Having a phone battery that dies earlier than you’d like can be a frustrating experience. That’s why it’s not too surprising that longer battery life is one of the biggest features people look for when they decide to get a new phone.
While upgrading your device is definitely one great solution to the problem, not everyone is in a position to do that right away. For example, maybe you aren’t quite eligible for an upgrade with your wireless carrier yet, or maybe you didn’t budget to replace your phone for a while longer.
Given these factors, I thought it’d be helpful to share a few tips for how to make your phone battery last longer. Hopefully, that can help you get a little more mileage out of the phone you already have.
Adjust your brightness settings
Your brightness settings might make a difference in how long your battery lasts. Now, that’s not a reason to go overboard and keep your phone so dark that you have to squint to see it, but it is something you might want to keep in mind.
Personally, I’ve found that unless I have a particular reason to turn up my brightness, it’s best to keep my phone at a somewhat dim setting, especially when the battery is running low. Many people, including myself, actually prefer to look at a darker screen, anyway.
Remember that not all activities use battery equally
More processor-intensive tasks, like using your GPS, may take a bigger toll on your battery life than less processor-intensive tasks, like checking your text messages. So, if you’re trying to conserve your battery, consider putting off more intensive tasks until you’re in a situation where battery life is no longer as big of a concern.
Pay attention to apps running in the background
It’s easy to get carried away with the sheer number of apps out there. It seems like there is an app for almost anything you can think of. While having lots of fun apps is fine, some of this software can also use up your battery power if you leave it running in the background. This is especially true for apps that rely heavily on location services.
So, if you’re trying to get the most out of your battery, I would recommend being careful about which apps you leave running in the background. Does a dating app really need location services turned on when you’re not even using it right now? Did you forget to turn off your maps app after arriving at your destination?
These things are easy to forget about, but going through your device and either closing apps or deactivating location services on apps that you aren’t currently using can be a good strategy. You can always just turn things back on again if you need to later.
Invest in a portable battery
If you don’t want to worry about your battery life as often, I definitely recommend carrying around a portable battery, or at the very least an extra wall charger.
Portable batteries can really take away a lot of the anxiety you might have about your phone dying. I keep one in my car pretty much all of the time, and I bring it with me to events where I might need to use my phone a lot. It’s perfect for something like a music festival, for example, where you really need to have a charged phone all day in case you get separated from your friends. It’s also extremely helpful for travel.
For me, the best part is that I know I can always power up my phone if I urgently need to reach someone for whatever reason.
Consider an upgrade
Unfortunately, despite all of these tips, sometimes a phone is just no longer worth keeping. If your device has trouble charging, runs out of battery extremely quickly, or has other frustrating issues, you might decide you’re done with it. That might not be all bad, though, because you can take this as an excuse to pick up the latest smartphone from your favorite brand.
Stay safe and good luck with your phone battery!
Hopefully, this post provided you with some helpful tips on how to keep your phone from dying as quickly. Now, hopefully all that’s left is for you to enjoy having a powered-up phone.
This article was written by Matt Johnsen, a TechBuzz contributor. The statements in this article are his own and don’t necessarily represent the positions, strategies, or opinions of AT&T.
