This post has been updated. It originally published on Sept. 26, 2024.
With each new smartphone generation—whether it’s the new iPhone Air or Google Pixel 10—the pressure to upgrade can feel overwhelming. A report by Consumer Affairs shows that about 55% of smartphone users upgrade their devices every two to three years, with 12% of Americans purchasing a new phone annually and 4.3% upgrading every six months.
This month, the cycle spins up again with the release of the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air, both of which Apple says are nimbler, crisper, and more durable than previous models. The company is also hyping the new device’s’ sustainability bona fides, claiming to use 100% recycled rare-earth elements in its magnets, 100% recycled tungsten in key components, and 30% recycled content overall.
Apple is also working to trim the emissions of making new devices, but that doesn’t change the fact that every new release comes with an environmental toll—both at the beginning and end of a new phone’s life. It takes around 250 pounds of raw materials to make a single device, and the majority of a smartphone’s lifetime emissions occur during production. E-waste is also the single fastest growing trash stream in the world, representing more than 68 million tons in 2022. That, naturally, includes discarded smartphones.
Sure there are buyback programs, marketplaces to buy and sell refurbished tech, and recycling initiatives to make getting rid of an old phone less environmentally deleterious. But the best way to minimize your tech’s environmental impact? Hold onto the phone you have for as long as possible.
This means practicing smart habits like optimizing your charging, performing regular maintenance, and updating your software—critical steps for keeping your phone running smoothly and securely. Samsung and Google offer updates for seven years after a model’s release, while Apple provides five. The new iPhone 17 will likely follow this same pattern. Here are seven simple, but essential, pieces of upkeep.
1. Optimize your charging habits
If your phone doesn’t hold a charge for very long, you’re basically carrying around an expensive paperweight. According to Michael Collins, CEO of SphereIT, it’s important to avoid letting your battery fully discharge before recharging it. Instead, try to keep the battery level between 20% and 80%. The reason comes down to battery chemistry: Regularly using up all the capacity in lithium-ion cells speeds up the aging of the battery. “Extremes wear chemically faster,” he says.
To help with this, iPhones running iOS 13 have an “Optimized Battery Charging” setting that slows charging when plugged in overnight, and iOS 17 added the option to set a charging limit when it came out last year. Android devices offer similar adaptive charging options.
2. Always install software updates
Anytime you receive an operating system update from your manufacturer, you should install it as soon as possible. These pushes often include new security measures to help keep users safer from hackers and other malevolent online forces but also, Collins says, offer patches and different forms of optimizations that keep your device running smoothly. Neglecting updates for too long can lead to performance issues and leave your device vulnerable to security threats.
3. Manage your apps (and storage)
Chances are your phone is cluttered with apps you never use. While you may want to be the type of person who taps that meditation app, holding on to a heap of old programs can slow your device. “A congested phone noticeably hampers the performance,” says Collins. He recommends clearing your phone’s cache at least every couple of months as well as deleting any apps you haven’t touched in the past three months. (It’s also a good habit to transfer photos and videos to cloud storage or an external drive every few months.)
Both Apple and Android offer built-in functions to help manage this. Apple’s “Offload Unused Apps” feature removes apps you haven’t used for 12 days or more while preserving their data, and Android offers a similar option.
4. Use a case
To protect your phone from accidental drops or damage, invest in a high-quality case and possibly a screen protector. The specific case will depend on your lifestyle—whether you’re prone to clumsiness or work in an environment where protection is needed. At the very least, ensure it covers the edges and corners.
5. Watch out for extremes
If you’ve ever left your phone out in the sun for too long, you’ve probably seen the message: “iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it.” That’s your phone’s way of protecting itself. High heat can mess with your battery and internal components. So, it’s a good idea to avoid extreme temperatures—or at least keep your phone in the shade when it’s hot, and in a warm spot when it’s freezing.
6. Maintain a cleaning schedule
Dirt, dust, and pocket lint can easily sneak into ports. This can affect the sound of your phone, limit the functionality of the buttons, and harm the connection between your device and its power cord. “The best way of making sure a phone lasts longer than its stipulated life span is by regular cleaning,” says Collins. Standard practice is to sanitize your phone’s surface with an alcohol-based disinfectant, and use a toothpick or microtool from an electronic cleaning kit to carefully dislodge any debris from the ports or corners of the buttons every few weeks.
7. Repair whenever you can
Nothing lasts forever, which is especially true of phone screens and batteries—the most commonly busted parts of a handset. We’ve all likely endured the self-inflicted humiliation of a cracked screen, and Collins says that, even with the best charging practices, lithium-ion power packs will eventually show their age.
Neither means you need to run to the store. Cracked screens and withering batteries can be repaired, and myriad options exist. Apple, Samsung, and Google might cover the repair under a warranty or extended care plan. Even without coverage, you can pay for repairs at the Apple Store, or at a reliable, third-party repair shop like one associated with Assurant’s Cell Phone Repair network. If you’re feeling DIY-y, websites like iFixit offer repair manuals and sells the parts and tools to repair the damage.
When’s it actually time to let it go?
Realistically, proper care will only get most people so far, and there are telltale signs for when it might be time to let your device go, including, crucially, when it can no longer receive necessary patches and updates, making it more susceptible to hacks. Here are the three signs it might actually be time to upgrade your phone.
