The best phones you can buy in 2024, like the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, cost well over $1,000, which for most of us is a great investment. The best way to get as much value as possible from your expensive purchase is to make your phone last as long as possible. It is not only better for your pocketbook, but also for the environment; Keeping your technology running longer means fewer phones will be shipped and fewer old phones will end up in landfills. The good news is that companies like Apple, Google, and Samsung will support their phones for longer, meaning the software will remain safe to use for years to come.
The rest, then, is up to you. Keeping your phone in good working condition for the seven or eight years of software support it will receive requires some effort, a lot of care, and a few key strategies.
These are the main things you can do to make your phone last as long as possible.
Install all available updates
Using a phone that no longer receives security updates is simply not safe and should be avoided. Previously, it was common for many Android manufacturers to support new phones for only two or three years, but now you’ll find phones like the Google Pixel 8 series that come with seven years of software support.
Updating your phone with the latest security update will help keep hackers out and keep your phone free of malicious software that could infiltrate and slow it down. Most phones will automatically ask you to install the latest updates (and you should), but if you have an older phone, head to the 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 using. It’s good practice to allow apps to update automatically in the background, but if not, be sure to go to the app store of your choice and check that you’re running the latest versions.
use a case
If you just bought a shiny new iPhone, the best thing you can do to physically protect it is to put it in a case right away. Not only will it keep it safe in case you accidentally drop it, but it will also help prevent it from getting micro scratches from keys or coins in your pocket.
A screen protector is also a great idea, since once your phone’s actual screen is damaged, there is little you can do to fix it. However, if you suffer a nasty scratch on a screen protector, you can simply replace it, keeping the underlying phone looking fresh as a daisy for years to come.
Replace a dead battery, not the phone
Your phone’s battery will gradually wear down over time, offering less life per charge than when it was new. This is true for all phones. Some older phones may have batteries that only offer 50 percent of what they did before. And you may even receive warnings from your phone that your battery cannot deliver the necessary power and therefore your processor may throttle itself to compensate.
But don’t worry, as it’s quite easy to replace the battery yourself on most phones to give it a new lease of life. iFixit sells a range of third-party replacement batteries and kits to suit a wide range of phones, so if your battery is about to die, it’s worth seeing if you can change it yourself.
The old battery was removed from the iPhone 6 and all traces of glue were cleaned.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Of course, there are a variety of places you can take your phone (not all of which are particularly legit) to have the battery replaced, or even other components like a broken screen, and this might be a good option to consider if you’re not particularly sure. of your skills with a screwdriver.
Download old apps and photos you don’t need
If you’ve had your phone for years, chances are it’s pretty jammed with thousands of photos of your friends, your pets, or the plates of food you’ve eaten during the time you’ve had it. You also probably have a variety of old apps and games that you downloaded on a whim, played with during a few bus rides, and then moved on to the next mobile gaming sensation.
Lack of storage can have a detrimental effect on your phone’s overall performance and may also mean that there is not enough space available to install crucial software updates. It’s worth going through your files, backing up any photos and videos you want to save to the cloud, and getting rid of anything that’s unnecessarily taking up space on your phone.
If you’ve had your phone for a long time and it’s really running slowly, it may even be worth backing up all your important data and doing a full factory reset, starting over and installing only the essentials you need.
Successful removal of dirt from your phone’s charging port.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Clean your ports
Finally, clean your phone well, as it can have surprisingly useful results. Pocket lint can be a real problem for your phone, with the charging port in particular often getting clogged with stuff. The result is that when you plug in the charger, it can’t connect at all and as a result, your phone won’t charge.
It’s easy to think that something is actually broken (the charging port itself or the cable), but it could actually be as simple as the port being full of lint. Place a wooden toothpick in there periodically and try to remove any dirt and debris you find to ensure your charger can fit without having to move it aggressively.
It’s also worth using an old toothbrush (clean and dry) to gently remove any debris you may find around the speakers and microphones to ensure you can hear clearly (and be heard) on your phone calls.
