Ever wonder why your cell phone battery dies faster with time? Unless you're using an old model, your phone probably runs on lithium ions, which lose charging capacity each time they charge and discharge energy. But while you can do nothing to stop this process, that doesn't mean you can't delay it.
Making your cell phone battery last longer is undoubtedly possible, and you don't need fancy or expensive tools. All you have to do is practice the following basic battery care routines.
Avoid Extremes and Beyond
Many still think that alternating between fully charged and fully drained batteries recalibrates the device and improves its performance. This belief is only true of older batteries in older phones. Lithium-ion batteries have no memory to recalibrate, and hitting 0% or 100% stresses them out and shortens their lifespan.
The ideal range is 30% to 80%, which also goes without saying that you should never charge more than 100%. Plugging your phone overnight won't probably start a fire, but it can stress your battery out, build up heat and shorten its lifespan even faster.
Reset Your Phone Regularly
Another way to care for your cell phone battery is to do a factory reset now and then. Many times, battery drain is due to software issues. With a factory reset, you start with a clean slate and free up storage, thus reducing battery drain. Note that a reset phone's battery performance will not improve if the problem is hardware-related.
Some people refrain from factory resets, thinking it will wipe out everything they have on their phones. Factory resets only affect files at the local level, which means anything in the SIM and SD cards will be intact.
Disable Anything You're Not Using
Anything in your phone takes up battery power, even just to remain there. However, you can minimize its energy consumption simply by turning it off when not in use. Below are some of the most common smartphone technologies to keep an eye on as you save battery power:
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Two of the biggest smartphone battery drainers around are WiFi and Bluetooth. These two can scan forever for available networks until you're connected. You don't want to keep switching them on and off as you go about your day. But if you know you won't use them for a long time, just turn them off completely. Note that Android phones have an auto-connect feature that you must manually turn off even after you've disabled your WiFi.
Apps
Apps can exhaust your batteries while tracking your location, whether or not you're actively using them. They will do this with every navigation system on your phone, such as GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth. They will even pick up cell tower locations, so imagine what that does to your battery.
To avoid wasting power, disable each app's tracking feature until you're ready to use it again. The keyword is "disable." If you think it's best to close the apps and open them when needed, that won't help either.
Modern smartphones automatically regulate app battery usage, and force-quitting an app wastes even more power than leaving it open. Most people don't realize that opening a closed app will take up more energy than allowing an open app to run in the background.
Instead of closing apps, check which ones are constantly updating, decide if you really need them to do tha, and manage accordingly.
Assistants
Siri and Google Assistant are great, but they could only add to your battery woes if you're not using them. These digital assistants will keep trying to pick up your voice and prepare to answer. So until you want to talk to them, disable them to save precious power.
Keep It Slow and Low
No one has all day to wait for their phone to charge, but charging too fast can be counterproductive. If you're serious about stretching your battery's lifespan, skip the fast charger and save it for emergencies. All that voltage at once is particularly stressful for your battery, especially for older smartphones. That said, charging your phone via desktop or laptop may even be beneficial.
Keeping the brightness low is suitable for your battery too. One of the simplest ways to conserve power is to do this. Set the light to the dimmest but still readable level, and you're good to go.
Get the Right Mode On
Speaking of low light levels, you can turn on your phone's low-power or battery-saver mode. It will instantly reduce the power needed for your phone to work, from your CPU usage to your notifications, and so on.
Your phone will automatically switch to power-saving mode as your battery dies down, but you can also activate it intentionally. As a result, you help ease the load your battery endures and extend its lifespan.
If your phone has an organic LED, or OLED screen, you can even go for the dark mode. It's not only great for aesthetics but also healthy for your battery. Unlike LCD and LED displays, every OLED screen pixel has a separate light source. Darker-colored pixels use less power, while black pixels consume zero.
LED and LCD screens make no distinction between white, black, or darker-colored images. That means they use equal power for everything, which can drain a battery.
Like everyone else, you may encounter issues with your cell phone battery from time to time. These tips can help you avoid them and the cost of buying a new battery. A good relationship with your cell phone dealer also helps.
A reputable store such as Consumer Cellular can give you good advice about caring for your electronics. Others may only convince you to buy a replacement whenever you have issues.
