How to make your phone battery last
We use our phones to connect and do more each day, so it makes sense we’ll need a battery that lasts longer, writes Blayne Slabbert.
If you ask most people what they want from a new smartphone, the answer is often a longer-lasting battery. As we use our phones to do more tasks, we’re wanting better performance from our batteries so we’re not continuously scrambling to find a charger.
There’s no sign of any new battery technology that will allow our smartphones to last several days so we’re stuck with getting the most out of what we’ve got and making sure we have the correct accessories.
Here are some tips that will ensure your phone lasts until midnight rather than midday.
Battery level
To get the best from your battery charge it a little, but often. The idea is to keep it above 50 per cent with regular top-ups throughout the day.
It’s best not to let it get to zero and then charge it all the way to 100 per cent as this will shorten the battery’s lifespan. So try to keep it at about 50 to 80 per cent and prevent it going under 20 per cent.
There’s still some debate about whether you should charge your phone overnight.
Some experts say it hurts your phone but the best approach is that if it suits your digital life then go ahead.
Accessories
To keep your battery level up you need more than just one charger at home.
Buy one for work and one for your car too. However, don’t scrimp as ideally you want one that charges as quick as possible.
For example, the iPhone 6 supports 1.6 amps and comes with a 1-amp charger. If you buy a 2amp charger you’ll ensure it charges as fast as possible.
Search online to find details about your phone and get a charger from a reputable brand that matches.
If you buy a multiport charger, make sure it can produce enough amps to charge all your devices at once.
The same principle applies to car chargers so do your research before buying.
Some brands to consider are Aukey, Anker and RAVPower.
You can also borrow a charger if you’re visiting someone’s home or office – just don’t forget your phone when you leave.
Another good accessory to have is a battery pack. These are small enough to keep in a shoulder bag or backpack and allow you to recharge your device about 10 times before running out of juice. They are great for travelling too.
Tweak your settings
Turn off vibrate or haptic feedback as the buzzing can drain the battery. Turn on low power mode. Both Android and iPhones have this feature which stops some visual effects, prevents automatic downloads and refreshing, and turns off the screen faster. Manage your screen’s brightness. You can try using auto-brightness which will help but if you want the best savings it’s best to adjust it manually throughout the day.
Have the latest operating software, as Apple and Android often add battery-saving features to new releases.
Closing apps doesn’t save power but some apps use more battery life than others.
Facebook is well known as one of the worst culprits. You can check which one and delete them and start accessing them via a web browser.
For Android phones, go to Settings > Device > Battery and for iPhones go to Settings > Battery. Make sure you use the Do Not Disturb feature on your phone when not using it for long periods. This includes overnight while you are sleeping or at work if you aren’t allowed to use your phone.
If you don’t have time to set up Do Not Disturb, then just use Aeroplane Mode which will kill all connectivity, reducing battery drain.
Turn off notifications so your screen doesn’t light up every few minutes. Don’t use animated wallpapers or other visual effects.
Also, decrease the length of time your phone remains idle before its display automatically goes dark. Head to Settings > Display to adjust the time to, say, 10 seconds rather than an interval like 5 minutes.
Turn your phone off and on again once a week. This means everything will reset and any battery-draining feature running in the background will be stopped.
Get a new battery
If you’ve used your phone a lot over the past few years then it might be time to get a new battery.
If you have an iPhone go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and for Android go to Settings > Device > Battery. This will tell you how much life you have left in your battery.
However, replacing batteries in modern smartphones can be expensive so get a quote from an authorised repair shop before weighing up whether getting a new phone makes more economic sense.