How many times has this happened to you: after a long day at work, you duck out for the night, only to see that before the end of dinner, your cell phone is critically low on battery? As mobile devices have become more and more essential to our lives, the threat of a dead battery is a cause for panic.
In addition to the inconvenience of not being able to access the internet, respond to messages or get in touch with loved ones, many people depend on their smartphones to access money, use rideshare services to get home safely, call for help, or figure out where we are. A dead battery can greatly inconvenience you. In some cases, the dead battery may even cause your device to malfunction and you will need to use phone repair services.
In the mobile technology industry, there are two main operating systems commonly used in around the world: Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS used in all iPhones and iPads. With a greater variety of products and manufacturers, Android phones make up a larger share of the market with its smartphone market share expected to reach around 85 percent worldwide in 2020, while Apple’s iOS only accounts for about 15 percent. Fortunately, whether you use an Android device of Apple product, there are a number of handy tips for how to save phone battery on your device:
1. Control the brightness on your mobile device
Screen brightness is the feature on your smartphone that most drains its battery. Reducing your screen brightness is one of the best ways for how to save phone battery. Look for the Auto Brightness control in your settings to automatically control screen brightness in low light environments. This will save power for both Android and iOS devices.
2. Avoid battery extremes
Charging your phone is a strain on the lithium ion battery that powers it. Anything you can do to reduce battery stress will prolong the overall lifespan of the battery. Draining your battery to 0% or charging it fully to 100% puts a lot of stress on the battery. Experts find that new lithium ion batteries perform best when you keep the battery charge between 20% and 90% of its total capacity, with 50% charge being optimal. Much about the batteries in smartphones seems counterintuitive.
Contrary to popular belief, short charges are not damaging to your battery. Also, did you know that the battery in your mobile device charged will drain even when the device is not turned on? It is true. So, if you are thinking of keeping a mobile device out of commission for awhile, experts suggest charging it to 50% and leave it to drain.
3. Turn off Wi-Fi when you aren’t using it
How many times have you gone somewhere in the city and looked at the Wi-Fi signals that your phone is picking up? In a downtown office building your might find close to one hundred signals. Modern communications-centric spaces are filled with all kinds of Wi-Fi signals of various strengths.
Free or not, when not connected to a signal your smartphone works really hard tirelessly looking to find a suitable connection. This Wi-Fi hunt drains device battery. Turning off Wi-Fi and even data when you are not using it saves power. When connected to Wi-Fi, some apps continue working in the background. Disabling the connection will stop this.
4. Only sync and upload files when connected to Wi-Fi
Similarly, when backing up data, streaming, sharing photos, or otherwise transferring large amounts of data using your smartphone, Wi-Fi is superior to mobile data in terms of battery usage. A Wi-Fi connection is faster than data, putting less demand on your battery.
5. Watch out for Apps that drain battery
Check your battery settings for reports about battery usage. For both Android and iOS systems, you can check to see which apps waste your battery the most. Consider closing or deleting the apps that waste the most power. You may also be able to change the settings within an app that will help on how to save phone battery.
6. Facebook is no friend of your battery
The Facebook App available in the Google Play or App Store is no friend to mobile batteries. As a mobile app, Facebook is a broad platform that uses a lot of energy and data on any device. Deleting the Facebook app is highly recommended to preserve battery. If you still need to access Facebook, you can open it in browser of your choice on your choice. Lite or Light version of Facebook and Facebook Messenger have been introduced, and may also be worth trying.
If you insist on keeping the original app, go into its settings to restrict permissions and limit its use. Like many other apps, Facebook will use your device location and inundate your with notifications. Unfortunately, more and more devices come with Facebook pre-installed. Should this be the case, you can deactivate or disable in your app settings.
7. Watch out for Ad-supported apps
If you frequently use free versions of apps, they often come at the cost of ads. These ads continue loading constantly transmitting data when connected to Wi-Fi or mobile networks, and draining power from your device. In addition to disabling Wi-Fi or data connections when you aren’t using them, you might consider buying an ad-free version of an app you can’t live without.
8. Delete widgets (Android only)
Widgets are a big part of the Android experience. As you might expect, these widgets drain battery power when they are running. If you are serious about saving battery, delete the widgets and only use apps and features that you want when you want.
9. Your battery hates when it’s too hot or too cold
Lithium ion batteries have to work harder and perform poorly under extreme heat (35° C/95° F) or cold (0° C/32° F). It isn’t a good idea to leave a smartphone in a hot car or put it in the freezer! Avoid these extremes to prolong the life of your phone battery.