If you’re like most people, your smartphone is one of the most frequently used digital devices in your life. It probably also has the shortest battery life of any of your gizmos. That’s why it’s so important to take measures to extend the battery life of your phone whenever possible. The less time you spend charging your phone and the more time you spend using it, the happier you’ll be. Battery life is an important consideration for any device, but it becomes even more critical when that device is a smartphone and its primary function is as a telephonic device. When we use our phones for extended periods or find ourselves away from a charger for long stretches of time, battery life can become quite strained and many users have found several ways to extend their phone battery life.
Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
Both of these features are meant to be used in the moment, linked to whatever device you’re currently using with your smartphone. If you’re not actively using them, they’re just drawing power unnecessarily. When you’re at home, at work, or in another location where there’s a consistent Wi-Fi hotspot nearby, turning off Wi-Fi will prevent your phone from constantly searching for and connecting to random hotspots. Similarly, Bluetooth connections are designed to be used temporarily, with active connections lasting from 30 seconds to five minutes. If you’ve been connected to a device via Bluetooth for a longer period of time, the connection is still active, even if you’re not actively using it. Turning off Bluetooth and keeping Wi-Fi turned off whenever it’s not in active use can help your phone last longer.
Adjust screen brightness
The brightness of your screen draws quite a bit of power. If your phone is always in bright daylight mode, it’s going to consume a lot of battery life. It’s also going to be harder to see if you have to squint to see the screen. In brighter lighting conditions, you should turn down the brightness of your screen to conserve as much battery life as possible. In lower-light conditions, you can turn it up a bit, but be sure to keep it at a level that’s comfortable to look at.
Use Device Lock
Many smartphones come with some sort of device lock feature. This can be as simple as a four-digit passcode that you have to enter whenever you unlock your phone or it can be a fingerprint scanner. Depending on the type of device lock you use, it may require you to keep your phone unlocked for longer periods of time. This is especially true if you use a passcode or a series of letters and numbers for your lock screen. If you have the ability to temporarily lock your phone or use a quick lock feature that only requires a short screen lock, then you should definitely do so.
Switch to Dark Mode
If you use an Android device, you can take advantage of a feature called “Dark Mode.” This simply changes the color of your interface so that it’s a darker color and less likely to strain your eyes. Dark Mode is not only easier on the eyes and helps reduce eye strain but it also reduces the amount of battery life your phone draws. This is because your phone’s screen brightness may be significantly reduced when using Dark Mode.
Conclusion
Depending on the type of phone you own and the settings you have currently set, extending your phone battery life can be as simple as turning off certain settings or as involved as purchasing a new, long-lasting battery. If you take the time to carefully examine your current phone usage and make a few small changes, you can significantly improve the length of time your phone battery lasts.
