10 tips to boost your Android phone’s battery
Battery life still tops the complaint charts for smartphone owners tired
of the daily charging routine. Even though smartphone batteries are
growing bigger with every passing year, we're not seeing a huge benefit
because our Android devices are demanding more and more out of them.
No one really wants to be told that the most obvious route to increased battery life is to use your phone less or worse: turn off some of the features that enticed you to buy it in the first place. So, we've pulled together a list of 10 simple ways to increase the battery life of your Android smartphone.
No one really wants to be told that the most obvious route to increased battery life is to use your phone less or worse: turn off some of the features that enticed you to buy it in the first place. So, we've pulled together a list of 10 simple ways to increase the battery life of your Android smartphone.
Use power saving mode
Most Android device manufacturers have added some form of power-saving mode in their smartphones. You can automatically hobble your phone's features or shut down specific apps when the battery dwindles below a predetermined level.
Stock Android only offers battery stats for now, but Android Lollipop has a battery saver option built in (which means most phones running Android 5 will too in the future). If you can't find a power saving.
Most Android device manufacturers have added some form of power-saving mode in their smartphones. You can automatically hobble your phone's features or shut down specific apps when the battery dwindles below a predetermined level.
Stock Android only offers battery stats for now, but Android Lollipop has a battery saver option built in (which means most phones running Android 5 will too in the future). If you can't find a power saving.
Automate your phone
You
don't need your phone syncing away through the night, so why not
introduce a bedtime routine that automatically silences it and kills
your data and Wi-Fi connections? With apps like AutomateIt and Tasker,
you can also automatically turn things on and off based on triggers and
rules you define.
Uninstall or disable apps
Delve
into Settings > Apps and flick over to the 'All' tab to find a
complete list of your apps. Anything in the list that you don't use is a
candidate for the uninstall pile. In their infinite wisdom,
manufacturers sometimes block you from uninstalling their apps, but you
usually have the option to disable them instead, and it's worth doing.
Hibernate or freeze apps
You
may also consider installing Greenify to get a good look at what is
running and automatically hibernate apps that you aren't using, so they
aren't eating system resources unless you start them up.
You'll need to root your device to really take full advantage, which is simple enough but will take a little time to manage if you're new to the process. If you do decide to root then you may also consider Titanium Backup Pro for freezing unwanted apps.
You'll need to root your device to really take full advantage, which is simple enough but will take a little time to manage if you're new to the process. If you do decide to root then you may also consider Titanium Backup Pro for freezing unwanted apps.
Streamline your home screen
The
busier your home screen, the more battery life it's going to suck. Get
rid of widgets that you don't need, and consider reducing refresh rates.
Animation costs power, so ditch the live wallpapers.
If you have a phone with an AMOLED display (such as nearly all of the high end Samsung Galaxy models or the new Moto X), then use a dark background for the home screen and a dark theme in general. The technology achieves deep blacks by not lighting up those pixels and so dark backgrounds can save you some power.
If you have a phone with an AMOLED display (such as nearly all of the high end Samsung Galaxy models or the new Moto X), then use a dark background for the home screen and a dark theme in general. The technology achieves deep blacks by not lighting up those pixels and so dark backgrounds can save you some power.
Tweak display settings
Your
screen brightness is going to have a big impact on your battery. Don't
rely on auto-brightness because it will generally be set higher than you
really need. Reduce brightness manually and keep it as low as is
comfortable. You can always pull down the notification shade and tweak
it quickly via the quick settings when you have to.
You should also reduce the screen time out in display settings under sleep. The faster your Android device fades to black when not in use, the more power you'll save.
You should also reduce the screen time out in display settings under sleep. The faster your Android device fades to black when not in use, the more power you'll save.
Turn off vibrations
When
it comes to Android phones and tablets, vibrations can be an
unnecessary battery killer. Fortunately, you can control it manually.
Start with haptic feedback for key presses. You'll usually find the option to turn 'Vibrate on keypress' off in Settings > Language & Input in the options for the keyboard you are using. You could also turn off 'Sound on Keypress' for extra saving.
You can also go into Settings > Sound and turn off 'Vibrate when Ringing'. You'll find a Vibrate option that you can turn off in your SMS app settings as well.
Start with haptic feedback for key presses. You'll usually find the option to turn 'Vibrate on keypress' off in Settings > Language & Input in the options for the keyboard you are using. You could also turn off 'Sound on Keypress' for extra saving.
You can also go into Settings > Sound and turn off 'Vibrate when Ringing'. You'll find a Vibrate option that you can turn off in your SMS app settings as well.
Turn off notifications
Do you need to know every time someone likes a post or comments on something you've engaged with on Facebook? Do you want to hear about the latest special offer or new app in your notification shade?
When you install any app, it automatically gains the right to fire notifications at you, but you can stop it in Settings > Apps by tapping on the app and clearing the 'Show Notifications' box
Do you need to know every time someone likes a post or comments on something you've engaged with on Facebook? Do you want to hear about the latest special offer or new app in your notification shade?
When you install any app, it automatically gains the right to fire notifications at you, but you can stop it in Settings > Apps by tapping on the app and clearing the 'Show Notifications' box
Turn off GPS
Go
to Settings > Location and you can see which services and apps are
trying to track you. Switch the mode to lower accuracy or just turn it
off and you can save a lot of power.
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