We are constantly on our mobile phones. Always using them, for social media, texting, emailing, phone calls, the list goes on. Without these small devices we would all be very lost.
So it comes as no surprise that when our phones start to go flat and lose battery we quickly become stressed, because without them it often feels as though we’ve lost a limb.
There is nothing worse than being stuck with a flat phone. So we decided that this week, for something a bit different we would, provide you with our top tips to extend your battery life – so that you are rarely without your mobile!
Our top 7 tips:
- Disable Background App Refresh: The development of iOS 7, bought along a number of features, one of which is the Background App Refresh. The Background App Refresh feature, collates information on the most heavily used applications and the times that they are viewed/used1. With this information, the feature will automatically refresh the application’s data, so that when the user opens the app again, they will see the latest content and updates1. Although it is a useful feature, it is a major battery drainer! To make the most your battery life, we suggest turning this feature off2. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh, where you can then disable the entire feature, or disable specific apps that you do not use2.
- Disable App Updating: Another feature that was added to iOS 7, was the ability for apps to automatically update as soon as new versions are released1. Although this is a useful feature, ensuring the software you use is always up-to-date with bug fixes etc. the feature can be a major drain to your battery. Fortunately, there is a way around this! You can disable this feature, allowing you to manually update your applications2. By going to Settings > iTunes & App Store > Automatic Downloads. Once in this section you can disable automatic updates, and any other automatic updates you do not require2.
- Turn on Auto-Brightness: Having a bright retina display, requires a lot of energy. In fact, according to some studies, it is the biggest battery drainer2. With the iPhone only lasting 6 hours and 21 minutes at full brightness, and watching videos (during testing), compared to when the screen was set to half brightness, where it lasted 9 hours and 48 minutes!2 To fix this issue, it is very easy. One quick fix is to manually adjust the brightness slider, swiping it left to lessen the brightness on your screen2. Another easy way, is to turn on Auto-Brightness1. By enabling this feature, the iPhone will utilise its ambient light sensor by adjusting the screen’s brightness based on the light surrounding the phone (i.e. in darker areas, the phone will dim)1. Saving you battery life and making it easier to see.
- Location Services: More often than not, it is not the software that is draining your phone, but the applications that are continuously running2. Many apps, use location services, which is a major battery drain, especially if you’re not using it! Although the feature does allow you to know where you are and receive exact driving directions, there are many applications that use this GPS service that don’t really need it1. To stop this happening, we suggest going to Settings > Privacy > Location Services, where you can either turn all location services off, or just disable the applications that you don’t need or want accessing your GPS2.
- Turn Off Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is one feature that in this day and age, almost everyone uses. Unlike your cellular data (3G or 4G), using Wi-Fi does not have a financial cost, whereas your data often needs to be kept within a specific allowance as part of your contract2. Despite this, keeping your Wi-Fi constantly on, even if you aren’t using it, is an easy way to drain your battery completely. When your Wi-Fi is on, your phone will continuously hunt for a Wi-Fi connection, even if there isn’t one nearby1. Therefore, if you’re wanting to extend your battery life, (unless you’re currently using Wi-Fi) turn it off (same goes for your Bluetooth and Personal Hotspot Services)1.
- Auto-Lock: Another feature which can help save your battery life is changing your Auto-Lock time. Auto-Lock is when your iPhone automatically goes to sleep after a period of time1. The sooner that it goes to sleep, the less power is being used to run your device1. To make sure that your phone isn’t awake when you don’t need it to be, it’s recommended to set a low setting, between 30 seconds to 1-2 minutes2. To change this, you go to: Settings > General > Auto-Lock, you can then set your device to the desired lock time after a certain period of inactivity2.
- Low-Power Mode: The best way however, if you really need extend your battery power is to enable Low Power Mode. Low Power Mode, is exactly as it sounds1. Basically it shuts down all the non-essential features on your device, to conserve as much energy as possible1. According to Apple, Low Power Mode, can save you up to three hours of battery1. Unfortunately, Low Power Mode is not a default option. It is only offered (automatically), when your device reaches 20% battery remaining, and again at 10%2. If you want to enable Low Power Mode, before your device reaches this point, go to Settings > Battery > Enable Low Power Mode2. Your battery icon indicator will turn a yellow colour, to indicate that Low Power Mode is on.
Well they are our top tips for helping you extend your phone’s battery life. Although our examples are Apple based, the same ideas also apply to Android devices, they will just be found in slightly different places.
We hope this helps you keep your battery lasting longer, especially so you can capture those special moments.
References:
- S Costello, 30 Tips to Extend iPhone Battery Life, Lifewire, 2016, viewed 15 March 2017, <https://www.lifewire.com/tips-to-extend-iphone-battery-life-1999884>
- K Haslam, How to Improve iPhone & iPad Battery Life | Get Better iPhone Battery Life, MacWorld, 2017, viewed 14 March 2017, <http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/iphone/36-tips-improve-iphone-ipad-battery-life-get-better-iphone-battery-life-3513323/>