TECHNOLOGY is a near-constant drain on the bank account – but Apple has a handful of money-saving tricks up its sleeve.
From getting a cheaper new iPhone, to cutting down on subscriptions – here are four ways you could save hundreds each year.
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Subscriptions tracker
Apple has a nifty feature tucked away in your iPhone settings that lays out all your subscriptions.
It displays all your active and expired subscriptions, so you can cancel or renew each membership with ease.
Simply being able to visualise just how many apps and services you’re signed on to each month can go a long way.
You can view the specific details of each package, like the next billing date, renewal options, and cancellation options.
It also helps you calculate exactly how much of your monthly budget is being sucked dry by subscriptions.
To view and manage your Apple subscriptions on an iPhone, simply open your Settings > tap [Your Name] > Subscriptions.
You can also manage them through the App Store by tapping your profile picture, then hitting Subscriptions.
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Clean energy charging
A sneaky settings change can also help cut down your energy bills.
Apple offers features like Clean Energy Charging on iPhones to help reduce your carbon footprint by charging your iPhone when the electricity grid is using cleaner energy sources.
The feature works with Apple’s Optimised Battery Charging setting to learn your charging habits.
This means it only switches on when you’re in the locations where you regularly charge your iPhone for long periods of time, such as your home or work.
To check the settings needed for Clean Energy Charging, simply follow these steps:
- With iPhone 15 models and later, go to Settings > Battery > Charging and make sure that Clean Energy Charging is on.
- With all other models, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and make sure that Clean Energy Charging is on.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and make sure that Location Services is on.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services and make sure that System Customisation is on.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Significant Locations and make sure that Significant Locations is on.
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Trade-in
Apple says you can get between £30 and £595 off your next iPhone when you trade in your old one.
If your device isn’t eligible for credit, Apple will recycle it for free, alongside other gadgets and accessories you no longer use.
Check out your trade-in values for old tech here.
Discount codes
Apple isn’t exactly a retailer that flaunts big discounts – but that doesn’t mean you always have to pay full price.
Beyond the Trade-In trick, Apple also offers students and teachers a discount on iMacs, MacBooks and iPads.
If you’re studying, or if you work in education at any level – like a lecturer, school teacher, or office staff – you can save as much as 10% on Apple products.
iPhone tricks to try today
Here are some of the best…
- Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily
- Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs
- Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete
- Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen, then tap in the bar and type a currency (like €200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency
- Check if you’re due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you’re down to 80% capacity. If you’re below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple
- Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier
