Replacing a smartphone every two years is partly why billions Phones go to landfills every year. If folded on flat ExpiringThe field but we are accustomed to these 24-month dates, because wireless carriers often promote the update under two-year contracts, and many smaller phone manufacturers Only a sentence Support for software for two years. But now, with longer obligations for software from large manufacturers, along with growing legislation on the right to refuel, many new phones can remain in our pockets for closer to seven trips in the sun. Here's how you can extend the service life of your smartphone and avoid the release of hundreds before it is absolutely necessary.
How to make your smartphone longer
Use the case
This is a luxurious step to carry a naked phone, but the chances of the phone, passing through the fall, increases sharply when you use additional protection. We recommend a few in our guide Czeks for iPhoneWe were satisfied with the field in my family Muscle casesThe field, although we have never subjected our phones of cruelty observed in Advertising of the companyI can say that in these cases, Samsung Galaxy is aging my partner through some rather rude spills, and I give cases of receiving the iPhone from 11 to 2025 in working condition.
Take care of the built -in battery (or use the power bank)
Since the phone battery is often the first to show signs of age, it is worth following recommendations for extending the service life. The lithium-ion batteries do not work well in the heat, and you should avoid charging them if they are hotter than 95 degrees, this can quickly worsen the battery and even lead to a malfunction. They better tolerate cold weather, but they can become lethargic when everything becomes too cold.
If you store the phone for a while, it is best to do this with the battery at half the charge, and not complete or empty. In fact, lithium-ion cells lasts longer when they spend less time, either completely discharged or full, therefore, the functions of the battery optimization in iPhone And Pixel phones Remain charging at night to 100 percent about an hour before you usually take a mobile phone. And although it is sometimes necessary to quickly charge the battery, a slower charging method, when the speed does not critically lead to a lower voltage to the ion components and will help extend the service life of the cell.
But over time, any battery ultimately wears out. The cell, including my iPhone 11, can go through a typical day, but if I travel, I rely strongly on navigation or using the phone as a hot point, it will need the peak before bedtime. I have many of them at hand after testing For our leadership for the best powerful banks and two that I take most often is Crossing champion ProBecause it is insanely fast and Anchor Prime Because it is massively, and I know that he will always have a fee.
If you really want to give your phone a new life for life, a new inner battery can become a ticket. For pixel phones you can go through Google Official channel For the repair of the passage or by mail, you can find Authorized repair partner or you can choose a DIY route with iFixit Pixel repair sets and instructionsField
For the iPhone you can start with Apple Official pageGo through Best purchase or other authorized third parties, or try ifixit MethodsThe Samsung field also has internal option But both fixit And Best purchase We completed their repair relations with Samsung in 2024. Depending on where you are going and the model of your phone, the price of a new battery and installation will probably cost you from 60 to $ 150 – still much less than abandoning your phone for something completely new.
Clean your phone storage
Most of the tips on how Circle your phone And make him work more quickly the centers on one: the liberation of the place. The OS of your phone will probably have proposals for cleaning the storage space, for example, automatically unused applications or delete annual messages. You can also do things manually, deleting any applications that you do not use. Then consider the photos and videos that you store locally, and either prefer to pay for a cloud storage, or transfer files to a computer or an external backup device. You can also consider the opportunity to get rid of any music and films that you could download for autonomous use, and delete old messages and large investments. A good rule is to save your storage by 80 percent. After you deleted and handed over what you can, restart the phone to give him the opportunity to clear his temporary memory.
Why can you (and must) extend your smartphone service life
Electronic waste stream Grows every year does not do big things for Human or planetary healthThe field of the company smartphones offer better and more consistent exchange transactions, but even some electronic disposal It has its drawbacksThe field in other words, to drink on the device instead of choosing new ones – this is the most effective way to reduce the effect on the environmental impact of the phone – plus it will save you money.
While every giant telephone manufacturer would like to believe that the update is crucial annually, it is worth noting that new generations of phones often have a strong resemblance to the model of the previous year. Engadget editors see this time and again with countless They consider smartphones – There is a new button, several new tricks with artificial intelligence, but the technology, as a rule, does not jump forward every year to create something wildly different from what happened before.
Thanks to only minor equipment updates, more exciting new functions are delivered through the software updates on the air. Starting with the release of Pixel 8 in 2023, Google promised to update safety and software for Full seven yearsThus, those who buy Pixel 9 in 2025 can still use the same phone in 2032. Samsung Galaxy S25 from January of January has the same length of the promised support. Apple did not fulfill the same promise, but when the launch of iOS 18 last year Cut support For the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, both models enjoyed about seven years of updates after launch.
When Apple launched the iPhone 15, the company doubled His assessment of the service life To say that the phone should save 80 percent of the initial full charge after 1000 cycles. And Apple said that the placement of a larger battery in the iPhone 16 is doing Replacing it is easierThe field as a whole, the technology of the battery has improved in capacity Over the years, but durability has not grown in all directions as Study on the phonar Clear.
More achievements in flight from autonomous work May be On the horizon In particular, as the EV industry grows, which also depends on lithium-ion cells. At the moment, a decrease in the health of the battery, as a rule, is the most noticeable problem affecting old phones. In 2023, the European Council of the European Union adopted new guidelines for batteries, which includes a mandate that allows consumers to “easily delete and replace” batteries. This will not enter into force until 2027, and there will be many interpretation As for what means “easy.” But the EU mandates are what Apple made, finally, throwing the ports of lightning on the iPhone in favor USB-CSo in the end, this may be a step to (again) The presence of smartphones with replaceable batteries.
Even in the United States, legislation can make companies make Repair the best optionThe field of account with the right button was accepted in 2022 in New YorkIN Minnesota and other states. California has the strongest rule, and it is even collected Apple supportField and Google voiced his Supporting the law of OregonSome of these laws already Entered into forceAnd it will require manufacturers to do things such as the provision of repair and documentation tools, as well as the sale of components for a number of years after the last new model for more expensive devices.
Currently, a number of phones are decent Repair ratingsAccording to the IFIXIT online repair community ( Fairphone 5 It receives the highest marks.) It seems that the California law is influenced, given that the iPhixit gave the iPhone 14 -point 4 points, but the iPhone 15 and 16 receive 7. Unfortunately, the results for the Google Pixel 9 phones decreased compared to previous models. Until more companies begin to facilitate the correction on their own, an authorized repair is an option, while self-realization remains an option for more industriousness.