We’ve all been there: you find yourself nowhere near a phone charger and helplessly watching your phone’s battery percentage drop lower and lower. So, what do you do? Luckily, there are a few things you can do to keep your phone going longer when you need it most.
Restart
There’s a reason that “turn it off and turn it on again” is the go-to first step in the world of technology. If a background process or application has created an error loop, restarting the device is the best way to interrupt the loop and get things back to normal. So, if your phone has inexplicably started draining the battery, turning it off and then back on can be the simplest way to stop the drainage and put your phone back at normal operating capacity.
Close All Apps
As you switch between apps on your phone, it can be easy to forget to go back and close things. But, just like your computer can run more slowly when you have a zillion browser tabs open, your phone’s processing power can be taxed by having too many things running in the background, which can result in a higher than necessary drain on the battery. Plus, some of those apps might be drawing unnecessary power for location services, bluetooth, and more. Do yourself and your phone a favor and close any apps you aren’t using. You’ll likely be surprised by how much it helps save your battery life.
Adjust Brightness
How bright is the screen on your phone? If you like it to be extremely bright, you might have found the culprit that’s draining your battery. Try adjusting your phone to a dimmer setting to save battery life. If you have the Auto Brightness feature enabled, turn it off while you’re trying to save power.
Check Your Usage
Most phones have a log of which applications are using data, location services, and battery power. Try checking under Settings to see which apps have recently used the most juice on your phone. You might be surprised to see which unnecessary apps are stealing the most power from your phone. You could temporarily turn those apps off to save power in the short-term, or search for replacements that are more energy efficient to save battery power in the long run.
Check For Updates
Has it been weeks (or months?) since you last updated your phone? If so, outdated processes might be responsible for the drain on your battery. Try updating to the latest version of your phone’s software to see if it improves battery usage. You should also check your commonly used apps for newer versions, since outdated apps can also cause excessive battery drainage when they aren’t operating at peak performance. Plus, keeping software and apps updated will improve your device’s security and overall operating efficiency.
Turn Off Bluetooth, WiFi, and Location Services
When features on your phone, such as Bluetooth, WiFi, and location services aren’t in use, you’ll do your battery a big favor by turning those features off, especially if you’re in an area with poor coverage. Even when your phone isn’t connected to one of these services, your phone is constantly searching for a connection, which can wreak havoc on your battery power. If you aren’t using them, turning off these three features is one of the top ways to save on battery usage.
Adjust Mail and Notification Settings
If you have “push” settings enabled for notifications, email and other messages, that means your phone is constantly searching for updates from those sources, which is a drain on the battery. If you want to save precious battery life, try turning off notifications. If you still need to know when you’ve got mail, maybe because you’re working from home, adjust your mail settings to “fetch.” This will limit your phone to updating your email at specific time intervals, such as every 15 minutes, every hour, or whenever you manually request an update.
Change the Mode
If you’re in dire straits with your battery life and have no hope of finding a way to charge your phone anytime soon, then you’ll probably want to think about changing the mode on your phone to either Battery Saver mode or Airplane mode.
With Battery Saver mode, your phone will turn off background processes, dim the screen, and enable a few other battery-saving functions. However, your phone will still be operating almost like normal, with the ability to receive calls and texts, etc.
Airplane mode doesn’t change any of your phone’s functions or processes, but it does turn off all of your phone’s wireless transmission capabilities, including Bluetooth, Wifi, cellular and data connections. While turning off transmission capabilities will certainly save battery life, you won’t be able to receive any calls, texts, emails, notifications, etc while in Airplane mode. However, if you’re desperate to save battery life, this is an excellent way to do that.
Long-Term Solutions
If you regularly experience problems with your phone not having enough charge, you might want to consider a solution that will improve your battery situation over the long term. There are several ways you can do that.
Portable Charger
A portable charger or battery pack is an easy and inexpensive way to ensure you never run low on battery power when you’re out and about. A portable battery pack can provide multiple charges for most devices and they are available starting at less than $20.
Upgraded Phone
Batteries can degrade as phones age. If you have an older phone and are struggling to keep your phone charged, it might be time to consider upgrading your phone to a newer model.
Signal Booster
If your phone’s battery is constantly running low, it might be due to poor cellular signal. If your phone is always searching for a signal, it can drain the battery more quickly than normal. A cell phone signal booster can help your phone to maintain a strong signal and thus optimize battery usage, which will help your phone last longer between charges. You can get a cellular signal booster for your home, office, or even your vehicle and enjoy longer battery life and improved signal strength.