Gerry's Tech Tip of the Month
October 2026: How to Make Your Phone Last Longer
Everyone’s cell phone eventually begins to fail and needs to be replaced. Whether the screen becomes damaged, the phone gets waterlogged, the charging port begins to fail, or the battery expires, something will happen that renders the phone “dead.” But as inevitable as that fact is, there are some very simple ways to prolong a phone’s life. See below for a list of the most common “fixes” that can help your phone to last longer and work better over time.
Limit the Charging Amount:
Limit the Charging Amount:
- If your phone is an iPhone 15 or newer open Settings and then tap Battery > Charging > Charge Limit to select the 80% limit.
- If your phone is an Android model, open Settings and in the search box type: limit. If it has the feature it will open to Charing optimization. Change it from Adaptive charging to Limit to 80%.
- Add a screen protector and a case.
- Manage your phone’s storage. If it gets low on space it will work harder. Open the Settings app and type: Storage in the search box. If it’s low on space:
- Delete apps you no longer need.
- Delete unwanted pictures
- Delete old text messages. On an iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Messages and then scroll down to Keep Messages. If it’s set to Forever, you can swap it to 30 Days or 1 Year, and your phone will automatically delete old messages permanently after that designated amount of time.
- Delete downloads from streaming apps. Open each app and check the downloads.
