The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the amazing iPhone 16 Pro are two of the greatest smartphones available in 2025. Until the release of the iPhone 17. From their superb cameras and powerful performance to their exorbitant price tags, these high-end phones have a lot in common. Even phones that are affordable, like the Google Pixel 9A, nevertheless have a hefty price tag. It’s more crucial than ever to get the most out of whatever phone you purchase, and the easiest way to accomplish so is to use it for longer periods of time, spreading out that expensive purchase across years, rather than updating more often. This is because budgets are becoming tighter all around the globe.

Not only is it better for your wallet, but it’s also much better for the environment. If you upgrade your phone less often, fewer phones will be made and distributed, and fewer old phones will wind up in landfills. The good news is that manufacturers like as Apple, Google, Samsung, and others are extending the support period for their phones’ software upgrades, so the phone you purchase today will continue to be safe to use for many years to come.

You are responsible for the remainder. It takes some work, a lot of attention, and a few crucial tactics to keep your phone in excellent operating order for the seven or eight years of software support it may get.

Therefore, these are the best ways to extend the life of your phone.

Install every update that is available.

It is simply not safe to use a phone that is no longer receiving security upgrades, and you should stay away from doing so. Phones like the Google Pixel 9 series now come with seven years of software support, when before it was typical for many Android manufacturers to maintain new phones for just two to three years. Unfortunately, some less expensive phones, like as the recently released OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite, only get upgrades for a few years. When purchasing a new phone, be careful to inquire about its support duration since this will provide you with more value during the phone’s lifetime.

Keeping your phone up to date with the most recent security update can help prevent hackers and remove any dangerous software that could infiltrate and cause your phone to lag. If you have an older phone, go to the settings menu, scroll down to Software Update, and click to check if there is an update available. Most phones will automatically ask you to apply the most recent updates, and you should.

This also applies to your applications, which must be updated to stay compatible with the iOS or Android version you’re using. Allowing applications to update automatically in the background is a good idea, but if you don’t, make sure you’re running the most recent versions by going into your preferred app store.

Make use of a case

If you have purchased a brand-new iPhone, installing a cover right away is the best way to preserve it physically. In addition to protecting it in the event that you drop it, it will also assist prevent it from absorbing tiny scratches from your pocket’s coins or keys.

Since there isn’t much you can do to repair your phone’s screen after it becomes broken, a screen protector is also a smart option. You can easily change a screen protector if it gets a severe scratch, keeping the phone itself looking brand new for many years to come. When it’s time to update, keeping your phone looking new might help you sell it for more money on the secondhand market, even if you don’t intend to use it for many years.

Not the phone, but a worn-out battery

Over time, the battery in your phone will progressively degrade, giving it less life between charges than it did when it was brand-new. All phones are like this. Batteries in certain outdated phones could only provide 50% of their previous capacity. Your phone may even tell you when it senses that your battery isn’t providing enough power, in which case it may limit your CPU to make up for it.

Don’t worry; most phones include a battery that is rather simple to change on your own to give it a fresh lease of life. If your battery is about to die, it could be worth trying to repair it yourself. iFixit offers a wide choice of kits and third-party replacement batteries to fit a large number of phones.

If you’re not very confident with your screwdriver abilities, this could be a nice alternative to think about. There are a number of places you can send your phone to get your battery changed, or even other components like a damaged screen. However, not all of them are really legitimate.

Get rid of outdated programs and unnecessary pictures.

Your phone is probably cluttered with hundreds of pictures of your friends, pets, or the plates of food you’ve consumed over the years if you’ve had it for a long time. You probably have a number of outdated applications and games that you downloaded on the spur of the moment, played for a few bus journeys, and then switched to the newest mobile gaming craze.

In addition to negatively impacting your phone’s general performance, a shortage of storage may also make it more difficult to install important software updates. It’s worthwhile to go through your archives, remove anything from your phone that is wasting space, and backup any pictures and videos you wish to store to the cloud.

It might even be worth backing up all of your important data and performing a complete factory reset, starting over, and only installing the necessary apps if your phone has been slow for a long time.

Make sure your ports are clean.

Last but not least, cleaning your phone can have unexpected benefits. Your phone may suffer greatly from pocket fluff, especially when it comes to the charging connector, which often becomes blocked with pieces of junk. As a consequence, your phone won’t charge when you put in your charger since it can’t connect completely.

It’s tempting to assume that something has broken, like the cable or the charging port itself, however it might simply be that the port is full with lint. To make sure your charger fits without requiring forceful wriggling, sometimes insert a wooden toothpick into the area and attempt to smooth out any dirt or debris you notice.

To make sure you can clearly hear—and be heard—during your phone conversations, it’s also worthwhile to carefully brush away any dirt you may discover around the speakers and microphones using an old toothbrush that has been cleaned and dried.