How To Increase Battery Life On Your Phone

Smartphones have become indispensable in our daily lives, but one common issue users face is battery life. With all the apps, features, and constant connectivity, it's easy to find yourself reaching for a charger by midday. However, with a few adjustments and mindful usage, you can significantly extend your phone’s battery life and avoid the frustration of a dead phone. This guide outlines some of the best tips and tricks to maximize battery efficiency based on expert advice and user experience.

1. Optimize Display Settings

The smartphone display is one of the biggest power consumers. Reducing the brightness or altering the display settings can dramatically improve your phone’s battery life. Here are a few ways to optimize display settings:

• Lower Brightness: One of the easiest ways to save battery life is by manually reducing the screen brightness or enabling automatic brightness adjustment. Automatic brightness allows your phone to adjust based on your environment, saving energy when you’re indoors or in dim light.
• Reduce Screen Timeout: Set your phone’s screen to turn off after a short period of inactivity. The longer your display stays on, the more battery it consumes. Many experts recommend setting the screen timeout to 30 seconds or less .
• Use Dark Mode: For phones with OLED or AMOLED displays, using Dark Mode can save a significant amount of power. These types of screens only light up the pixels that are in use, so when your screen displays dark colors, fewer pixels are lit, reducing power consumption. Studies show that dark mode can extend battery life by as much as 30% in some cases .

2. Manage Background Apps and Processes

Apps running in the background can significantly drain your battery without you even realizing it. Fortunately, there are ways to manage and limit these background processes:

• Limit Background App Refresh: Many apps refresh their content in the background, consuming both data and power. You can limit or disable Background App Refresh in your phone’s settings. For iPhone users, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and select either "Wi-Fi only" or "Off." For Android users, access the feature under Settings > Apps and disable background activity for specific apps .
• Close Unnecessary Apps: Keeping multiple apps open drains your battery more quickly, especially resource-heavy apps like gaming or streaming services. Make sure to regularly close apps you aren’t using.

3. Turn Off Unnecessary Connectivity Features

Keeping your phone’s connectivity features—like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, and mobile data—turned on all the time can lead to quick battery depletion. Here’s how to better manage them:

• Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you’re not using them. These radios constantly search for connections in the background, which consumes battery. Simply toggling them off when they aren’t needed can save significant power .
• Use Airplane Mode in poor signal areas. When your phone constantly searches for a stronger signal, it uses more battery power. In places with weak network coverage, enabling Airplane Mode can help conserve your battery.
• Disable Location Services: GPS and location tracking apps, such as maps and social media check-ins, can be big battery hogs. Disable Location Services when you don’t need them or restrict them to only when using certain apps .

4. Enable Battery-Saving Modes

Most smartphones today come with built-in battery-saving modes that automatically adjust settings to maximize battery life. These modes usually limit background activity, reduce screen brightness, and disable animations.

• Low Power Mode (iOS): iPhone users can enable Low Power Mode by going to Settings > Battery and toggling it on. This feature is activated automatically when your battery drops below 20%, but you can turn it on manually at any time.
• Battery Saver (Android): Android devices have similar features, usually found under Settings > Battery > Battery Saver. It conserves power by limiting background processes and reducing performance slightly .

While these modes might limit some functionality, they are extremely helpful for extending battery life when you can’t access a charger.

5. Disable Push Notifications and Fetch for Emails

Constant push notifications and emails can drain your battery as your phone frequently checks for new data. You can reduce this drain by managing how your phone retrieves information:

• Disable Push Notifications for apps that aren’t critical. Social media, news, or gaming apps often send unnecessary notifications, which not only consume battery but also distract you throughout the day. On both iOS and Android, you can go into your notification settings and toggle off notifications for specific apps .
• Set Email to Fetch Manually: Instead of constantly checking for new emails, set your email app to fetch manually or adjust the frequency (e.g., check every hour). This reduces the number of times your phone needs to access data networks .

6. Monitor Battery Health and Usage

Knowing which apps and activities drain your battery the most can help you manage your usage more efficiently. Both iOS and Android have built-in tools that allow you to monitor battery usage:

• On iPhone, go to Settings > Battery to see a breakdown of which apps are consuming the most battery and to check your battery health.
• On Android, you can find similar information under Settings > Battery > Battery Usage. You can see detailed statistics on how your phone’s power is being used and take action to reduce consumption.

Additionally, keeping an eye on battery health is crucial for long-term battery performance. iPhone users can view their Battery Health in the same settings menu to check the maximum capacity of their battery. If it has significantly degraded (below 80%), it might be time to replace the battery .

7. Reduce Vibration and Haptic Feedback

While haptic feedback and vibrations are useful for notifications, they also consume more battery than you might think. Disabling these features can help:

• Turn off vibration for incoming calls and notifications, especially if you don’t need it.
• Disable haptic feedback for touch interactions, such as when typing or using navigation buttons. On Android, this is usually found under Sound and vibration settings, while iPhone users can toggle it off under Sounds & Haptics .

8. Keep Your Phone Cool

Battery performance can be negatively impacted by extreme temperatures, particularly heat. Overheating causes the battery to degrade faster, leading to shorter battery life over time. Here are some tips to keep your phone cool:

• Avoid using your phone in direct sunlight for extended periods.
• Remove your phone case when charging or performing intensive tasks like gaming or video streaming to allow better heat dissipation.
• Don’t leave your phone in hot environments such as a parked car, which can quickly raise its temperature beyond safe levels.

By keeping your phone at an optimal temperature, you'll not only extend your daily battery life but also prolong the overall life of your battery .

Conclusion

By adjusting a few settings and managing your phone’s usage more effectively, you can significantly extend your phone’s battery life. Simple habits like reducing screen brightness, disabling unnecessary notifications, and using power-saving modes can add hours of usage to your day. Additionally, keeping your battery healthy by avoiding extreme temperatures and monitoring battery health will ensure long-term performance.

With these strategies, you can reduce the frustration of running out of power when you need your phone the most and get the most out of your device without constantly searching for a charger.