How To Extend Battery Life on Your Smartphone

Smartphones have become indispensable, acting as our personal assistants, entertainment hubs, and communication lifelines. As we grow increasingly reliant on these devices, optimizing battery life has never been more crucial.

Below, we delve deeper into each strategy to extend your smartphone's battery life.

Adjust Screen Brightness

The screen is one of the most significant power consumers on a smartphone. Managing its brightness can notably influence battery longevity.

Automatic Adjustment: Enabling auto-brightness allows your phone to automatically adjust the screen brightness based on the ambient light, ensuring that you're not using more power than necessary. This feature balances visibility and power consumption efficiently.
Manual Adjustment: For those who prefer more control, manually setting the brightness to a lower yet comfortable level can also yield significant power savings. It's all about finding that sweet spot between visibility and conservation.

How to Adjust Screen Brightness

Adjusting screen brightness is a straightforward yet effective way to preserve battery life on your smartphone. Both Android and iOS devices offer options to manage screen brightness manually or automatically. Here’s how you can do it:

Android Devices

1. Access Quick Settings:

Swipe down from the top of your screen to access the Quick Settings menu.
Look for the brightness slider. It’s usually represented by a sun icon.

2. Adjust Brightness Manually:

Slide to the left to decrease brightness and to the right to increase it.
Set it to the lowest comfortable level to optimize battery life.

3. Enable Adaptive Brightness:

Go to “Settings” and select “Display.”
Find and select “Adaptive Brightness” or “Auto Brightness,” depending on your Android version.
Toggle the switch to enable this feature. It will automatically adjust the screen brightness based on the surrounding light conditions and your usage patterns.

iOS Devices

1. Access Control Center:

On iPhone 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen. On iPhone X or later, swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen.
Locate the brightness slider, represented by a sun icon.

2. Adjust Brightness Manually:

Slide up to increase brightness and down to decrease it.
Adjust to the lowest level that still allows comfortable viewing.

3. Enable True Tone (if available):

True Tone adjusts the color temperature of your display based on ambient lighting conditions, which can help in reducing eye strain and potentially save battery.
Go to “Settings” > “Display & Brightness.”
Toggle on the “True Tone” switch.

4. Enable Auto-Brightness:

In “Settings,” navigate to “Display & Brightness.”
Scroll down to find the “Auto-Brightness” option and toggle it on. This feature will automatically adjust brightness based on ambient light and personal preferences.

Additional Tips

Optimal Level: While it’s essential to reduce brightness to save battery, it’s equally important to ensure that your screen is still easily readable. Straining to read can cause discomfort and eye fatigue.
Night Shift and Blue Light Filters: Using features like Night Shift on iOS or Blue Light Filters on Android during the evening can reduce eye strain and adjust brightness levels based on the time of day.
Battery Saver Mode: Activating Battery Saver Mode on Android or Low Power Mode on iOS can also automatically reduce brightness and optimize settings to extend battery life.

By balancing screen brightness with your environmental conditions and personal comfort, you can significantly conserve battery life while maintaining a pleasant viewing experience.

Screen Timeout Setting

Screen timeout determines how quickly your phone’s display turns off when not in use. Shortening this time can result in noticeable battery savings.

How to Adjust Screen Timeout:

Most smartphones allow users to adjust the screen timeout settings. Reducing this setting to the shortest comfortable duration can prevent unnecessary battery drain from an idle, lit-up screen.

Adjusting the screen timeout settings on your smartphone can help preserve battery life. The process for changing these settings may vary slightly depending on the operating system of your device. Below are the steps for adjusting screen timeout on both Android and iOS devices:

Android:

Open Settings: Tap on the “Settings” app on your device’s home screen or app drawer.
Display Settings: Scroll down and tap on “Display.”
Sleep or Screen Timeout: Look for an option called “Sleep,” “Screen Timeout,” or something similar, depending on your device model and Android version.
Choose Duration: Tap on this option and choose the duration you prefer. Selecting a shorter duration will help in conserving battery life.
Exit Settings: Once you have made your selection, exit the settings. The change will be saved automatically.

iOS:

Open Settings: Tap on the “Settings” app on your iPhone’s home screen.
Display & Brightness: Scroll down and select “Display & Brightness.”
Auto-Lock: Tap on “Auto-Lock.” This option controls how quickly your iPhone’s screen turns off when it’s inactive.
Choose Duration: Select the duration you prefer. The shorter the duration, the more battery life you conserve.
Exit Settings: After selecting, exit the settings. Your choice is saved automatically.

Additional Tips:

Remember Your Surroundings: Consider your typical surroundings and usage patterns when setting the screen timeout. If you often refer to your device for information without interacting with it, a slightly longer timeout might be more convenient.
Balancing Battery Life and Convenience: While a shorter screen timeout conserves battery life, it might also result in the need to unlock your device more frequently. Balance your need for convenience with your desire to preserve battery life.
Check for Additional Settings: Some devices may have additional settings that affect screen timeout, such as “Smart Stay” on Samsung devices, which keeps the screen on as long as you are looking at it.

By adjusting the screen timeout settings and considering your usage patterns, you can optimize battery life while maintaining a convenient user experience.

Update Your Apps and Software

Keeping apps and software updated is crucial. Developers often release updates aimed at improving efficiency and reducing power consumption.

Regular Updates: Ensure that your apps and software are regularly updated to benefit from optimizations and fixes. Updated apps typically run more efficiently and use less power.
Background App Refresh: Limiting which apps can refresh in the background can also contribute to battery savings. This prevents apps from constantly using power and data in the background.

Manage Location Services

Location services are vital for navigation and location-based reminders but can be heavy on battery consumption.

Disable When Not in Use: Turning off location services when they are not needed can help conserve battery. Adjust app settings to use location only while the app is in use.
Precision Settings: Some smartphones allow users to adjust the precision of location services. Using a lower precision setting can reduce battery usage without significantly affecting functionality.

Use Wi-Fi Instead of Cellular Data

Different types of internet connections have varying impacts on battery life, with Wi-Fi generally being more efficient than cellular data.

Whenever possible, connect your device to Wi-Fi instead of using cellular data. Wi-Fi connections typically consume less power, thereby extending battery life.

Enable Power Saving Mode

Power Saving Mode is a built-in feature in most smartphones designed to extend battery life by limiting the device’s performance and background activities.

While Basic Power Saving offers moderate limitations, Ultra Power Saving is more aggressive, often restricting the device to essential functionalities like calling and messaging when the battery is critically low.

Turn Off Push Email and Notifications

Constant notifications and push emails can wake your screen frequently, resulting in battery drain.

Adjusting your email settings to manual fetch and managing your notifications to receive only the essentials can help in reducing screen wake time and thereby conserving battery life.

How to Turn Off Push Email and Notifications

Turning off push email and notifications can significantly help in conserving your smartphone’s battery life. Push services are convenient for staying informed, but they can also cause your device to wake up frequently, leading to increased battery drain. Here’s how you can manage these settings on Android and iOS devices:

Android Devices

1. Manage Email Sync Settings:

Open the “Settings” app on your device.
Navigate to “Accounts” or “Users & Accounts,” depending on your device and Android version.
Select the email account you wish to manage.
Tap “Account sync” and disable the “Sync Email” option.
Alternatively, adjust the sync frequency to a less frequent interval if available.

2. Disable App Notifications:

Go to “Settings” and select “Apps & Notifications” or just “Notifications,” depending on your Android version.
Here, you will see a list of apps with the notifications they’re allowed to send.
Tap on any app to manage its notifications and toggle off any unnecessary ones.

iOS Devices

1. Manage Email Fetch Settings:

Open the “Settings” app.
Scroll down and select “Mail.”
Tap on “Accounts.”
Select “Fetch New Data.”
Disable “Push” at the top.
Below, adjust the fetch settings for each account to a less frequent interval, or choose “Manually” to only check for new emails when you open the Mail app.

2. Control App Notifications:

Open the “Settings” app.
Scroll down and tap on “Notifications.”
Here, you will see a list of apps with their notification settings.
Tap on any app to adjust its notifications. You can turn off “Allow Notifications” at the top or customize other settings to reduce battery consumption.

Additional Tips

Prioritize Apps: While it’s beneficial to limit notifications and email sync, consider which apps are essential for you to receive real-time updates from. Prioritize these over others.
Use Battery Saver Modes: Both Android and iOS offer battery saver modes that automatically adjust settings, including email sync and app notifications, to conserve battery life.
Customize Notification Settings: If turning off notifications entirely isn’t practical, consider customizing them. For example, disable sound or vibration for non-essential notifications.

By managing your push email and notification settings, you can reduce the frequency with which your device wakes up, thereby conserving battery life and ensuring that you’re not overwhelmed by unnecessary alerts.

Optimize Your Settings for Connectivity

Connectivity features such as Bluetooth, NFC, and AirDrop are essential but can consume significant power when left active. Turning off these features when they are not in use can conserve battery. Additionally, enabling Airplane Mode in areas with poor cellular reception can prevent the phone from constantly searching for a signal, thereby saving power.

Avoid Using Dynamic Wallpapers and Widgets

While they add aesthetic appeal, dynamic wallpapers and widgets can be power-hungry due to their animated and constantly updated nature. Choosing simple, static wallpapers and minimizing the use of widgets can contribute to power conservation, extending the life of your battery.

Calibrate Your Battery

Battery calibration helps in maintaining the accuracy of the battery gauge, ensuring that you get an accurate representation of the remaining battery life.

Calibrate your battery every few months by charging it to 100%, using it until it completely drains, and then charging it uninterrupted back to 100%. This helps optimize battery performance and longevity.

How to Calibrate Your Battery

Calibrating your smartphone battery can help maintain its performance and longevity by ensuring the operating system correctly reads the battery levels. Here's how you can calibrate the battery for Android and iOS devices:

Android Devices

1. Charge Your Phone

Connect your phone to the charger.
Charge it to 100% and leave it connected for at least an additional hour.

2. Use the Phone Normally

Disconnect the phone from the charger.
Use the phone normally until the battery is completely drained, and the phone turns off.

3. Charge Uninterrupted

With the phone turned off, connect it to the charger again.
Let it charge to 100% without any interruptions—avoid using the phone during this time.
Once fully charged, leave it connected for another hour.

4. Reset Battery Stats (If Available)

Some Android devices have a system menu where you can reset battery stats (usually accessed by booting into recovery mode). This step is optional and not available on all devices, so refer to your device’s manual if necessary.

5. Use Normally

Disconnect the phone and use it normally.
Repeat the process if necessary.

iOS Devices

For iPhones and other iOS devices, battery calibration is less hands-on, but you can still follow a similar approach:

1. Charge Your iPhone

Plug in your iPhone and let it charge to 100%.
Keep it charging for at least another hour.

2. Drain the Battery

Unplug the iPhone and use it normally.
Allow the battery to drain completely until the device powers off.

3. Charge Uninterrupted:

With the device powered off, plug it in again.
Allow it to charge to 100%, avoiding usage during this time.
Once fully charged, keep it connected for another hour.

4. Restart Your Device

After the device is charged, restart it.
Use the iPhone normally and observe the battery performance.

Additional Tips

Regular Calibration: Calibrate your battery every 2-3 months, but avoid over-calibration as it could reduce the overall lifespan of the battery.
Monitor Battery Health: Regularly check the battery health of your device in the settings. iOS users can find this under Settings > Battery > Battery Health. Android users may need to use third-party apps as not all devices have this feature built-in.
Maintain Optimal Conditions: Whenever possible, maintain your device in optimal conditions, avoiding extreme temperatures, and using certified charging equipment.

Calibrating the battery helps in maintaining accurate battery level readings and optimizing battery performance, ensuring your device remains reliable over time.

Maintain Optimal Temperature

Extreme temperatures can affect the performance and lifespan of your smartphone’s battery.

Avoid exposing your device to extreme cold or heat. Keeping your smartphone at room temperature ensures optimal performance and helps maintain battery health.

Review App Battery Usage

Some apps are more power-intensive than others. Regularly reviewing which apps consume the most power can help you manage them better. Identify and adjust settings or find alternative apps that are less demanding on the battery. This proactive approach can lead to better overall battery life.

Conclusion

Smartphone batteries are finite resources, and optimizing their performance is essential for ensuring device longevity and user convenience. By implementing these detailed strategies and cultivating good habits, users can significantly extend the time between charges and make the most out of their devices.