How to save your smartphone battery

The battery of our smartphone, and its level of charge, an issue that can become anxiety, especially on vacation, on long trips where the device cannot be easily plugged in. However, a few simple tweaks can help you shave off precious hours of battery life, whether you’re an Android smartphone or an iPhone. Here are the 5 good gestures to know.

Adjust display power consumption

The energy consumption of the screen depends in particular on its brightness, which is usually adjusted automatically. It is possible to lower it manually to conserve the battery of your smartphone. Go to the “Settings” of your smartphone. Click “Display,” then “Brightness Level.”

Therefore, it is recommended to check the option “Automatically adjust the brightness” to obtain a pleasant adjustment according to the outside light, without consuming too much energy, or adjust it manually.

Another tip: activate the “dark mode”. This option is also found in the “Display” menu of your “Settings”. You can turn it on full time by selecting “Dark Mode”.

It is also possible to determine the time slots in which this mode is operational by activating “Schedule dark mode”. For example, you can turn it on at 7 pm and turn it off at 7 am

Dark mode can also be turned on on a case-by-case basis for apps that offer it, like Twitter, for example. Generally, this option is found in the “Settings” of each application.

Finally, you can play with the sleep and auto-lock settings so that your smartphone screen turns off faster and therefore consumes less. Go to the “Settings” of your smartphone. Click “Lock Screen”. Select “Sleep” and choose the time, between 15 seconds and “never”, after which your smartphone goes to sleep.

Better manage your apps

Some applications, especially those for instant messaging or social networks, often run in the background without us noticing. Consequence: drains the battery. The procedure varies between smartphones, but the general mechanism remains the same. You should look for settings related to running apps in the background.

In a Xiaomi Note 7 for example, the procedure is as follows: go to the “Settings” of your phone, then to “Battery and performance”.

Click on the tab at the top right “Battery” and then on “Battery saver”.

A list of all your apps is displayed. Then you can select apps one by one to “Restrict background apps” or “Restrict background activity”.

If you open a lot of apps, remember to close them when you’re done using them. Because apps usually stay active by default and thus quickly consume the power of your smartphone.

Another good move: refine your notifications. It’s not uncommon to be inundated with notifications from more or less used apps. Sort to receive only the notifications that are really relevant to you. Check the “Settings” of your smartphone and click on “Notifications”. The list of all the apps that send you notifications is displayed: you can then manually uncheck those from which you no longer want to receive notifications.

To go further in managing your notifications, go back to “Settings” and then “Lock screen”. Uncheck the option “Turn on lock screen for notifications” or turn on “Don’t turn on screen for notifications”, depending on the smartphone models Incoming notifications will no longer automatically turn on the screen, they will only appear when you unlock your smartphone yourself.

Limit unnecessary connections

Your smartphone’s sharing and tethering options are typically the most power-hungry. The right reflex to have: Put your smartphone in “Airplane” mode when not in use. You will not be able to receive calls or text messages. To do this, swipe up from the top of the screen to quickly reveal your smartphone options and select “Airplane mode.”

If you want to remain reachable, act according to other parameters: disconnect from Wi-Fi, but also from Bluetooth or even from geolocation. All of these options can be accessed from the same menu as “Airplane Mode”.

Enable power saving mode

This feature is also called battery saver, depending on smartphone models and brands. Helps extend loading time by stopping app data updates except when you open them on your own. To activate it, go to “Settings” of your smartphone and then to “Battery and performance”.

Depending on the models and brands, it is sometimes possible to define in a personalized way the load threshold from which the energy saving mode is automatically activated. For example, you can decide that when your battery drops below the 20% threshold, economy mode kicks in automatically.

Learn how to properly charge your smartphone

To conserve your smartphone battery, you must also have good charging hygiene! The ideal: privilege power outlets, instead of recharging by USB port. In general, it is advisable to use the charger from the manufacturer of your smartphone to avoid failures that could attack the battery. Finally, it is not recommended to leave the laptop charging for too long, such as plugging it in overnight, to avoid any battery overheating issues.