7 Battery saving tips for mobile devices
Mobile devices promise 12 or more hours of battery life, but it can be far shorter than that depending on how you use it.
“Wait, why’d it die? I was at 80%”
If you work remotely, run a lot of apps, and constantly check your phone every five minutes, then you’ll quickly run out of juice. To avoid that, follow these battery saving tips.
Avoid resource-intensive apps
Resource-intensive apps such as video editing software and streaming services require a lot of power to run, so it’s important to avoid them especially if there are no nearby power outlets to charge your mobile device.
Both iOS and Android devices monitor your battery usage in their respective Settings apps, which you can adjust if you figure out which apps are the battery hogs. If you find any power-intensive apps that may not be important to your work, like Angry Birds, reduce your usage or just uninstall them.
Stop background processes
A common misconception is that “swiping up” on an app stops it from operating completely. But most apps continue to run in the background even when closed. Things like push notifications and app refreshes, which update content on apps, can use up a huge amount of power without you noticing.
On iOS, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh then click on the toggle to disable the feature. Go to Notifications to block push notifications from individual apps.
As for Android, go to Settings > Data Usage and then tap the three dots on the top right and select Restrict background data. To configure notifications, simply go to the Sound and notifications tab.
Turn off location services
Location services is a battery killer. Google Maps, for instance, use your phone’s internal GPS to keep track of your location, traffic patterns, and routes, which strains the hardware.
Many popular apps, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, also utilize location services, which allow you to share where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going to all your contacts. But unless you’re having trouble finding a client’s office, there’s no point having this feature enabled for all your apps.
No one needs to know what you’re doing at all times.
Protect against extreme temperatures
Even though mobile devices are more advanced than ever, battery life can quickly deteriorate in extremely hot and cold environments. So don’t leave your mobile device in the car on sweltering summer days or expose it to winter temperatures for too long. If temperatures get above 90°F, put your device under the shade to prevent it from overheating.
Disable cellular and WiFi
You may have noticed that your battery drains much more quickly when you’re in an area with weak WiFi or cell coverage. That’s because your mobile device is working extra hard to look for a signal, consuming a lot of energy in the process.
If you have bad reception, go to your device’s settings and disable WiFi and cellular services to conserve battery life. For better results, you can also enable airplane mode to turn off all connectivity features, although this will prevent your device from sending or receiving calls and texts.
Reduce screen brightness
Tablet and smartphone displays also drain a lot of energy, so adjust your screen brightness to get more mileage out of a single charge.
Use content filtering
If you use your mobile device for browsing the web, installing content filtering software is a great way to ensure your battery lasts longer. Ads and popups use resources from your phone to download images, video, and other bits of content, and that includes battery power. By filtering out this content, you don’t waste energy on unnecessary downloads and you get more hours of browsing time.
These are just a few things you can do to get more life out of your mobile device. For more tips and tricks on optimizing your hardware, contact the team at Red Key Solutions. We’re the managed services providers New York businesses turn to for all their IT needs.
