- Apple’s ‘Wi-Fi Assist’ can drastically drain battery life and eat up your data
- The tool allows users to access mobile data when networks lag behind
There’s nothing more frustrating than walking out with a fully charged phone only to find it completely dead just a few hours later.
But you might be surprised to learn that battery drain is often made worse by so-called ‘vampire settings’ hidden deep within an iPhone.
Despite its terrifying moniker, the life-sucking feature is more loosely known as ‘Wi-Fi Assist’ and allows Apple users to access mobile data when networks lag behind.
Whether you’re streaming Netflix on the bus or downloading a file in the mountains, this can be an incredibly useful tool on the go.
However, users should note that it can also quickly kill battery life, with the tool automatically enabled on all iPhones.
Apple’s ‘Wi-Fi Assist’ feature can drastically drain battery life and eat up your data
To see for yourself, head into the ‘Settings’ menu before tapping on the ‘Mobile Data’ tab.
Here, you will see information about the personal hotspot, as well as information about how the data is used for different applications on the device.
The ‘Wi-Fi Assist’ switch sits well below this, so you’ll need to scroll right to the bottom, where you’ll find it positioned just above ‘iCloud Drive’.
If you want to turn this off, tap the switch just once to change it from green to gray; this change will be saved automatically.
Wi-Fi Assist can be used for numerous apps, including but not limited to Safari, Apple Music, Mail, and Maps.
While the setting can affect battery life, it’s important to note that it won’t automatically switch to ‘cellular’ if you have data roaming turned on.
Data roaming typically occurs when using a mobile phone on vacation, with the Internet switching to an Internet network located in whatever country you are in.
The tool allows users to access mobile data when Wi-Fi networks are slow and lagging.
Wi-Fi Assist focuses only on apps running in the foreground and does not activate background programs or third-party apps.
The latter can consume large volumes of data, costing you not only valuable battery life, but also money.
“There are two simple ways to preserve battery life no matter how you use your device: adjust screen brightness and use Wi-Fi,” says the tech giant.
‘When you use your device to access data, a Wi-Fi connection uses less power than a mobile network, so keep Wi-Fi on at all times. To turn Wi‑Fi on, go to Settings > Wi‑Fi to join a Wi‑Fi network.’
iPhone owners can dim their screen brightness by accessing “Control Center” accessed by swiping down from the top right corner of a screen on newer models.
Turning on ‘Auto Brightness’ can also help, which is found in the ‘Accessibility’ tab of ‘General’ in ‘Settings’.
