Apple just released the iPhone 18 Pro and the all-new iPhone Duo, the company’s first approach to foldable phones. In addition to the new hardware, Apple also introduced iOS 27 as the latest software update for iPhones, which now takes advantage of Siri AI. In addition to finally bringing Siri AI to users, this update includes several bug fixes, performance improvements, and better battery for any user from the iPhone 11 to the latest models.
That being said, if you have an older iPhone that doesn’t support the latest software, you should be aware of some hidden settings you can tweak to improve your phone’s performance and make it more reliable. If you’re wondering how old is too old, this applies to users of an iPhone
Turn off the liquid glass animation and reduce the movement and transparency.
If your iPhone is having trouble switching between apps, everything is slow and unreliable, you can turn off some animations on your device to make it work better. On iPhones running iOS 26 or iOS 27, disabling Liquid Glass can be a big help. This new design language was introduced with iOS 26, which Apple billed as its biggest design overhaul to iOS since iOS 7, but it has divided users because the Liquid Glass interface feels heavier to load on older devices. To minimize the impact of this feature, on your iPhone, go to Settings > Appearance > Liquid Glass. Move the slider until it is tinted. You can also choose Reduce Motion from the Accessibility options on the same page.
On iPhones that can’t run iOS 26 or iOS 27, meaning you don’t have to worry about Liquid Glass and how your iPhone handles this extra layer of UI, you can go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and enable Reduce Transparency and Reduce Motion. These settings increase readability and speed up operation, because Apple doesn’t add extra details about how things should open, close, etc. Disabling Liquid Glass and enabling Reduce Transparency and Reduce Motion can save battery and make devices easier to use.
Background app refresh and important locations
If you haven’t replaced your old iPhone’s battery or just feel like it’s slower than usual, there are two settings you need to keep in mind: background app refresh and important locations. For example, for the third setting you need to change, you need to go to Settings > General > Background app refresh. While on newer phones checking which apps are running in the background isn’t a problem, especially because Apple has very capable processors with at least 12GB of RAM, older models have less RAM and the processors are now showing their age. With this in mind, you should disable background app refresh for almost all apps except the ones you actually use, like Messages, Mail. On the other hand, all other options will require you to actively open the app to get the latest updates.
The fifth setting you need to change on your old iPhone is Important Locations. Under Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Important Locations, you can prevent Apple from signing you in wherever you spend your time. Although this feature is intended to power reminders and card suggestions, if you have an aging iPhone that’s preventing you from enjoying your device, this feature does more harm than good, and turning it off will make your iPhone run a little less in the background, improving battery and overall performance.
Set AirDrop to Contacts Only
With iOS 16.1.1, Apple changed how AirDrop works. Initially, this update was made due to pressure from the Chinese government to prevent protesters from sharing propaganda via AirDrop with as many people as possible. With this, users should long press AirDrop in Control Center > choose Everyone for 10 minutes as the default option would be Contacts only. However, as the years passed and hacker attacks became more sophisticated, setting AirDrop for contacts only is a way to prevent users from experiencing zero-click attacks or even being bombarded by kids trying to spam iPhones in public places.
With this, if you own an iPhone that has not been updated to iOS 16.2, you need to go to Settings > General > AirDrop and enable the Everyone toggle for contacts only. This way you can ensure that you protect your device against possible attacks or simply spam. For iPhone users using the latest software available, they even get access to an extra layer of protection: Even if you set AirDrop to be available to everyone for 10 minutes, you still need to enter a PIN available on the other person’s device, so you can choose whether they can send you a file once or an unlimited number of times for 30 days. Although it may seem a bit annoying at first, it is a way Apple has found to secure users’ devices.
Adjust haptic touch duration
In iOS 13, Apple removed 3D Touch support in favor of Haptic Touch. This underutilized technology was introduced with the iPhone 6S and users could apply different pressures to the iPhone screen, which would result in a way to open a preview of a link, see a Live Photo in action, or even function as an additional button for games. Yet Apple ultimately decided to remove this feature for newer iPhones and completely disable it for iPhones that actually supported it. In its place, the company added Haptic Touch, which retained a few features of 3D Touch, like previewing a link or viewing a Live Photo, but basing interaction on how long users pressed the screen, not intensity. However, if you have an older iPhone, general wear and tear may make touch input less crisp than it was on day one. With this, the “default” fixed Haptic Touch duration calibration might not work the same way it did all those years ago.
To make sure you can still take advantage of Haptic Touch to view messages, photos, and link previews, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Haptic Touch and toggle between Fast, Default, and Slow. There’s a preview icon, which you can long-press to see how it feels before accidentally triggering context menus when you just try to tap an icon. That said, slow can give your touch more space before it registers a take, while if long presses feel slow or unresponsive, the fast option can improve that.
Optimized battery charging
Finally, the seventh setting that you should change on your old iPhone is Optimized Battery Charging because there are simple settings that can extend your battery life. Under Settings > Battery > Charging, you can enable/disable optimized battery charging. With this feature enabled, the iPhone can wait for it to finish charging until you need to use it. With this, if you leave your phone charging overnight, it will only reach 100% by the time you wake up, meaning it will charge more slowly after 80%, ensuring that the battery will degrade more slowly than if this feature was not enabled.
As mentioned earlier, battery replacement can also greatly improve an old device. For newer iPhones, Apple has continued to add new battery features to improve this aging. With iPhone 15 or newer devices, the company says these phones can take up to 1,000 cycles before needing a battery replacement, whereas previous models would normally need a replacement after 500 cycles. On the latest iPhone models, for example, users can also go to Settings > Battery > Charging and set a charging limit between 80% and 100%. By doing this, especially if you have a new battery, you can delay the phone to reach a full cycle each time you charge it, which in the long run extends battery life.
