A HANDY iPhone feature can help keep you from draining your battery unawares.
Hidden somewhere on your device is an app that lets you set up custom alerts to signal when you’re chewing through power.
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Apple‘s Shortcuts app comes pre-installed on all new iPhones and is also available on the App Store.
Introduced in 2018, the tool lets you create custom actions or phrases to automate specific tasks on your device.
We’ve previously covered how Shortcuts can help you catch snoopers or sound an alert when you connect your iPhone to a charger.
You can also use it to have Siri audibly warn you when your iPhone battery hits a certain percentage.
Your iPhone automatically throws up a notification when you reach 20 per cent, 10 per cent and five per cent charge.
However, those alerts are muted if you’ve set your device to Silent Mode. They can also come a little late if your battery drains quickly.
Using Shortcuts, you can make Siri announce when your charge hits 40 per cent, 50 per cent or even 75 per cent.
Because you get a verbal warning, the alert plays even if your phone is on silent.
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They also come a little earlier in your mobile’s battery cycle, giving you more time to get to a charger if you think you’ll need one.
To set up the alerts, open the Shortcuts app.
You can find it by swiping down from the middle of the screen and typing “shortcuts” into the search bar.
Next, tap Automation at the bottom of the screen and then hit Create Personal Automation.
Scroll down and tap Battery level to create an automation based on the amount of power that you have remaining.
Move the slider to the battery level that you want to be alerted at.
This could be a low number if you frequently miss the default alerts or a higher number if you’d prefer to be notified earlier.
You can select whether you want the alert to sound when your battery equals the percentage selected, goes below that percentage or goes above that percentage when charging.
Tap Next and then hit Add action to tell your iPhone what to do once it hits your chosen charge percentage.
In the search bar that pops up, type “speak” and then tap Speak Text. Hit Text and enter what you want Siri to announce. Tap Done.
Next, toggle Ask Before Running to off. A pop-up will appear asking you to confirm your choice. Tap Don’t Ask, then tap Done.
Voila! Your iPhone will now read out your chosen alert text whenever your phone reaches your selected battery percentage.
You can add additional battery alerts by going through the steps above again.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
