Nothing is more frustrating than hitting the road, only to realize the battery life on your phone is well below 25%, while 75% of your day still remains. Until we see the development of self-charging devices, we will be helplessly reliant upon tangled up power cords and searching out power outlets like frenzied treasure hunters.
Although it is a good practice to have an auto charger handy and a backup power cord available at work, here are a few quick fixes that can help extend the life of your device when charging is not an available option.
Turn Off Your Wi-Fi and GPS and Bluetooth
Unless being used to access the web, your Wi-Fi receiver should be turned off. Although it can come in handy, when browsing on someone else's network, Wi-Fi receivers in handheld devices consume the majority of stored power. Some of the other culprits of power consumption are an active GPS and Bluetooth signal. Because these features require a constant cycle of scanning and searching, they are very demanding and can quickly deplete your batteries reserves. Unless being used for navigation, connection, or web surfing, you should develop the habit of cycling these features off when not in use.
Screen Settings
You would be surprised at how much energy can be conserved simply by adjusting the screen settings on your device. While using your device indoors, there is little noticeable difference between a screen brightness of 80% to 100%. What is noticeable, however, is the difference in the life of a battery when the screen brightness is set to 50% or below. This single act can extend the remaining life of your device and make the difference of an additional 25 to 30 minutes of usage.
App Management
Most smartphone users have a growing library of apps stored on their devices. While some of these apps might be used on a regularly basis, chances are, many have gone unnoticed and have been kept for a need that never seems to arise. Although it might appear they are just being stored away for later use, most apps are constantly running in the background and can be a steady consumer of power. The key is to manage your settings and make sure to kill apps that are not in use by turning off push notifications and automatic updates.
Sounds and Vibration Settings
Background sounds and vibrations can be a nice touch, however, when supply and demand is in question, you might want to back off just a bit. The vibration features on a device can drain your battery life just as quickly as Wi-Fi and GPS signals. Although it doesn't cycle as long, if you're quite popular or simply dodging calls, the constant pull on your battery can vibrate your phone right into a deep sleep.
Charging Habits
Many people have heard that you should drain your device's battery all the way down before recharging it. This is actually incorrect. The truth is; you should only do a full drain on your battery about once a month or only every few weeks - if it has heavy usage. Going through a full charge cycle is done by allowing your battery to fully charge up to 100% and then using the device until it gives up the ghost. This helps to erase any shorter battery memory and will extend the overall life.
Conclusion
Most smartphone users who complain about their device's battery life don't have malfunctioning equipment or defunct batteries; they have personal practices that are a bit overzealous. You cannot run the AC with the Windows open, pun intended, and then wonder why the bill is higher than expected. By using these few techniques on a consistent basis, you can improve the life of your battery between charges and extend the overall life of your smartphone's battery.
Cliff Harris is product analyst and contributor to Consumer High Five Reviews. You can find more helpful articles or read consumer product reviews for the top five items for 2014 by visiting http://www.consumerhighfive.com
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