Feeling tempted by Apple with the new iPhones? Sure, they look cool and have impressive battery life and features, and it’s normal to want the latest device, but you probably don’t need the iPhone 17. So instead of dropping all that money unnecessarily, try some of these tips to breathe life back into your aging iPhone that still works perfectly, even if it looks a little vintage these days.
- Replace the battery - After a few years, you’re probably not getting the same power-on time that you did when it was new. Fortunately, a new battery will extend your time away from the charger and improve performance, and it typically costs just a fraction of the price of a phone. To find out if your battery is due for an upgrade, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, then check “Maximum capacity.” If it’s 80% or below, it might be time to replace your battery.
- Free up some storage space - No one wants to do this, but if your apps, photos, videos and everything else are filling your phone up, it’s not going to work as well. But you don’t have to get rid of much to make a difference, just 5-10% of your total memory.
- Clean out your charging port - Is your phone charging slowly or inconsistently? Try cleaning out the charging port, which can easily get clogged with lint and debris, making it tough for the charger to properly connect. Use a piece of wire, or a paperclip, to carefully clear anything out and we mean carefully, as the port is fragile and easy to damage.
- Swap your wallpaper - Tired of looking at the same Lock Screen wallpaper? Treat your eyes to something new that won’t feel so boring.
- Switch your home screen layout - Move your app and widgets around so you have a fresh display to look at.
- Get a new case - Part of what we love about new phones is the new look, but you can get a lot of that with a new case for your old phone. Whether you brighten things up with a colorful silicone one or go for a leather case for a premium look, it’s an easy way to upgrade the appearance of your phone so you like it more.
- Replace your screen or screen protector - Get rid of that cracked and scratched screen protector you’ve been living with and treat yourself to a new one.
- Upgrade to iOS 26 - It just came out and you don’t need a new iPhone to run it, it’ll work with models as old as iPhone 11, which came out way back in 2019. ⠀
Source: Lifehacker