Because we can’t cope when our phones die!
From ordering dinner to finding out when the next train home is, we rely on our smartphones to guide us in pretty much every area of our existence. Since there is an app for everything these days, we all need to have our phones on us, at all times.
That’s all very well and good, but what if the worst should happen? What if…. *takes a deep breath*… your battery should run out before the end of the day?
As your Android phone gets older, the likelihood is that the battery life simply will not perform as well as it once did. Like most technology, it’s certain to get old and tired after a couple of years or so.
But wait, all is not lost! We’ve got some genius battery tips that will help stop your phone from running out of juice.
1. Show Your Apps Who’s Boss
When you click off an app, you might imagine that it shuts down and stops running altogether. Um… wrong! In reality, many apps will continue to run in the background of your phone unless you shut them down properly. Of course, that means that your battery is likely to drain a whole lot quicker than it usually would.
To find out which pesky little apps are draining your battery life, you can head to Settings > Battery Usage. There, you should see a list of apps (such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger) which are continuously running. To improve your battery life, you need to force quit them. You can do so by going to Settings > Apps > Apps Manager > Tap on most android phones.
2. Let There Be [Less] Light
If you walk around with your smartphone brightness on full blast all the time, you’ve got two majorly annoying problems. For one thing, staring at the brightest of bright screens all day will mess with your vision. It’s just not necessary.
The second thing you should know is that the backlight will drain your battery faster than you can say, “Hey, my phone’s dead again!” One of the simplest and most effective battery tips you will ever learn is to turn the brightness down and keep it down.
3. Tidy Up Your Home Screen
Widgets or live wallpapers might make your phone look rather snazzy, but they will also use up a whole load of power without you realising it. To improve the battery, you need to tidy things up just a little bit.
That means deleting widgets that you genuinely don’t use at all. If they are of no use to you, there is no need to have them there just for show. What’s more, it’s time to get rid of ‘live wallpapers’ once and for all. Come on, those things are so 2016!
4. Set Your Phone to Snooze
In the rare moments that you’re not tap-tap-tapping away at the screen of your phone, you may find that it goes to sleep. The ‘screen timeout’ function can be set at anything from 15 seconds to five minutes after usage. That means that your phone could be losing power for five entire minutes after you’re done replying to a text.
It just doesn’t make sense! What does make sense is changing the mode so that you save your phone’s battery. Just go to the Display Settings on your smartphone and change the ‘sleep’ or ‘screen timeout’ settings so that it times out as quickly as possible.
5. Turn off Vibrate
Ever wondered how your Android phone vibrates? It doesn’t happen by magic. There’s a small vibration motor inside your device which powers up whenever your phone goes off.
Unsurprisingly, that can use up a whole load of battery power. If you’re hoping to keep your juice going for much longer, turn off vibrate altogether. Simple.
6. Turn off Your Phone Connectivity
Not using WiFi right now? Then why on earth is your connectivity still on? There’s no need for it to be. Both WiFi and Bluetooth search for networks all of the time when they’re switched on.
Unsurprisingly, that can end up draining a whole load of the phone’s battery. Taking the time to turn these things off might be a pain but once you get into the habit of doing it, it’s as easy as pie.
7. Get Rid of Pesky Notifications
The sorry truth of the matter is that more and more apps now have pesky notifications. It’s no longer just about social media, messages, and email. Every single app that you have wants to send you a whole load of push notifications 24/7.
Not only is this super annoying, but it also means that your battery doesn’t last quite as long as it should. Go to Settings > Notifications and then turn off the ones that you really don’t need.
8. Limit Location Services
Not only does every app want to send you notifications but they also want to know where you are. It’s time to put an end to that pronto. Go to Settings > Location Services and disable it when you don’t want to use it.
It could also be useful to stop Google using your location when you search for things online. Of course, it’s up to you whether you want these services to be active or not, but they do drain your power.
9. Restrict Background Data
Spoiler: Background data kills your phone’s life. Some apps use this data more than others and that’s something that you have to be mindful of.
There’s an easy way to stop any of your apps from draining this data too much and it will only take you a quick moment. Go to Settings > Usage Data. You can then go to the Menu option and then tick the box that says Restrict Background Data. You should notice your battery lasts a little longer.
10. Use Greenify
If you’re looking for an app that does all of the hard work for you, you might just have found it. Greenify works to identify any apps that are zapping your power and forces them to go into hibernation mode while you’re not using them.
If you have loads and loads of apps on your device, this little extra could be the thing that makes all the difference. It already has great reviews online so it’s worth a try.
11. Get ‘Lite’ Apps Instead
Has your Android phone slowed down with age? It happens! One of the best ways to keep your battery going for longer is to choose ‘Lite’ apps rather than the full version.
For example, Facebook, Messenger, and Skype all have scaled back versions of the app which are just as efficient as the full ones. When you have these, they should use less data and battery life. Win-win!
12. Use a Black Wallpaper
For those of you with an Android phone that has an AMOLED display, this handy little trick might be worth considering. Using a black wallpaper could mean that your phone’s battery drains a little more slowly.
The fact of the matter is that black pixels don’t need as much illumination as lighter colours. Switching to this type of background could save you power (not to mention make your phone look super cool!).
13. Use a Dark Theme Too!
Of course, it’s not just about your phone background. If you have a light coloured theme, it could also be draining your juice more than you know.
Switching things up and choosing the darkest possible theme – whether that’s black, dark blue, or whatever – could be the answer. Again, this is all about personal preference, but just remember that it could save you some real energy.
14. Switch to Airplane mode
Technology is king… but we all need breaks now and then. If you’re just using your phone to listen to (already downloaded) music or playing a game, you might not need it to be active in every other way.
Switching your phone to Airplane mode means that your WiFi, data, and phone signal will be unavailable. No one can call you or send you messages. Using this little trick now and then will save your battery and give you a quick breather!
So, there you have it. Our top 14 tips to boost your Android’s battery life. Whatever will you do with all that extra battery juice!?
Of course, the best way to improve your battery life is getting a brand-new mobile phone. It just so happens we have plenty of those at great prices, over at Buymobiles.net.
