iPhone users warned of ‘vampire’ setting that drains your battery

When you're out and about all day, you want to be able to rely on your phone.

Whether it's because you want to snap a great photo or just use your device to pay your way, it's handy to have a fully charged phone.

So when you find yourself losing battery power rapidly, it can be a pain.

iPhone users are now being warned of a setting that is draining their phone's battery, without them even being aware of it.

It's been branded a 'vampire' setting - as it drains the phone of life - but is otherwise known as 'Wi-Fi Assist'.

This kicks in when our phones are lagging, so Wi-Fi assist switches the device over to data mode so that we can keep the internet connection.

It can happen with all sorts of apps, including Safari, Apple Music, Mail and Maps.

On its website, Apple explains the feature: "For example, if you're using Safari with a poor Wi-Fi connection and a webpage doesn't load, Wi-Fi Assist will activate and automatically switch to cellular so that the webpage continues to load."

Pixabay

Generally, the feature is quite useful.

For example, imagine you were watching Netflix on a bus and your connection kept dropping, Wi-Fi assist would allow you to keep binge watching.

However, it does come with a downside.

By switching automatically to mobile data, Wi-Fi assist can end up eating up not only your data, but also your battery.

The setting is switched on by default on iPhones, but you can turn it off if you notice it guzzling up your battery.

To do this, head to your phone's Settings app and scroll down until you find the Mobile Data section. Then scroll down to Wi-Fi Assist, where you can move the switch to turn it off.

Pixabay

Once you've done that, your iPhone will only use Wi-Fi when it has a strong connection, and won't rely on mobile data to help make it stronger.

Turning off this setting might mean you have to wait a little bit longer for your Wi-Fi to kick into gear, but at least you won't have to worry as much about being cut off altogether by a rapidly depleting battery.

This isn't the only secret being uncovered about Apple products and their battery life.

Although it is commonly assumed that swiping your apps closed will save your battery, this isn't the case.

Technology, eh?

Topics: Technology, Apple

Ben Thompson