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How to Calibrate an iPhone

Readjust the motion sensors, auto-brightness, home button, and battery

By Simon Chandler Simon Chandler Writer University of Reading King's College London Simon Chandler is a former Lifewire writer who covered cryptocurrency, social media, AI and other topics. His work has appeared in Wired, TechCrunch, and The Verge. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on July 22, 2021 Reviewed by Ryan Perian Reviewed by Ryan Perian Western Governors University Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email iPhone & iOS Switching from Android

What to Know

To calibrate brightness: Turn off Auto Brightness, move to a dark room, and turn Brightness down. Turn Auto Brightness back on.To calibrate Motion Sensors and Compass: Ensure Compass Calibration and Motion Calibration & Distance are toggled on.To calibrate the battery: Fully discharge the phone, then recharge fully. Reboot, and do a soft reset. This article describes three calibrations that might help improve the performance of devices with iOS 11 or later.

How to Calibrate iPhone Screen Brightness

If the iPhone Auto-Brightness sensor isn't working properly, the phone responds inappropriately to changes in lighting. The issue may arise because Auto-Brightness adjusts partly based on where the value was set when the feature was turned on. Here's how to recalibrate the Auto-Brightness sensor: Open the Settings app, scroll down, and select Accessibility. Select Display & Text Size, then turn off the Auto-Brightness toggle switch. Move to a dark or dimly lit room, then manually turn the Brightness all the way down so that the screen is as dark as possible. To access the brightness settings from anywhere on the iPhone, swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen (or down from the top on an iPhone X) to open the Control Center. Turn on the Auto Brightness toggle switch, then move to a room with regular lighting to see if the auto brightness works better. How to Stop the iPhone from Dimming Its Screen

How to Calibrate iPhone Motion Sensors and Compass

Many apps use the iPhone motion sensor, accelerometer, and compass. When any one of these stops working properly, the iPhone recalibrates the app automatically as long as Location Services are switched on. Here's how to make sure that your device is handling this for you: Open Settings. Turn on the Location Services toggle switch, then scroll down and tap System Services. Turn on the Compass Calibration and Motion Calibration & Distance toggle switches. The iPhone uses your location data to ensure the gyroscope, GPS, compass, and accelerometer work properly. To recalibrate the Compass and motion sensor on older versions of iOS, open Compass and play the mini-game by rolling a red ball around a circle.

How to Calibrate the iPhone Battery

The iPhone battery needs to be calibrated when the phone gives inaccurate percentages. The phone may show a low percentage but last an hour or two longer. Or, it may show a full battery and shut down suddenly. Calibrate the iPhone battery to fix the way the phone monitors and reports the percentage of remaining battery power. Fully discharge the phone. Use up the battery power until it shuts off. Leave the phone discharged and unplugged overnight to completely drain the battery. While the phone is powered down, charge it for a couple of hours longer than is necessary to bring it to 100 percent capacity. Reboot the phone, then perform a soft reset (also called a warm reset). The method to perform a soft reset varies with the iPhone model: For models earlier than iPhone 7 (such as iPhone SE, 6S, 6, 5S, 5, 4S, and 4), simultaneously hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button for 10 seconds.For the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, hold the Volume Down button and the Sleep/Wake button for 10 seconds.For the iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus, press and release the Volume Up button, press and release the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears. When the phone is reset, it should give a more accurate indication of its battery status. If problems persist, it may be necessary to replace the battery. How to Recalibrate the iPhone Battery Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Fix iMessage Activation Errors How to Reset Restrictions Passcode on an iPhone Here's How to Fix An iPhone That Won't Turn Off How to Restart an iPhone 11 How to Restart an iPhone (All Models) How to Easily Fix the iPhone White Screen of Death How to Reset an LG Phone How to Reset the iPod Touch Without Losing Your Music How to Calibrate Google Maps for Better Directions How to Turn Off an iPhone XR How to Calibrate the Compass for Android How to Turn On an iPhone XR How to Fix Not Getting Text Notifications on iPhone How to Calibrate the Touchscreen on Your Android 9 Ways to Fix It When AirPods Are Too Quiet How To Turn Off Your iPhone Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies