iPhone XS battery life and fast charging
Technology doesn’t stand still and the iPhone is always improving. So if you own an iPhone XS, you’ll need to charge it less often than an iPhone X, thanks to its more efficient A12 Bionic chip.
And now, when you do need to recharge your iPhone XS, you have a choice of three charging methods: a standard USB charger; a wireless Qi charger; or a fast-charge adapter.
More on that in a minute, but first let’s take a look at the figures.
iPhone XS battery specs
- Talk time (wireless): up to 20 hours
- Internet use: up to 12 hours
- Video playback (wireless): up to 14 hours
- Audio playback (wireless): up to 60 hours
- Fast-charge capable: up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
So that’s the performance you can expect from your iPhone XS battery. Now let’s examine the methods you can use to recharge it.
iPhone XS fast charging and wireless charging
If you want to use your iPhone XS’s fast-charging facility, you’ll need to buy a fast-charge adapter of at least 18W. They’re widely available, but if you’re one made by a different brand, make sure it’s iPhone-compatible. If you’re under any doubt, buy yours directly from the Apple Store.
You can charge your iPhone XS wirelessly using any Qi charger. Wireless charging can be disrupted by thicker cases, so if your phone’s not charging as it should, try removing your case. And remember, wireless chargers don’t support fast charging.
How to extend the battery life of your iPhone XS
Apple have made it easy to monitor the battery health of your iPhone. When you open the Settings menu, scroll down to Battery to see a detailed report on your battery use, including which apps and functions have used most power.
The Battery health section shows you how your iPhone XS battery is holding up over your phone’s lifetime. And the Low Power Mode temporarily reduces background activity like downloads and mail fetch until you can recharge your iPhone.
If you’ve found an app is draining power in the background, it might be worth disabling or deleting it. It’s also worth turning off Bluetooth and wi-fi if you’re not using them. Other power-hungry functions include location services and animated wallpapers.
My iPhone XS isn’t charging – troubleshooting
If you haven’t guessed already, the first thing you should do if your iPhone XS isn’t charging is turn it off and turn it back on again.
If that doesn’t work, and you have spare charging components, try replacing them one by one in case something is faulty. So for instance, if you’re charging using the USB adapter that came with your iPhone, try using another lightning cable. If that doesn’t solve the problem, try using another adapter.
Still not fixed? Make sure you’ve downloaded the latest version of iOS, as running older versions can effect battery life and charging. You can also try a forced reboot using the following steps:
- Press and release the volume up button quickly
- Press and release the volume down button quickly
- Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears
During this process, you’ll see a slider to power off the iPhone. Ignore it and continue holding down the side button until the screen goes black. At that point, the Apple logo will pop up, and after the restart is complete, the screen will activate once again.
If none of those cure the problem, it’s time to contact Apple.
Replacing the iPhone XS battery
Just like any other device, with heavy use, the battery in your iPhone XS will eventually expire. So if you really love your old iPhone, you can get a new replacement battery. Just visit the Apple Store and they’ll be happy to help.
Visit our iPhone XS product page if you’d like to see the full specifications.