How to Extend your Phone’s Battery Life
Our lives are busy, and we need a phone battery that will get us through the day. Manufacturers have been working hard to maximize the energy efficiency of their batteries and processors, but there is more that you can do to get the best experience and extend battery life. If you find yourself wondering why your phone is dying so quickly or seems to be draining faster than usual, check out our tips and tricks to extend your battery life.
Battery Management Settings
Both Android and iPhone have battery management built into Settings. This is the best resource for seeing where your battery usage is going. It could be a social media app or VPN service working in the background or maybe it’s a game you play frequently. The answer will vary from user to user, but it is important to know where to go.
Also included in battery settings will be a battery health measurement. This indicates the maximum capacity of your battery relative to the day it was brand new. Lithium-ion batteries slowly degrade over time and once your battery’s maximum capacity is around 80%, your phone may throttle itself to prevent sudden crashes or catastrophic failure. However, if you replace your battery with a new one, your phone’s performance will go back to normal.
Make Informed Changes
Once you have a good idea of the apps and services using your battery, you can make informed decisions on how to maximize usage. For example, you may see a social media app using more battery than expected and explore disabling push notifications or location services. It is also possible that if you use an app a lot, you may not be able to reduce the impact on your battery. Prolonged usage of any app will drain battery and it may be best to consider your usage habits to ensure your phone can make it through the day. Consider making some changes to services that could lead to some battery savings. A few examples of these are lowering your screen brightness, using dark mode, utilizing low power mode, or disabling background app refresh to save on some battery. Additionally, if you use iPhone 5G Auto vs. 5G can make a different in battery life. You can go into your settings, under Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data. 5G Auto will disable 5G if using it would reduce battery life or performance, whereas 5G on will always try to connect to 5G, regardless of how it affects the battery.
Final Recommendations
It is also recommended to keep your phone’s software up to date, as manufacturers are constantly working to make sure your phone is operating as efficiently as possible. Software updates also keep your phone secure. Another fundamental rule is to only use licensed chargers. There are many third-party chargers that are not suitable for charging your phone or tablet and could actually damage your device. It’s best to stick with brands you can trust, like Belkin or Ventev. Also, try to keep your phone at a reasonable temperature. Phones do not like extreme heat or extreme cold. If you are still having issues making it through the day, consider purchasing a battery power bank.
Common Misconceptions
Technology is complex and has its nuances and charging is no exception. With that complexity comes misconceptions. One of these misconceptions is that force-closing apps will save battery. It may actually have the opposite effect, since closing an app requires more effort from the phone instead of freezing the app in the background.
Also, Background App Refresh will still apply even if an app is closed, so you aren’t saving battery life by closing apps using Background App Refresh.
Another example is believing it is healthy to wait until your phone is completely dead before charging it. This is not necessary. Another misconception is that your phone’s battery will be negatively affected by overnight charging. While overcharging is something that can happen, it will only happen over weeks or months of constant charging. Phones are smart enough to recognize that you typically charge your phone at night, so they extend the charging cycle so your phone is at 100% by morning without overcharging. This means you don’t have to worry about charging your phone every night, but it would be a good idea to unplug your tablet or laptop computer if you go on vacation, for example.
In our fast-paced lives, having a phone battery that keeps up is a must. While manufacturers are doing their part, there's more we can do to stretch that battery life. Dive into your phone's settings to track usage and tweak apps. Remember, small changes like dimming the screen or using dark mode can add up. Keep things updated, use trustworthy chargers, and don't stress about overnight charging—your phone is smarter than you think. With these tips, your battery will be the least of your worries on your busy day.