4 tips to make your phone battery last longer

This article has been updated since its original publication on March 16, 2020.

Smartphone users often face the frustrating reality of a dead battery at the worst possible moment. Modern phone technology and displays are power-hungry, but you can significantly extend battery life by adjusting your usage habits and leveraging built-in features on Android and iOS.

Identify and Manage Power-Hungry Apps

Both Apple and Google provide battery monitoring tools to identify power-consuming apps. In iOS, navigate to Settings > Battery; on Android, go to Settings > Battery > Battery usage. This reveals which apps have consumed the most power since the last full charge.

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After identifying the culprits, you have choices: uninstall the apps entirely, or adjust their individual settings. For instance, reduce the frequency of automatic updates. Remember, you can access sites like Facebook and Twitter via a mobile browser without installing their apps.

Location services are also significant battery drainers. You can disable or limit their use within individual apps. On Android, go to Settings > Location, and on iOS, navigate to Settings > Privacy > Location Services to manage these settings per app.

To further conserve battery, prevent apps from running in the background. They'll only connect to the internet when actively open. In iOS, find this setting under Settings > General > Background App Refresh. On Android, go to Settings > Apps, select an app, and choose Mobile data & Wi-Fi.

Utilize Built-in Battery Saving Features

Beyond identifying power-hungry apps, both operating systems offer battery-saving features. These can activate automatically at a low battery threshold or be manually enabled.

Apple devices offer Low Power Mode (Settings > Battery). Enable it manually or set it to activate automatically at 20% battery. This reduces background processes like email fetching and "Hey Siri" listening.

Android's equivalent is Battery Saver (Settings > Battery). Similar to Low Power Mode, it limits background services and app activity when inactive, and can be activated manually or automatically at a specified battery level.

These modes are comparable to laptop low-power sleep modes; device functionality remains largely intact, though some features (like automatic photo uploads) might pause or slow down.

Optimize Phone Settings

The bright display is a major battery consumer. Reducing screen brightness or using dark mode significantly improves battery life. Find these settings under Settings > Display on Android and Settings > Display & Brightness on iOS.

Adjust the screen lock timeout to minimize display-on time. On iOS, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock. Find a similar option under Settings > Display > Screen timeout on Android.

Disable features like ambient display or raise-to-wake, which use the display even when locked. On Google Pixel phones, these settings are found under Settings > Display > Lock screen.

Audio playback also impacts battery life. Lowering the volume for streaming services or using headphones helps conserve power.

Disconnect from Networks

Disconnecting from networks is the most effective battery saver. Airplane mode prevents apps from accessing the internet, making calls, or sending texts.

While limiting, airplane mode is useful for extreme battery conservation and reduces distractions. Access this feature by swiping down from the top of the screen on Android (two fingers) or the top right on iOS (airplane icon).

Use airplane mode in areas with weak signal. Phones expend extra energy searching for a connection in low-signal areas.

While turning off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is often suggested, the impact on battery life is minimal compared to airplane mode. Streaming data over Bluetooth consumes power, but background Bluetooth activity has a negligible effect.

[Related: Maximize your laptop's battery life throughout the day.]

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