver for internal components, along with a suction cup, plastic prying tools, angled tweezers and replacement adhesive strips.
Morgan is not convinced that every software update is worth installing on older devices.
While he acknowledged newer versions of iOS include important features, he believes they are increasingly optimized for Apple’s latest hardware.
‘I think they designed these updates in a way to draw a lot more power for the phones that can’t handle it,’ he said. ‘The other phones are compatible, but it’s not optimized for that.’
He compared the experience to installing the latest version of Windows on an aging computer, something that technically works, but it often comes with slower performance.
For people who aren’t planning to replace their iPhone anytime soon, Morgan recommended keeping the battery charge between roughly 20 and 80 percent whenever possible instead of repeatedly charging to 100 percent or allowing the phone to completely die.
‘When you keep it in that 20 to 80 balance, most likely your phone will last longer than the average iPhone,’ he said, adding that Apple already includes charging controls that can automatically stop charging at a selected limit.
