Our smartphones are a big part of our lives. In our highly-connected society, we use them for navigation, communication, documentation, and entertainment. Unfortunately, our devices have limited battery capacity. Instead of having your device shut down at the most inconvenient time, here are some tips on how to save your battery life.
Cut Down on Features
Smart devices are great because they have so many spiffy features, but many of these can use up battery without your knowledge. Disabling these features when you are not using them is a fantastic way to extend your battery life. For instance, you can disable ‘Hey Siri’ on an iPhone so that your phone microphone is not constantly listening for commands.
The same goes for Bluetooth. Unless you are using it for a contact tracing app or purposefully trying to connect to an external device like a speaker, Bluetooth should be disabled. Likewise, many apps use GPS location services to display maps or send you geographically-relevant data. You can disabled this service or reduce the apps that are accessing it to save power.
It may seem like a small act, but limiting the brightness of your screen can make a big difference to your battery life too. Most devices have an automatic brightness option that will allow them to adjust the brightness of the display to suit the lighting conditions. For even more savings, try switching to dark mode to conserve up to 47 percent battery power.
Banish the Power-Hungry
The general rule of thumb is that the more applications you have open, the faster your battery will deplete. Understandably, we can get carried away switching from app to app. But, when you have multiple apps running at the same time—even in the background—they can eat away at your battery. Hence, make it a habit to close an app after you have finished using it.
Certain actions and apps use more of your device’s power as well. Playing a multi-player game will take up a lot more resources than scrolling through Facebook. Likewise, social media apps are more taxing than casual web browsing. To find out which apps drain the most power, check the battery usage information in the device settings.
Take note of the apps that are hogging your battery and make sure that you only use them when your device is fully charged or when you have a power bank at your disposal. If you cannot avoid these apps, consider less power-hungry alternatives. For example, instead of using the Facebook app, you could view Facebook’s mobile site in your browser instead.
Neuter Notifications
Each time your phone interacts with the Internet, a little bit of your battery dies. The purpose of push notifications is often questionable. Unless you are waiting for important information that cannot be delayed, notifications can not only be distracting and annoying but also bad for your battery life.
In order for push notifications to be timely, your device is constantly fetching new data from the Internet. Once it discovers new information, it may turn on your screen, play a sound, or even vibrate. In response, you may unlock your phone and launch an app. This whole cycle uses up power and can occur as often as every 5 minutes.
Head to your notification settings and turn off the unnecessary ones. If you check your social media accounts several times a day, there is really no need to have notifications popping up all the time as well. Try to limit push services to the bare essentials such as your work email or your favorite chat group.
Charge Smart
The batteries in your devices have a limited lifespan of charge cycles. After approximately 500 charge cycles, your battery will begin to charge slower and retain power less efficiently. While we cannot control the natural degeneration of batteries, there are some measures we can take to extend their lifespan.
Try to maintain a proper level of charge in your battery at all times. While allowing your battery to drop to zero and doing a full charge can be good every one or two months, doing it frequently will wear your battery out. On the other hand, overcharging can be bad too. Do not leave your phone plugged in all day if it is already at a hundred percent.
If you require a quick charge, there is nothing like a good old-fashioned wall charger. New wireless charging products are cool but—depending on your phone and OS—it could take 30-80 percent longer to charge your device than with a cable. Wall chargers are much more affordable and you can use your phone while charging as well.
Our smartphones are essential tools for the modern world. However, until we can develop solar or motion-powered devices, we are still at the mercy of their limited battery life. By using optimizing the way we utilize our devices, we can help them to do more and last longer.