Make your phone last longer with these simple tips

The best phones to buy in 2024, including the excellent iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, cost a lot of money. Even cheaper phones, like the Galaxy A55 5G or Google’s Pixel 8A, still cost a pretty penny. The best way to get the most out of your expensive purchase is to simply keep it longer and spread that purchase over a few years. Not only is this better for your wallet, it’s also better for the environment; keeping your tech running for longer before upgrading means fewer phones get shipped and fewer old phones end up in landfills. The good news is that companies like Apple, Google, Samsung and others support their phones for longer, meaning the software will remain safe to use for years to come.

The rest is up to you. Keeping your phone in good shape for the seven or eight years of software support it gets takes some effort, a lot of care, and a few key strategies.

Below are the most important things you can do to ensure your phone lasts as long as possible.

Install all available updates

It’s simply not safe to use a phone that no longer receives security updates and should be avoided. It used to be common for many Android manufacturers to only support new phones for two to three years, but now you can find phones like the Google Pixel 8 series with seven years of software support. Unfortunately, some cheaper phones like the new OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite still only receive updates for a few years. If you’re buying a new phone, check how long it will be supported for, as this will give you more bang for your buck over the lifespan of the phone.

Updating your phone to the latest security patch will help keep hackers out and prevent malicious software from sneaking onto your phone that can slow it down. Most phones will automatically prompt you to install the latest updates (and you should), but if you have an older phone, head into your settings menu and scroll down to Software update and click to see if an update is available.

The same goes for your apps, which will also need to be updated to remain compatible with the version of iOS or Android you’re running. It’s good practice to let apps update automatically in the background, but if they’re not, make sure you head over to your app store of choice and check that you’re running the latest versions.

Use a case

If you just bought a shiny new iPhone, the best thing to do is put it in a case right away to physically protect it. Not only will this keep it safe if you accidentally drop it, but it will also prevent micro-scratches from keys or coins in your pocket.

A screen protector is also a great idea, because once your phone’s screen gets damaged, there’s not much you can do about it. If you get an ugly scratch on a screen protector, you can easily replace it, so the phone underneath will look new for years to come.

Replace an old battery, not the phone

Your phone’s battery will gradually wear out over time, meaning that it will not last as long per charge as it did when it was new. This is true for all phones. Some older phones have batteries that only deliver 50 percent of what they once did. You may even get warnings from your phone that your battery can’t deliver the power needed, so your processor may be throttled to compensate.

You don’t have to worry, because with most phones you can easily replace the battery yourself. This way your phone will last a long time again. iFixit sells several kits and third-party replacement batteries that work with a wide range of phones. So if your battery is dying, it’s worth looking into replacing it yourself.

There are several places you can take your phone to (not all of them reliable) to get the battery replaced, or even other parts like a cracked screen. This can be a good option if you’re not very good at using a screwdriver.

Delete old apps and photos you don’t need

If you’ve had your phone for years, chances are it’s pretty much filled with thousands of photos of your friends, your pets, or the plates of food you’ve eaten in the time you’ve had it. It’s also likely that you have a bunch of old apps and games that you downloaded on impulse, played a few times on the bus, and then moved on to the next mobile gaming sensation.

Running out of storage space can have a detrimental effect on the overall performance of your phone, and may also mean that there isn’t enough space available to install crucial software updates. It’s worth going through your archives, backing up any photos and videos you want to save to the cloud, and deleting anything on your phone that’s taking up unnecessary space.

If you’ve had your phone for a while and it’s become very slow, it might be worth backing up all your important data and doing a full factory reset. Then start from scratch and only install the essentials you need.

Clean your gates

Finally, give your phone a good clean, as this can have surprisingly useful results. Pocket lint can be a real problem for your phone, especially the charging port often gets clogged with junk. The result is that when you plug in your charger, it can’t connect all the way and your phone won’t charge.

It’s easy to think that something is broken — the charging port itself, or the cable — but it could also be something as simple as the port being clogged with lint. Every once in a while, stick a wooden toothpick in there and try to get out all the dirt and debris you can find to make sure your charger will fit without you having to aggressively wiggle it.

It is also a good idea to use an old toothbrush (clean and dry) to gently brush away any dirt that may be around the speakers and microphones. This will ensure that you can hear and be heard properly during your phone calls.