This autumn, when work and school resume in full force, waiting for your iPhone to charge is the last thing you have time for. Slow charging is a big issue, regardless of whether you just upgraded to iOS 26 and are seeing a decrease in battery life or you’re simply attempting to keep your outdated phone functional for the whole of the day.

Let’s face it, you don’t have to decide to run out the door with a 5% charge. You don’t need any extra cables or accessories to significantly reduce the amount of time it takes for you to charge if you’re sick of being tethered to an outlet.

Rather than just putting up with your phone’s sluggish charging, follow these easy steps to have it charged and ready to go in no time. It’s the simplest method to ensure that your iPhone can handle your hectic schedule throughout the season while retaining all of the new features you want from the most recent upgrade.

Are you trying to find more power for charging? Here are some of the most affordable fast chargers available, and if you still have an iPhone with a Lightning connection, check out the top iPhone power banks.

1. Use a fresh charger to juice up

Using a fast charger is the fastest way to charge your iPhone; for iPhone 15 models or later, you’ll need at least a 20-watt power adapter and a USB-C to Lightning or USB-C to USB-C cable. You can quickly charge your phone from dead to approximately 50% power in about 30 minutes if you have an iPhone 8 or later. You can fully charge it if you have an hour to spare. If you’re pressed for time, always use the fast charger option since even 10 minutes of quick charging may increase your battery’s capacity by double digits.

You can buy Apple’s 20-watt power adapter on Amazon, but Apple no longer includes power adapters with new phones—just the cord. Apple claims that although other suitable fast-charging power bricks may be used, an iPhone 12 or later requires at least a 20-watt brick.

2. Wirelessly charge very quickly

Using Apple’s MagSafe charger with a 20-watt power adapter is the second-fastest method of charging your iPhone; but, in order to get the quicker 15-watt wireless charging, you must have an iPhone 12 or later. If your iPhone is dead, wireless charging should get the battery down to approximately 30% in about 30 minutes.

For rapid charging, this does not imply that you may use any Qi wireless charger, which is the industry standard. A Qi charger only provides up to 7.5 watts, which is much slower than a MagSafe and only marginally quicker than a conventional 5-watt wall charger, but a MagSafe charger can take up to 15 watts. Note that non-MagSafe certified magnetic wireless chargers will also charge at the slower 7.5-watt rate.

3. Give up using your PC to charge your phone.

If you spend most of your day in front of a computer and want to monitor any incoming text messages and alerts closely, charging your iPhone on your laptop could seem like a practical option. Your computer will always charge your phone more slowly than any wireless or wall charger, however.

 

Any wall outlet, even a 5-watt power converter, may provide more power than your computer’s USB port, regardless of whether it is the larger and more traditional USB-A or the smaller and more recent USB-C. This is particularly true if your computer is older and has a malfunctioning USB port or an unsuitable charging cable, both of which may cause the charging process to go even more slowly.

4. When your iPhone is charging, stop using it.

Avoid touching your iPhone as much as you can if you want it to charge as fast as possible. If at all possible, leave your iPhone alone while charging because it will charge much more slowly if you’re streaming videos or playing mobile games.

5. Use this simple method to accelerate battery charging.

Your phone is functioning in the background even while your screen is off. Turning off your iPhone is the best option if you want it to charge rapidly.

Be aware that occasionally turning on an iPhone when it is off can turn it back on, so turn it off and then plug it in or put it on a wireless charger.

6. If you don’t want to switch off your phone, put it on airplane mode.

You can put your iPhone in airplane mode, which turns off all power-consuming wireless transmission features including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular, if you don’t want to turn it off but still want to speed up charging. Your iPhone may charge more quickly if they are off. You may rapidly check for any text messages or phone calls you might be waiting for by doing this, as well as fast turning off airplane mode.

7. Adjust these iPhone settings to expedite battery charging.

Are you aware of all the advice that may help you keep your battery in good condition in the first place? If you don’t intend to switch off your iPhone, you may utilize the same settings and functions to help it charge more quickly.

Low power mode: Switch it on to cut down on or modify battery-using services including 5G, auto-lock, background app refresh, display brightness, and automatic downloads.
Although the precise amount of battery life savings from dark mode is unknown, it doesn’t harm to switch it on when charging your iPhone, particularly if every penny counts.
Reduce the brightness of your screen: The display is one of the components of any device that uses a lot of electricity. While charging, make sure your screen is as dim as possible since brighter screens deplete batteries faster.

8. The charge rate may be slowed down by optimized battery charging.

Apple offers a built-in mechanism that helps keep the battery on your iPhone from dying too quickly, but it also slows down charging. Even while the function normally only slows down your iPhone overnight and over extended periods of time, it could still be worthwhile to turn it off while your phone is charging. To turn off Optimized Battery Charging, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health.

9. A new iPhone battery could be all you need.

You may examine the condition of your battery on the same settings page where you can turn off optimal battery charging. If you get a notification that reads, “Your battery’s health is significantly degraded,” you should try scheduling a battery replacement appointment with Apple. A deteriorated battery will drain faster since it can’t store charge as effectively. Your battery life will be extended with a fresh battery.

On Apple’s iPhone Battery Service page, you can see how much replacing your battery would likely cost. The estimated cost for the iPhone 15 series is $99, depending on the type and model as well as your service coverage.