Tech Tips
ComputersPhonesWi-FiKeep it between 20 and 80 per cent where you can, keep it cool, and replace the battery rather than the phone.
Phones are replaced far more often than they wear out. Battery health, storage and software support are the three things that actually determine how long one lasts, and two of the three are within your control.
What it covers
Every tip in phones
Avoid charging to 100 per cent and avoid running it flat. Between about 20 and 80 per cent is where lithium batteries age slowest, and heat is the other thing that kills them.
Almost always, if the phone is otherwise fine and still getting security updates. It typically costs a fraction of a new handset and restores most of the original endurance.
Clear app caches, offload apps you do not use, delete downloaded video and podcasts, and empty the recently deleted album, which holds everything for a month.
A strong screen lock, find-my-device turned on, and a separate PIN on your banking apps. The phone is worth little; the accounts on it are worth a great deal.
Register with the Telephone Preference Service, silence unknown callers, and report scam texts by forwarding to 7726, which is free.
Get closer, get the light behind you, clean the lens, and tap to set the exposure. Those four do more than any camera upgrade.
Tipking is general household information, not professional advice. Test anything on a hidden patch first. Full disclaimer.