Battery life: It's the one feature on mobile devices that everyone
wants more of. You could show me a smartphone that lasts a month and
I'd say, "Great! Can we make it last two?" Unfortunately, it's also the
one feature that has never dramatically improved beyond the 24-hour
(give-or-take) maximum set by the first generation of iPhones.
The folks at Google have taken note and have made a conscious effort with the latest version of Android to improve battery life through software. But only a few phones have the Lollipop update so far, and some are never going to get it. Either way, no matter what type of phone you use, you can always squeeze more life from your battery. Here are 10 steps to do it:
1. GET A BATTERY MANAGEMENT APP
If you only do one thing to boost your battery life, do this one. That's because an app like JuiceDefender or Battery Doctor can do a lot of the things you're about to read automatically. JuiceDefender
is a smart app that turns off your data chip when you're not using it.
It dims screen brightness, turns off unused apps and more. Battery Doctor
is a little different. It tracks your usage and comes up with a battery
saving plan. It tells you what's sapping your battery life and how to
shut it down. An app like Tasker
can help you schedule apps to turn on or turn off when you come in
contact with a known Wi-Fi network, or when you're charging or while you
sleep.
2. DISABLE/UNINSTALL BATTERY HOGS AND UNUSED APPS
Open up Settings>Apps. Swipe through and find any you don't use.
Uninstall them - or if they can't be uninstalled, just disable them.
These apps could be sucking juice in the background.
3. GET RID OF YOUR LIVE WALLPAPER
That background with the spinning galaxy or the glittering lights is
really pretty. You should probably turn it off. It's using extra
processor power and thus battery. You don't need it and it's draining
your phone and slowing it down. While you're at it, you might as well
get a background with more black or dark colors. AMOLED screens use less
power to display black or dark colors. You'll get a bit more battery
life this way.
4. DELETE YOUR WIDGETS
Widgets are awesome. They're one of the reasons I love Android. The
most recent iPhones support widgets, but iOS doesn't really have any
good ones yet. Android has had widgets forever, and there are plenty of
very useful ones. But if you're strapped for juice, they can eat up
precious battery as they run passively on your homescreen. If you're not
using them, delete them. If you're desperate for battery life, delete
them and put them back when you're charged.
5. TURN DOWN YOUR BRIGHTNESS
One of the biggest battery drains is your gadget's
screen, especially for larger smartphones. The longer the screen is on
and the brighter it is, the faster your battery goes. That makes sense.
Something has to power those pixels.
Android, iOS and Windows Phone automatically adjust
the screen's brightness for you based on two things: the light in the
room and how long the screen has been on. But it's typically even
brighter than it needs to be. Take control back.
Try setting the screen as dark as you can stand it
and still read a text. Just go to Settings>Display and tap
Brightness. Uncheck "Automatic brightness" and adjust the slider. Then
go to "Screen timeout" below it to adjust how fast the screen shuts off.
On some phones, you can also swipe down from the top of the screen and
the brightness controls will be above the notification area.
6. BAD VIBRATIONS
Whenever your phone vibrates, the software sends a signal to a tiny
mechanical gizmo inside your phone that causes it to shake. You guessed
it: that takes energy. Turn off vibrate. That includes haptic feedback.
Haptic feedback is the little shake your phone gives whenever you tap
the screen. It's a handy tool that makes your phone more tactile, but
it's a battery eater. Go to Settings>Language & input, select the
options button next to the keyboard you use and turn off vibrations and
feedback.
7. STOP THE NOTIFICATIONS
Another way to improve battery life is stop the
constant flow of notifications and updates from Facebook, email, games,
sites and apps. Your phone will automatically pull these when it's
connected to the Internet, and they can have a noticeable impact on
battery life. Plus, they can sometimes be annoying.
On Android, you have to turn off Notifications in the
settings menu for each individual app. If you turn off notifications
for email or social media, you can still check these manually whenever
you want.
8. TURN OFF SYNCING
Your email app, your playlists, your photo gallery: They could all be
syncing with the cloud this very second. You need to stop them
immediately, or you're just throwing away precious battery right when
you need it most. Each app has its own sync settings, so you'll need to
open up the settings menu in every app that syncs in order to control
how often - if ever - you want it to sync up.
9. LOCATION SERVICES IS DRAINING YOU DRY
Location Services is another feature that drains your battery. It
uses GPS, Wi-Fi and cell towers to tell apps your location. In your
settings, you can specify which apps have access to Location Services.
It's never a good idea to have this continuously running, as it's one of
the most battery intensive things your phone does. Make it stop! The
toggle is under Settings>Personal>Location Services.
10. TURN OFF THE INTERNET
Swipe right from your home screen to pull up your quick settings.
Toggle Mobile data to OFF. Toggle Wi-Fi to OFF. This is a surefire way
to make sure nothing is accessing the Internet in the background. You
never know which app is passively communicating with the Web while
you're none the wiser. This stops it. When you want to connect, you can
turn it back on. Until then, only phone calls and SMS messages will get
through.
- komando
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