So You’re minding your own business watching brilliantly narrated video on YouTube (heh heh) when your phone shuts down without warning. Well, maybe not completely without warning,but that 5% battery life popup wasn't that long ago, was it? The good news is that there are a lot of waysyou can extend your phone's battery life, and here are just some of them.
#1 Don’t let the charge run out
Some people will tell you that you should let your phone discharge completely before charging it. This was true for some older phone batteriesbut is harmful to the lithium-ion batteries used in modern phones and laptops. Modern batteries are designed to empty between300 and 500 recharge cycles, depending on the model. Keeping your device charged will extend those500 cycles over a longer period. It will also reduce the wear and tear thatgradually weakens the battery's ability to hold a charge.
#2 Lower brightness and screen out time
Your phone’s screen spends more juice than any other part. Lowering your phone’s brightness can goa long way toward extending its charge. You should also consider turning off automaticor adaptive brightness. While this might seem helpful, the constantchanges in intensity can drain a lot of power surprisingly quickly. It's also a good idea to go into your phone'ssettings and shorten the amount of time before the screen goes dark.
#3 Try to use Wi-Fi as much as possible.
It's a great way to cut down on your monthlydata bill, but did you know it's also cutting down on your battery life? Any time Wi-Fi is on but not connected, yourphone is wasting energy searching for Wi-Fi signals. This is especially true when you're on thego, and might be passing in and out of dozens of Wi-Fi signalsOn the other hand, Wi-Fi is a great way to save power when you aren't moving. On average, Wi-Fi uses about 40% less energythan 4G, so you'll want to switch it on whenever you're staying in one place.
#4 Use power saving modes
Many modern phones come equipped with power-saving software to keep them on longer. These modes will automatically change a varietyof settings, such as brightness and which background apps are running. If you have a newer phone with an OLED screen(wah-hoo!), using apps in dark mode or night mode can cut down on battery usage even furtherwhile also look cool and preventing eyestrain.
#5 Avoid fast charging
Many devices come installed with fast charge settings for quicker recharge. You can also buy special charging cords thatcan take your battery percentage from 0 to 100 in minutes instead of hours. This can seem like a great way to cut downon a huge inconvenience, but did you know that you are shortening your battery lifewhenever you use it? Batteries work by using electricity to causea chemical reaction inside the battery itself. Charging too quickly makes the process lessefficient. This can reduce the amount of storable energyby as much as 20% for the rest of that charging cycle.
#6 Keep the temperature just right
Just like you'll shiver in the cold or sweat in the heat, your phone doesn't like extremetemperatures either. At temperatures below 32°F, the cold airwill slow down the reaction inside the battery, reducing the amount of power it can store. You can expect to get a little more chargeat temperatures above 113°F. Most people aren't going to store their phone in an oven,but leaving it in a hot car all day can be just as bad. If your phone's heating up all on it's own,that means you're using a lot of power all at once, which would be a problem even withoutthe heat-related damage.
#7 Use airplane modeIt
probably goes without saying that turning your phone off will save power. SO I won’t say that. Oops. I already did. But maybe you want easy access to your appsand contacts without having to sit through a lengthy start-up screen. Instead, turn on airplane mode before puttingyour phone to sleep. Your phone is still interacting with the networkeven when asleep. Switching on airplane mode can reduce powerconsumption by up to two thirds.
#8 Watch fewer videos on your phone
Ha ha, It’s kinda obvious, but still: limiting video content is a great way to make yourbattery last longer. If your screen is the component with the mostsignificant power draw, its only natural that streaming video is going to be one of thebiggest power-draining activities. In addition to the power going to the screenand the wireless receiver, videos can be pretty hard on your phone's CPU. The same can be said for games, and the morestuff that has to happen on screen and behind the scenes, the more power it drains fromthe battery.
#9 Disable or delete Facebook
Telling you not to use Facebook might sound like I’m calling the website out, but it’s their app that's the problem. Whether it's on iPhone or Android, the Facebook app is notorious for draining power. Between location tracking, notification, andauto-playing videos, it combines all the biggest power users into a single app. Deleting, disabling, or limiting the apps'permissions in the settings menu is a great way to save a surprising amount of power. You can still go on Facebook whenever youwant, but if you want to extend your battery life, you're much better off using your browser instead.
#10 Store your phone at 50% charge
You'll often hear that charging your phone overnight can damage your battery, but this isn’t exactly true. Modern devices will stop charging when thebattery reaches 100%. The bad news is that storing a phone at 100%can wear the battery down over time. Now, a few hours every night isn't going todo much damage. Still, if you have a laptop or second phonethat you sometimes go days without using, only charge it to around 50% when you putit away.
#11 Turn off location tracking
Facebook isn't the only app that likes to know where you are. Google Maps isn't going to give very accuratedirections if it doesn't know your location, but do you need to be tracked by every restaurantand store with its own app? If you don't want to waste power being stalkedby a steakhouse, you can disable location tracking in your phone setting menu. On an iPhone, click Settings, Privacy, thenLocation Services. On an Android device, Location Services canusually be found on the Settings menu or beneath Security & Location.
#12 Disable automatic updates
Many apps will automatically update as soon as there is a new version available. This isn’t as big a power waster as somethings on this list, but you’ll want to turn it off if you’re trying to get themost out of your battery. Apple users can find this setting under theGeneral Tab of the Setting menu. Finding it on Android is a little trickierand will require a bit of exploring in your device’s Data Usage settings.
#13 Turn off AirDrop and Spotlight
If you’re on an iPhone, you can save a little extra power by disabling the AirDrop and Spotlightfeatures. If you don’t remember what those are, AirDropis for quickly sharing files with other Apple users. Spotlight tracks your activity so that itcan make suggestions when you search for something on your phone. They can be useful but increase your CPUspower drain and can be disabled in the general settings.
# 14 Use simple wallpapers
Customizable backgrounds and wallpapers are a great way to match your phone to your personalitybut less great when it comes to extending your battery life. Animated wallpapers or ones that have specialeffects will drain your battery for no real benefit. If you want to make sure your charge lastsall day, you are better off using a simple, still background image.
#15 Disable hot words
(“Hot” words, hehheh! No not that kinda of hot!) )Apple and Android commercials like to show off people saying, "Hey Siri" or "Okay Google"to get their virtual assistants' attention. While that's convenient and even a littlebit fun, you're making more work for your phone than you might realize. Your device has to be constantly listeningfor those keywords. That means more apps running in the background and more power-draining even when your phone isn't in use. If you want to cut power cost, you can turnoff Hot Words under the Siri or Voice setting on your Apple or Android Device.
#16 Know how much power your apps are using
If you’ve tried everyone else and you still can’t get your battery to last, it might all be the fault of one or two power-hungry apps. You can see how much power each app is usingby going to the battery setting on your phone. iPhone users can see it by tapping on battery in the Setting menu then scrolling all the way down. If you prefer the green robot to the half-eaten fruit, you'll see the list by clicking on Settings, Battery, then Battery Usage. Now. Can you think of any battery-saving tips I might have missed? Let me know in the comments below. And hey, if you learned something new today,then share it with a friend!
0 Comments