{"id":806642,"date":"2026-10-18T14:14:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T14:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/806642\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T14:14:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T14:14:15","slug":"your-phone-can-last-years-longer-and-save-you-a-fortune-if-you-do-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/806642\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Phone Can Last Years Longer (and Save You a Fortune) if You Do This"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Image<\/p>\n

A few smart habits now can keep your phone running well for years longer than you\u2019d expect.<\/p>\n

Andrew Lanxon\/CNET<\/p>\n

Brand new iPhones and Android phones have never been more expensive, and the gap between the elite flagships of the market and the \u201caffordable\u201d bottom is narrower than it used to be. The iPhone 18 Pro<\/a> and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a> are extraordinary pieces of hardware, but they cost over $1,000 while \u2014 that\u2019s to say nothing of the $2,000 iPhone Duo<\/a> which can cost a whopping $3,000 if you max out the storage. Even more affordable options such as the Google Pixel 10A still ask you to part with a sizeable wad of cash. But there\u2019s still one sure-fire way to get more value out of them: Keep using them for longer, spreading that initial costly purchase out over more years, rather than upgrading often.<\/p>\n

A handful of simple habits, applied consistently, can add at least one or two meaningful years to a phone\u2019s useful life \u2014 and in dollar terms, that\u2019s almost always worth it.<\/p>\n

\"Tech<\/a><\/p>\n

Doing this isn\u2019t just better for your bank account; it\u2019s much better for the planet, too. Upgrading your handset less often means fewer phones being produced and shipped while fewer older phones end up in a landfill<\/a>. The good news is that companies like Apple, Google, Samsung and others are supporting their phones with software updates for years longer, meaning the phone you buy today will remain safe to use<\/a> for years to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The rest of it is up to you. Keeping your phone in good working condition for the seven or eight years of software support it might receive takes some effort, plenty of care and a few key strategies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here then are the top things you can do to help your phone last as long as possible.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"How<\/p>\n

Install all available updates<\/p>\n

Using a phone that no longer receives security updates simply isn\u2019t safe<\/a> and should be avoided. Previously it was common for many Android manufacturers to support new phones for only two to three years, which was super frustrating as usually the hardware had much more use left but the phone was simply unsafe to use. Now you\u2019ll find phones like the Google Pixel 11<\/a> series coming with seven years of software support. Sadly, some phones like the\u00a0RedMagic 11 Pro<\/a> still only receive a few years of updates, meaning it has a relatively short usable shelf life. If you\u2019re buying a new phone, make sure you check how long it\u2019ll be supported as this will give you more value for money throughout the phone\u2019s lifespan.<\/p>\n

This is especially the case if you\u2019re buying an older phone on the used market. Check that the phone you\u2019re buying isn\u2019t already out of its support period, and that it has enough years left for what you need it for. <\/p>\n

\"AnAndrew Lanxon\/CNET<\/p>\n

Updating your phone to the latest security update will help keep hackers out and keep your phone free of malicious software that could creep in and slow down your phone. Most phones will automatically prompt you to install the latest updates (and you should), but if you\u2019re on an older phone, head into your settings menu and scroll down to Software Update and click to see if an update is available.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The same is true for your apps, which will also need to be updated to remain compatible with the version of iOS or Android<\/a> you\u2019re using. It\u2019s good practice to allow apps to be automatically updated in the background, but if not, make sure you go into your app store of choice and check that you\u2019re running the latest versions.<\/p>\n

\"ADavid Carnoy\/CNET<\/p>\n

Use a case<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve just bought a shiny new iPhone<\/a> the best thing you can do to physically protect it is to put it in a case<\/a> immediately. It\u2019ll not only keep it safe should you accidentally drop it, but it will also help keep it from picking up micro scratches from the keys or coins in your pocket.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A screen protector is a great idea too, as once your phone\u2019s actual screen becomes damaged, there\u2019s little you can do to help it, beyond forking out for a potentially costly replacement. If you get 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. Even if you don\u2019t plan on keeping your phone for years, keeping it looking fresh may help you sell it for more on the used market when it\u2019s time to upgrade.<\/p>\n

Replace a tired battery, not the phone<\/p>\n

Your phone\u2019s battery will gradually wear down over time, offering less battery life per charge than it did when it was new. This is true of all phones. Some older phones may have batteries that only offer 50 percent of what they once did. You may even receive warnings from your phone that your battery can\u2019t offer the necessary power and so your processor may be throttled to compensate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Worry not, as it\u2019s pretty easy to replace the battery yourself on most phones to give it a whole new lease on life. iFixit sells a variety of kits<\/a> and third-party replacement batteries to suit a huge range of phones, so if your battery is on the way out, it\u2019s worth seeing if you can swap it out yourself<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The iPhone 6 with the old battery removed and all traces of the glue cleaned off.<\/p>\n

Andrew Lanxon\/CNET<\/p>\n

There are a variety of places you can take your phone (not all of them are especially legit) to have your battery replaced \u2014 or even other components like a broken screen \u2014 and this could be a good option to consider if you\u2019re not especially confident about your skills with a screwdriver.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Offload old apps and photos you don\u2019t need<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve had your phone for years then odds are it\u2019s pretty clogged up with thousands of photos of your friends, your pets or the plates of food you\u2019ve eaten over the time you\u2019ve had it. It\u2019s also likely you have a variety of old apps and games you downloaded on a whim, played with for a few bus rides and then moved on to the next mobile gaming sensation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A lack of storage can have a detrimental effect on your phone\u2019s performance overall and can also mean there\u2019s not enough room available for crucial software updates to be installed. It\u2019s worth going through your archives, backing up the photos and videos you want to save to the cloud, and getting rid of anything on your phone that\u2019s needlessly taking up space.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve had your phone for a long time and it\u2019s really running slowly, it may even be worth backing up all your important data and doing a full factory reset, starting fresh and only installing the essentials you need.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Take<\/p>\n

The satisfying removal of dirt from your phone\u2019s charging port.<\/p>\n

Andrew Hoyle\/CNET<\/p>\n

Clean out your ports<\/p>\n

Finally, give your phone a good cleaning<\/a> as it can have surprisingly helpful outcomes. Pocket fluff can be a real problem for your phone, with the charging port in particular often getting clogged up with bits of nonsense. The result is that when you plug in your charger, it can\u2019t quite connect and as a result, your phone won\u2019t charge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to think that something has actually broken \u2014 the charging port itself or the cable \u2014 but really it could be as simple as the port just being stuffed full of lint. Get a wooden toothpick in there periodically and try and ease out any dirt and debris you find to ensure your charger can fit without having to be aggressively wiggled.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth using an old toothbrush (clean and dry) to gently brush away any debris you might find around the speakers and microphones to ensure you can clearly hear \u2014 and be heard \u2014 on your phone calls.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tDon\u2019t Let Your Phone Overheat This Summer: Here\u2019s How to Keep It Cool<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Andrew\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAndrew Lanxon\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEditor at Large; Lead Photographer, Europe\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhen he’s not testing the latest phones or phone cameras, Andrew can normally be found with his own camera in hand or behind his drums or eating his stash of home-cooked food — sometimes all at once.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSee full bio\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A few smart habits now can keep your phone running well for years longer than you\u2019d expect. Andrew…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":806643,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[2306,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-806642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-mobile","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/806643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}