While other smartphone makers are rapidly increasing the battery sizes and charging speeds of their devices, Apple has always been relatively conservative. Fortunately, the iPhone 16 series changed that with substantial upgrades to both.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide full of tips and tricks for charging your iPhone as fast as possible without degrading its battery, including the latest iPhone 16 models and older devices.
Combined with some incredibly useful life-saving iPhone battery tips given by a former Apple employee, we want to make sure that your iPhone is always fully charged when you need it to be. Here’s everything you need to know about fast charging.
How to fast charge your iPhone 16
Apple has increased the charging speeds for both wired and wireless charging using an updated MagSafe accessory. While a 20W adapter can still get the job done, a 30W (or higher) adapter can offer sustained charging speeds, especially if you like to use your iPhone 16 while charging it. That being said, this is what you need to fast charge the iPhone 16:
- A 20W or 30W+ power adapter
- A USB-C to USB-C cable (like the one that came with your new iPhone)
When it comes to MagSafe, Apple has increased charging speeds to 25W, up from 15W. Now you can charge your brand new iPhone from 0 to 50% in 30 minutes, but you need the following accessories in order to do so:
- The new MagSafe charger
- Apple’s 30W adapter
How to preserve your iPhone’s battery life
iOS 18 expanded charging limit options for iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. While you could previously cap charging at 80%, you now have options for 85%, 90%, and 95%. Apple says this expands the battery’s longevity over time by reducing the time the iPhone spends fully charged.
Some testing revealed that after a year, capping charging at 80% slightly improved the battery life health of an iPhone 15 Pro Max. However, it might have a greater impact over a few years. That said, if you plan on keeping your iPhone 15 or 16 for a while, you might want to utilize this feature:
- In your iPhone’s Settings app, tap Battery
- Select Charging
- Choose between 80%, 85%, 90%, and 95% charging limits
Choosing the right accessories improves your iPhone’s battery life
Newer iPhones charge at a maximum of 30W, so you don’t need to use a Mac’s 96W plug or any fancy GaN charger that could handle your car, iPad, Mac, and phone simultaneously. For example, Apple’s own 30W charger is a perfect tool.
More recently, BGR reported on a test about several different USB cable lifespans, with Apple’s USB to Lightning being more resistant than similar charging cables from Belkin, Anker, and Samsung. This means you don’t need to overthink your decision; going all in with Apple already ensures you can hit the fastest charging speeds on your device.
That said, you can still use Samsung’s charger with a Belkin USB-C to USB-C cable, but you don’t need to look for an alternative if you already have Apple’s accessories.
Now that you know that Apple’s 30W charger and its USB-C to USB-C cable are fully capable of charging your iPhone 16 at its maximum speed, here are a few other tips and tricks to ensure you’re always getting the fastest charge possible.
Tips and tricks to make your iPhone charge faster
Now that you have the proper block and the right cable, you can do a little more to ensure your device charges as fast as it can. Follow these tips:
- Turn on Low Power Mode: Since the iPhone consumes energy while charging, putting background activity, ProMotion, and other apps and features on hold can help improve charging speeds.
- Close your apps: Without any apps open, your iPhone can focus on charging.
- Check the temperature: If it’s too hot or too cold, your iPhone might not charge properly. Never put your iPhone in the sun while charging, and avoid freezing temperatures as well.
- Don’t use your phone while charging: It might be difficult, but try to do another activity when charging your phone. Go read a book, take a walk in the park, or watch TV.
- Turn on Airplane Mode and turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: If you want to quickly charge your iPhone, turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth while turning on Airplane Mode will help it charge as fast as possible.
- Use trusted accessories: Use accessories from Apple or reliable third-party manufacturers. If you charge your iPhone with a weak adapter or a faulty cable, you might get slower charging speeds and degrade your iPhone’s battery life.
