Save battery power on your Android phone

December 20, 2018

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We all know the frustration of pulling out your phone to check your messages and looking into a black screen. No matter how many cameras they advertise or how big the screen is, one thing phone makers can’t seem to manage is a phone with a battery that lasts a reasonable amount of time.Don’t put up with battery breakdown if you don’t have to. Sometimes there is a physical issue with the battery itself, but sometimes there’s a setting buried in Android that is draining your battery life without you even knowing it. Just adjust a few things and you’ll find a lot fewer of the frustrating black screens and a lot more of the information and communication you rely on.Get your phone out and give it a good charge. We’re going to shape up those settings, shut down those apps, and put a little more juice in your battery.

Delete Facebook

OK, we’d all probably get a lot more done if we gave up Facebook completely, but the Facebook app could be eating up your precious battery. Instead, delete the app and log in through the website.Facebook’s mobile app is constantly checking the server to see if you have new messages or notifications, but if you’re not the queen of social butterflies, you don’t need to know the second your cat picture gets a like. Give your battery a break and use the website. You’ll see the difference right away.

Put the lights down low

It’s tempting to crank that flashy new screen all the way up, but that’s going to eat your battery (and may make it hard to sleep at night). Go into your settings and turn the brightness down some. It’s the fastest, easiest way to save a few battery cycles.

Shut down those services

Android assumes we’re all using fancy technology, but maybe we’re not. It seems simple when you think about it: Turn things off when you’re not using them.If you don’t have a Bluetooth device, turn off Bluetooth on your phone. Likewise, if you don’t use your phone on the work Wi-Fi, turn off Wi-Fi until you get home. If you don’t use your phone for navigation or getting around, you can turn off the GPS service. Why spend battery cycles trying to talk to satellites in the sky?Quick steps like these can make your battery last much longer.

What’s drinking all the juice?

Open up the Settings app and go to the Battery information. You should see a list of apps that are taking up the most battery. Ideally those will be apps you actually use, but there may be some surprises, too.If there’s a game or an app you don’t expect to see, it may be refreshing in the background, eating up your battery and maybe even using your mobile data. Disable the background activity or uninstall the app to make your battery a little more lively.

Close that app, for real

Did you know when you remove an app from the recent app menu, it doesn’t actually close the app? That app may still be running in the background and taking up your battery life when you think you closed it.To make sure an app is closed for good, go to Settings, then choose Apps. Select the app you want to close and tap Force Stop. Android will tell you the app may cause problems if you shut it down this way, but give it a try, especially if it’s an app you don’t use much. Shut down a bunch of apps and you’ll see a massive improvement in your battery life.