I change these 5 iPhone settings immediately, and you should too

While Apple hasn’t used “it just works” as a slogan in years — the phrase dates back to the Steve Jobs era — it still frames how a lot of people perceive the iPhone. The truth, as you’d imagine, is that features are sometimes broken or miscalculated. Or both, in the case of things like ” butterfly” keyboards on MacBooks, or the original version of Apple Maps.

Those mistakes extend to the settings iPhones use by default. Most of them should be fine — but you’ll probably enjoy your new iPhone more once you make a few post-setup adjustments.

1 Dark Mode

Save your eyes (and your battery)

Light Mode looks slick on a demo iPhone sitting in an Apple Store, but you shouldn’t be using it on your own device, at least most of the time. It’s harsh on the eyes at night, and makes it harder to wind down when you’re getting ready for bed. It’s even an unnecessary power drain — most iPhones now use OLED displays, which can shut off individual pixels to achieve true black. That means Dark Mode can help extend your battery life.

To enable Dark Mode, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness.
2. Tap the Dark Mode circle.
3. Flip the Automatic toggle if you want the mode to activate after sunrise or sunset, or according to a custom schedule.

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2 Auto-Lock duration

Avoid getting shut out of your iPhone too quickly

By default, iPhones are set to auto-lock extremely quickly. It’s a security measure, naturally, meant to safeguard your apps and privacy. But if you’re like me and often need to put your iPhone down while you’re in the middle of something, extending Auto-Lock’s window can save you the trouble of repeatedly entering your passcode or getting close enough to trigger Face ID.