10 Ways To Prevent Your Phone Battery From Going Flat

One of the biggest issues facing smartphone manufacturers is battery life. While software and computer chips get faster and more powerful, the technology in batteries lags far behind. As a result, batteries struggle to supply the power needed to run all the complex operations that smartphones require.

Manufacturers claim that they are mindful of power usage, and try to design software that doesn’t require so much energy.

However, as batteries lose 20 per cent of their power after a year, they are fighting a losing battle. The end result is that you, the user, find that your smartphone runs out of juice halfway through the day. However, there are plenty of ways in which you can make sure your smartphone doesn’t drain your battery.

1 DIM YOUR PHONE’S SCREEN

The brighter your screen, the more battery power is used. Try to set your screen to a level that is visible, but not unnecessarily bright.

2 TURN OFF BLUETOOTH 

Bluetooth is a system that enables devices to connect to each other wirelessly over short distances. Most of us never use it. Go to the Settings menu and turn it off.

3 DON’T LEAVE YOUR PHONE IN THE SUN 

If you leave your handset in sunlight, the battery will drain faster. Keep it in a cool, well-ventilated place.

4 SWITCH OFF YOUR NOTIFICATIONS

Today, most of us have smartphones that are constantly checking whether we have email, or if a friend has tweeted something about us, or if another friend’s dog has done something funny on Facebook. Unless you can’t bear not to know these things instantly, go to your Settings menu and disable as many notifications as you can bear.

5 DON’T CHARGE IT AT NIGHT 

Leaving your phone to charge after it reaches 100 per cent can degrade its battery’s life. So as soon as your phone hits maximum charge, unplug the charger. This means you can’t leave it to charge overnight.

6 TURN DOWN THE VOLUME 

The louder your ring tone, the more energy your smartphone will use. Similarly, if your keyboard makes noises and vibrates when you type, turn them off via the Settings menu.

7 GO INTO PLANE MODE 

If you are travelling and enter a known mobile deadspot, don’t let your smartphone use up loads of battery life as it seeks to find a signal or a strong data connection. Put your handset into ‘Airplane Mode’, which cuts it off from the outside world and will save lots of energy.

8 KEEP YOUR APPS UPDATED 

A smartphone will often say various apps need updating. As well as ironing out bugs, programmes often have new features that save energy.

9 STOP APPS IN THE BACKGROUND 

You’d be amazed at how many apps your smartphone likes to keep going — email, a web browser, a messaging app, Facebook, Twitter, a mapping app, a music player . . . quit as many apps as you can to save juice.

10 FINALLY… TURN IT OFF! 

It does sound obvious, but seriously, do you really need your phone on all day and night?