We rely more and more on our smartphones, so it’s more of an issue when the battery eventually dies. So what can you do to spice up your phone a little more? You’ll be amazed at some of the tricks you can pull off!
Let’s start with the most obvious tricks first:
1. See which apps consume power first
Although iOS8 has a battery usage screen that tells you which apps are using the most power, it doesn’t have a way to quickly close all apps. However, you may not know that you can actually close more than one app at a time. Double-tap the home button, and then use up to three fingers to close three apps at once. Since Android is a more open operating system than iOS, there are several task manager apps available that will kill all open apps with a single tap.
2. Enable any power saving mode
Many mobile phones have power saving modes that turn off all but the most essential functions. This should be your first port of call before anything else, as it will take care of almost everything you need to control with a quick flick of a switch.
3. Lower screen brightness
The screen is the most battery-consuming component on your phone, so turn the brightness down to the lowest level you can work with.
4. Set a shorter screen-off period
You may have the screen off timer set too long on your phone, so take a quick tip in settings to check it’s on the lowest level. Better yet, every time you hang up the phone, hit the kill switch instead of waiting for the timer to expire.
5. Turn off 3G/4G or mobile data completely
If you can stand being cut off from email, social media, etc., turn off 3G or, better yet, mobile data entirely. This will probably reduce battery consumption by at least 20%. Of course, if you’re going to be somewhere where you have WiFi and need to be online, you can turn off mobile data entirely.
6. Turn off Wi-Fi
On the contrary, if you are away from home and therefore far from WiFi, why not turn it off completely? Then you can rely on mobile data.
7.Turn off Bluetooth
Bluetooth doesn’t use the same amount of battery as 3G/4G, but it will probably add 10% to your day. If you don’t need to use any devices, such as headsets or car kits, press the Bluetooth off switch.
8. Turn off GPS/Location services
Many apps will use location services, for example your phone’s GPS functionality, regardless of whether the app’s functionality requires it. Games are a good example, as they collect information like this for ‘marketing’ purposes, often to deliver more targeted advertisements. Turning GPS off won’t stop apps that don’t depend on that functionality from working, but don’t expect to use Google maps as a sat nav with this disabled!
9. Close all open apps
Apple’s iOS does a relatively good job of limiting the use of apps in the background. However, Android apps have a bit more freedom. Either way, it’s good practice to close all apps if you’re looking at the battery meter.
10. Put the phone in airplane mode (if you are in a zero coverage area)
When you don’t have a signal, your phone goes into overdrive trying to lock onto the nearest cell tower, so it can drain your battery extraordinarily fast. Hitting the flight mode switch will not only disable the ability to receive calls/texts, it will also disable Bluetooth and WiFi at the same time, likely doubling your battery life.
That covers the basics, but it doesn’t stop there. Here are some tricks you may not have thought of:
11. Prevent apps from automatically extracting data
If you have your email client set to pull emails, say, every 15 minutes, this is going to drain your battery over the course of the day. Set it to manual and just open your email client when you need it. Look for similar apps, such as Facebook, Twitter, or news apps that periodically check for updates and disable background operations. Turning off notifications in iOS also stops this, as many apps will light up your screen to display pop-up messages.
12. Update the phone’s operating system
Often an OS update (especially if you’re upgrading from an early version of a new OS: iOS 8.0/8.1, anyone?) can provide significant benefits to battery life. My wide upgraded their Sony Xperia Z3 from Android Jellybean to Lollypop and battery life went from less than a day to almost two days on a single charge, due to Lollypop’s frugal power management options.
13. Choose a dark background (AMOLED screens only)
Some of today’s smartphones (like the Samsung Galaxy S6, LG Flex 2 and Yotaphone) are equipped with AMOLED screens. They differ from other technologies, such as LCD, in that AMOLED has no backlight: each pixel has its own light, and the brighter the pixel, the more power is used. Battery drain on an LCD screen is constant regardless of how bright or dark the screen being displayed is, but a darker screen on an AMOLED screen will consume less power than a brighter one. So if you were to change your background to a cool black image, it will be better than a bright background image. Tests suggest that savings of 10-20% can be achieved, which should not be underestimated!
14. Turn off vibration OR your ringtone
If you get a lot of calls or texts, that vibration alert will slowly eat up any remaining juice, and of course generating a sound requires power too. Turn off the vibrate alert or turn your phone on silent to squeeze a little more life.
15. Make a call instead of texting!
Most people assume that making a call will consume more power than sending a text, but think about it; when you are sending a text message, the screen is on and you are touching the touch screen. When you make a call, most of the drain is due to the initial connection. Then you put the phone to your ear and the screen turns off. So when you’re at 1% and need to reach someone, make a call instead of texting and you just might get it done.
16. Buy full versions of games without ads!
If you are not the customer, you are the product. Free games are not truly free. We mentioned earlier that many will use your GPS data to load targeted ads. However, if you pay a little cash for full versions of games without ads, the software will not only not connect to servers to download ads, but also won’t share location information. If you’re a serious gamer, you might be surprised by the battery life, even if you’re playing games that aren’t processor-intensive. That’s a small price to pay for something that probably costs less than a shrimp sandwich, but could deliver significant battery performance savings.
17. Keep your phone cool
Mobile phone batteries work best when they are cold, so never leave your phone in the sun as this can also degrade the battery and exacerbate the problem.
Finally, if you can’t squeeze more life out of your battery during the workday, there are a few more tips that might help you keep going.
18. Buy an external battery
It’s really handy to have a battery pack in your bag or purse. They come in all shapes and sizes and can be picked up on eBay for less than ten pounds.
19. Buy a battery box
Better yet, carry the battery with you all the time by purchasing a case that has a built-in battery. Your phone may get a bit bulkier, but it will most likely double your battery life.
20. Always carry a charging cable with you
If you don’t want to lug around a battery pack, but aren’t usually far from civilization, then the Nomad Chargekey might be just what you need. This keychain-sized USB charger cable is available for both Apple and Android devices. You’re rarely far from a USB outlet, whether it’s a laptop, hi-fi or game console, so having a cable with you at all times could be the difference between a recharge and digital loneliness.
Summary
As you can see, there are plenty of tricks you can use to get a few more percentage points out of those fancy blocks of silicon we’re all so addicted to. Take a moment to see what power saving tricks your phone already has. Of course, the best thing to do is apply these tricks early in the day; don’t want to do it until you’re down to 10%, because 10% savings on 10% isn’t a big deal! Until manufacturers add larger batteries or develop longer-lasting ones, these ideas could be the difference between all-day use and the ‘black screen of death’.
