After waiting hours on line or waiting patiently at home for your order to be delivered, you finally have the new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus in the palm (or palms) of your hand. But you may have noticed that the latest iOS 8 software is draining the battery life out of your Apple device.

The software update— which can also be downloaded on older Apple devices— includes new features that make the operating system work harder, which in turn sucks up more battery. Unlike older models, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus that run on iOS 8 are less likely to suffer from this problem because of stronger batteries. But no matter what iPhone you have, it's still a good idea to know how to keep battery use efficient. Here are some ways to preserve your iPhones battery life so that you do not face the fatal situation of a dying phone.

Handoff allows Apple users to seamlessly move from device to device, such as when you are writing an email and switch off between your iPhone and iPad. If you are not planning on multitasking between devices, turn off this battery draining feature by going to Settings > General > Handoff & Suggested Apps.

Verizon charges $10 per month for iPhone insurance coverage (which is covered under Asurion). This means that, during your two-year contract, you’ll be paying an extra $240 for the privilege of knowing that you can get your phone fixed or replaced for a fraction of the cost of a brand new iPhone. Compared to the thousands of dollars that you’ll spend on the service alone over the course of two years, $240 isn’t much at all.

However, on top of the monthly fee, you have to pay a deductible whenever your iPhone gets damaged or becomes lost or stolen, and it’s a bit on the pricey side. You’ll be paying a $169 deductible if you have a 16GB iPhone 5s, and $199 for a 32GB and 64GB iPhone 5s. This will get you a replacement iPhone 5s, but Verizon says that your replacement “may be remanufactured equipment,” which is the fancy term for a refurbished model. This shouldn’t be too much of an issue, though, as Apple refurbished products are usually top notch.


It’s also important to note that “if the same model is not available, a comparable model will be provided.” This means that if you break your iPhone 5s, but Apple doesn’t have any identical models in stock, they’ll give you a “comparable model,” which may or may not be fine with you, depending on what they give you as a replacement.

Verizon’s insurance limits replacements to two within a 12-month period (compared to AppleCare’s two within a two-year period), with an equipment maximum of $1500 per claim. This limit should be fine, even if you have a 64GB iPhone, which retails for $850 — well under the $1,500 limit.

It really just depends what you’re after. The fact that AppleCare+ doesn’t cover lost or stolen iPhones can be a huge reason that you would choose Verizon’s insurance plan over Apple’s, since Verizon covers lost or stolen units. However, you’ll be paying more money in the long run for that privilege. Then again, AppleCare+ comes with exceedingly better customer service when handling insurance claims from what we’ve experienced in the past, so if you’re wanting a quick turnaround time, AppleCare+ might be what you’re after.