Technology & Innovation

iPhone charging slowly? Here’s why and simple tips to fix it


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CNET

Are you constantly moving around during the holidays and going to a few hangouts here and there? Or are you planning an unforgettable New Year’s Eve celebration and want to make sure your phone’s low battery doesn’t get in the way of the festivities? Don’t let a drained device ruin your vacation fun. Not when you can use these fast charging tips to keep your phone powered up and ready for whatever happens.

There are actually several ways to fast charge your phone to get it back where it should be, even if your phone is stuck to the last percentage. One option is to keep a portable power bank with you when you can. The other way is to turn on Low Battery Mode to reduce extraneous processes and animations.

This story is part of 12 days of tipshelping you make the most of your technology, home, and health during the holiday season.

We can all agree on one thing: it’s never a good idea to leave the house without a fully charged phone. And if you need a phone with a full battery quickly, we’ve got some tips on how to make it happen in no time.

In the guide below, we’ll walk you through some of the do’s and don’ts of charging your iPhone to make sure you get the most power and deliver it in the fastest way. Looking for more charging power? Check out the best power banks for iPhone in 2024, and if you’re still using an iPhone with a Lightning port, here are some of the cheapest fast chargers you can find.

1. Upgrade your old charger

The fastest way to charge your iPhone is with a fast charger: at least 20W power adapter together USB-C to Lightning Or a USB-C to USB-C cable for iPhone 15 models. As long as you have an iPhone 8 or later, you can quickly charge your phone from dead to about 50% battery in about 30 minutes. If you have an extra watch, you can charge it fully. Even just 10 minutes of fast charging can boost your battery by double digits, so if you’re short on time, always switch to the fast charger option.

Apple no longer provides power adapters when you buy a new phone, just the cable, but you can purchase Apple’s own 20-watt power adapter from apple and Amazon. According to Apple, you can too Use other compatible fast-charging power bricksbut you’ll need at least a 20W brick to quickly charge the iPhone 12 and later.

Mkeke USB-C Charger

Mkeke makes a 20W charger .

Makiki

2. Charge wirelessly in the fastest way with this

The second fastest way to charge your iPhone is Apple MagSafe charger and a 20W power adapter, but for this to work, you must have either an iPhone 12 or later to get faster 15W wireless charging. If your iPhone is dead, you should reach about 30% battery in about 30 minutes of wireless charging.

This does not mean that you can use any Qi wireless charger (industry standard) for fast charging. While the MagSafe charger supports 15W, the Qi charger only gives you up to 7.5W, which is much slower than MagSafe and only slightly faster than a traditional charger. 5W wall charger. Be aware that non-MagSafe certified magnetic wireless chargers will also charge at a slower speed of 7.5W.

MagSafe charger on phone in person's hand

The MagSafe charger can be fast, but only in certain scenarios.

Patrick Holland/CNET

3. Stop using your computer to charge your iPhone

Your laptop may seem like a convenient way to charge your iPhone, especially if you spend most of your day in front of the computer and want to keep a close eye on any incoming text messages and notifications. Unfortunately, your computer will always charge your phone slower than any wall charger or wireless charger.

Your computer’s USB port, whether it’s the larger, older USB-A or the newer, smaller USB-C, can’t deliver the same amount of power that any wall outlet can, even a 5-watt power adapter. This is especially true if you have an older computer with a faulty USB port or an incompatible charging cable, both of which can slow down the charging process even further.

MacBook Air M2 2022 laptop

Using a MacBook may seem like an easy way to charge your iPhone, but it’s slower than any wall charger.

Dan Ackerman/CNET

4. Also, keep your hands away from your iPhone while charging

If you want your iPhone to charge as quickly as possible, try to stay away from it as much as possible. If you stream videos or play mobile games while your iPhone is charging, the battery will charge much more slowly, so leave it untouched if you can

5. An easy way to speed up the battery charging process

Even if your screen is in sleep mode, your phone is still running in the background. If you want your iPhone to charge quickly, the best thing you can do is turn it off.

Note that plugging in a turned off iPhone will sometimes cause it to restart, so plug it in or put it on a wireless charger first, then Turn it off.

6. If you don’t want to turn off your iPhone, switch to Airplane mode

If you don’t want to turn off your iPhone but still want to help it charge faster, you can turn on Airplane Mode, which disables all wireless transfer functions like cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, all of which consume power. If it is off, your iPhone can charge faster. This way, you can also quickly turn off Airplane Mode to quickly check any text messages or phone calls you may be waiting for.

Airplane mode on iPhone

Airplane mode will stop notifications from arriving but will conserve battery while charging your iPhone.

Jason Cipriani/CNET

7. Tweak these iPhone settings to charge the battery faster

Do you know all those tips that help you preserve your battery in the first place? You can use the same features and settings to help your iPhone charge faster if you don’t plan to turn it off.

  • Low power mode: Turn it on to reduce or affect battery-consuming features such as 5G, screen brightness, auto-lock, background app refresh, and automatic downloads.
  • Dark mode: The jury is out On how much Dark Mode actually saves battery life, but turning it on while your iPhone is charging doesn’t hurt, especially if every percentage counts.
  • Reduce screen brightness: One of the most power-hungry pieces of any gadget that has one is its screen. The brighter your screen is, the faster your battery will drain, so turn it all the way down while charging.

Low battery mode on iPhone

Apple’s Low Power Mode helps preserve your iPhone’s battery life.

Sarah Tew/CNET

8. Optimized battery charging may slow down the charging rate

Apple has a built-in tool that helps prevent your iPhone’s battery from deteriorating quickly, but this same feature also makes your device charge slower. Although this feature usually only slows down your iPhone during long charging periods, usually overnight, it can be useful to disable it when charging your phone. Go to Settings > battery > Battery health And toggle off Optimized battery charging To disable this feature.

9. You may just need a new iPhone battery

On the same settings page where you can disable optimal battery charging, you can also check your battery health. If you see a message like “Battery health has deteriorated significantly,” you should schedule an appointment with Apple to replace your battery. A degraded battery can’t hold a charge as well, so it will drain more quickly. The new battery will improve overall battery life.

You can check the approximate cost of replacing the battery Apple iPhone battery service website. Pricing depends on your service coverage and the brand and model: For the iPhone 15 series, the estimate is $99.

Setting battery health on iPhone

Go to Settings > Battery to check battery health.

Victor DeCarlo/CNET

For more tips, check out 23 more iPhone tips and tricks you should know and how to get more space when your iPhone is low on storage.

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