A nearly-dead phone battery is an unfortunate situation when the owner is away from an outlet to plug it in. Another common mistake is to leave the charging cable behind when away from the house or office for an extended length of time. With various mobile phones, a few tricks can conserve battery power until the phone owner can get the chance to charge it.
Saving Battery Power With the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6
These popular Apple phones are known for their draining of battery power, especially for users who have data plans that allow for Internet access anywhere. When the 3G or 4G data retrieval speed happens to be slower, it puts strain on the battery. The following tips can assist each phone owner with prolonging the battery life.
- Decrease the background brightness, which can save a good deal of battery power. Reading and using apps can be more difficult, but this option is especially effective for a low phone battery
- Make sure the iPhone has the latest iOS version installed. Before upgrading, some users may need to temporarily delete downloaded media if they have a large amount of it. The newest versions of the iPhone operating system are designed and updated to create more efficient battery use
- Set data fetching to “manual.” Automatic fetches of emails and other media will drain the battery relatively quickly, so fetching them manually is another effective option
- When the battery is close to empty, turning off the wireless data access and data access will conserve the battery life for at least a short amount of time. Temporarily turning off the same while in areas with slow Internet coverage will also save the battery until the phone owner can plug it in
- Minimize location software use. GPS mapping apps will drain the battery quickly, so using these apps only when necessary will save battery power. Usage in areas with only data coverage will result in quicker battery power loss
Longer Battery Life With the Samsung Phone
The Samsung phone as well as most Android mobile phones have a few different options for conserving battery power. Uninstalling unused apps and turning off extra features will help extend the battery for shorter average amounts of time. The following list of other tips will also prolong the Android phone’s battery even longer:
- Reset social media app refresh rates. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have automatic refresh rates for polling and some game features. Switching these rates to manual will save battery power, allowing the phone’s owner to access this data only when he or she wishes to do so
- Turn off unused radio signal access. Most of these mobile phones now come with Bluetooth, NFC, GPS and a few other hardware signal functionalities. Each of these signals is automatically set to turn on when the phone is powered on. Manually powering off unused ones under the settings section is another way to save the battery
- Take advantage of power-saving modes on these phones. Some newer mobile devices from Samsung come with built-in power-saving modes, yet a good number of phone owners rarely use them. A couple of these power-saving features are called the Extreme Power Saving mode and the Ultra Power Saving modes. These are included in the Galaxy S5 model and the HTC One phone
- Shut off apps running in the background. Several built-in app are set to run automatically when each phone is powered on. Going to the settings menu and shutting off these unneeded apps will make a difference in saving the battery power
- According to several mobile phone reviews, watching the signal strength in areas with low Internet coverage can also help with the battery life. The phone battery automatically works more to seek signal coverage, and setting the phone to airplane mode will help in this instance
Further Battery-Saving Considerations
Both iOS and Android phones can have longer battery power when they have enough space while left for the battery to recharge. A common user mistake is to plug a phone in and leave it in its case, which can sometimes lead to the battery overheating. Phone batteries that overheat too often will eventually burn out, leading to the need for a rather expensive replacement. Another option is to purchase an external battery that can be plugged into some phone models and will double the battery life. Not all mobiles are compatible with these external batteries, so owners will need to check their phone manuals or online reviews to see if they have this battery-saving option.
Watching Mobile Internet Use
Wifi and data use are two of the biggest culprits for phone battery drainage. While access to the web from anywhere is convenient with a data plan, it leads to a shorter phone battery life. Whenever possible, mobile users are advised to connect only to a wireless network when downloading media to their smartphones. With a strong signal, many downloads have faster load speeds than users would experience with a data network. Frequent mobile Internet-surfing habits can also be scaled back in order to conserve batteries.
Saving battery power is one of the biggest concerns for many smartphone users, especially if they live or work in geographic areas with weaker mobile Internet coverage. When the wireless access is disabled and the SIM card is removed, the battery of the average mobile device can last for at least five to seven days. The vast majority of smartphone users need their devices multiple times per day for both personal and business use.
Disabling non-essential features and functionality are two of the most effective measures for preserving battery life. An additional option is to download and install an app that monitors battery life and sends users alerts about which phone resources are putting the most strain on the battery at a given time.