Previously, we’ve suggested ways to extend the battery life of your laptop. We’ve also taken looks at extending your smartphone’s battery life and here. But it’s travel time and batteries keep evolving, so here are some tips from TechAdvisor.co.uk for extending your smart phone’s battery life during the summer of 2018.
Portable power banks | While not a battery life extender, portable power banks (Amazon.com) have dropped in price and size so much, buying one should be the first tactic in your power saving strategy. However, remember to keep them charged.
| Dim the screen
Most phones now include an auto-brightness feature that automatically adjusts the screen’s brightness to the level of ambient light.
| Set your screen timeout to the shortest available time
Look for the phone’s display settings and find “screen timeout.” You don’t need to light up the inside of your pocket for two minutes.
| Turn off Bluetooth
If you aren’t using bluetooth, turn it off.
| Turn off Wi-Fi
If you aren’t using Wi-Fi, turn it off. On an iPhone, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and turn off Wi-Fi from the Control Center.
| Actively manage your location services and GPS
Like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the GPS in your phone can use the battery for location services. If you are trying to save power, turning off “location” should be on your to-do list.
| Don’t run apps in the background
Geek alert: Some apps don’t use up battery life if left on in the background. Others do. If you can’t remember which do and which don’t, play it safe.
- In Android, tap the multi-tasking button – usually the right-most of the three icons at the bottom of the screen – and you can swipe away apps to close them.
- In iOS, double-tap the Home button so the multitasking screen appears, then swipe upwards to close the app.
| Don’t use vibrate
Instead, turn off all notifications and leave the phone in view so you can see when a new call is coming in without annoying the guy sitting next to you at the movie.
| Turn off non-essential notifications
You should do this anyway. Do you really need to be notified every time a friend posts to Instagram?.
| Disable push email
Instead of allowing email to be pushed to your phone constantly, set it to check mail every 15 or 30 minutes.
| Enable power-saving modes
Some phones have ultra power saving modes. These turn everything off except those necessary for making phone calls and sending text messages (even turning the screen to black and white) and can add anything up to 24 hours of emergency use, even if your battery is down to 15 or 20 percent.
For a more detailed version | TechAdvisor.co.uk
Also on SmallBusiness.com
How to Extend The Charge of Your Smartphone’s Battery | 2016