In today’s day and age, it’s common for us to keep our phones powered on for months or even years at a time, as there’s often little reason to bother turning them off.
But have you ever thought about what actually happens when you power down your iPhone? The truth is, there is more that happens than most people think!
So, in this article I’ll be covering everything that happens when you shut down your iPhone, along with how often you should power it off to maximize it’s lifespan.
What Happens When You Turn Off Your iPhone?
Let’s look over the 6 main things that will happen when you power off your iPhone!
Note that these apply to all modern iPhone models running iOS 15 or newer.
1. Your Location Will Be Sent To Apple
Many people don’t know this, but your location is sent to Apple’s servers shortly before your iPhone powers off!
This is done so the device can be located using the ‘Find My’ app if it is lost or stolen.
If you think about it, this makes a lot of sense. If a thief were to steal an iPhone, they would simply shut it off to prevent it from being tracked.
By sending your location to Apple before shutting it off, you can at the very least, track its most recent location after it’s been lost or stolen.
For more information, click here to learn how you can track your lost iPhone, even when it’s turned off!
2. You May Fix Any Technical Glitches You’re Experiencing
Turning your iPhone off and back on again is one of the quickest fixes for many of the technical glitches you may be experiencing.
This is because powering the iPhone off fully clears its RAM, and forces all files to reload once the iPhone is powered back on.
In fact, this doesn’t just apply to iPhones either – one of the most common troubleshooting fixes across all of tech – be it computers, printers, and even fax machines is to simply turn it off and back on again!
So, if you have been experiencing bugs and your version of iOS is up-to-date, try restarting your iPhone to see if the glitches are fixed!
3. You’ll No Longer Receive Notifications
If you’re sick of receiving constant notifications and you just want some peace and quiet for a while, turning off your iPhone can be a great idea.
Once your iPhone is off, you will no longer be bothered by notifications. While they may still reappear once you turn your iPhone back on again, you won’t receive any while it’s powered off.
Powering off your iPhone can be an even greater idea than simply turning it in airplane mode. This is because not all notifications are sent over the internet – so even if your phone is in airplane mode, it is still possible to receive notifications from some apps.
The only way to stop receiving notifications without disabling them entirely is to turn your iPhone off.
4. Alarms And Timers Will Not Go Off
Be warned – if you have any alarms or timers set, they will not go off if your iPhone is powered off.
This can be a huge problem if you’re relying on an alarm to wake up on time!
It is perfectly fine to leave your iPhone powered on overnight, even when you’re not using it. So, if you rely on your iPhone’s alarm to wake up in the morning, I would recommend against turning it off when you go to sleep.
Although some iPhone functionality still remains on when the device is powered off, alarms and timers are not one of them.
5. You’ll Save Battery
As you might expect, turning your iPhone off is a great way to save battery.
Although your battery will still drain ever-so-slowly when it’s powered off, it’s such a slight amount that it’s hardly noticeable. You could leave your iPhone off for weeks and it will still have a charge when you go to turn it back on again.
Anyhow, if you’re not going to be using your iPhone for a while, turning it off will maximize its battery life.
Additionally, it will preserve the lifespan of the battery as well – helping it hold more of a charge for a longer period of time. I’ll talk more about this a little bit later!
6. You Won’t Receive Calls Or Texts
Finally, you won’t receive any texts or calls when your phone is off. If someone were to try to call you, their call would be sent immediately to voicemail.
This can also be achieved by turning your phone on airplane mode, and making sure that you have no connection to neither Wi-Fi nor your cellular network.
Therefore, if you’re in an important meeting or you simply don’t want to be disturbed, turning your phone off can be a great way to ensure that you aren’t bothered by anyone trying to contact you.
When you power your phone back on, all text messages and iMessages will be delivered to your phone. Additionally, you will be able to see any calls that you missed, and listen to any voicemails that may have been left for you.
Note: Do Not Disturb mode can be useful in this situation as well – your phone will still ring, but you won’t be notified about it. Additionally, you can set it up so calls from certain people still come through, while all others don’t!
How Often Should You Power Off Your iPhone?
So, how often should you turn off your iPhone?
Ultimately, this is up to you.
iPhones are designed to be able to run continuously without any issues. There are people that run them for months at a time without ever powering them off, because there’s simply no reason to.
That being said, it may be a good idea to turn your iPhone off if you won’t be using it, and there’s a chance that your battery will run out.
In order to preserve the health of your iPhone’s battery, it’s best not to let it fall beneath 20%.
By keeping it above 20% at all times, you’ll ensure that the battery lasts as long as possible, without losing its maximum capacity or damaging itself in any way. Additionally, you should try not to ever let your iPhone hit 0% and power off on its own – if you can, always shut it down yourself before it reaches this point.
For more information, read the articles under the ‘How To Prolong Battery Life’ section on Battery University.
Conclusion
Shutting down your iPhone has numerous benefits, particularly if you don’t want to be disturbed.
While iPhones are designed to remain on for long periods of time, there is no harm in shutting it down. In fact, it can only help your iPhone’s battery!
I hope that this article has been helpful to you. If you have any other questions about iPhones, ask them below and I’ll respond as soon as I can.
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister