It can read your emails, check your facebook, view your calendar, browse the internet, and of course call your contacts. But what good is your smartphone if the battery is dead? Here are some quick ways to extend the battery life of your phone.
1. Dim the Screen – For both Androids and iPhones, the backlight on the screen is one of the largest sources of power consumption. Having a bright screen is nice for reading, but often times it is brighter than it needs to be.
Android users: Go to Settings>Display>Brightness. In this menu, you can adjust the brightness of the screen. At the very least, I would turn on Auto-Mode. Otherwise, I recommend turning down the settings.
iPhone users: Go to Settings>Brightness. In this menu, I recommend turning it on Auto-Mode or turning down to at least 50%.
2. Turn Off WiFi – If you are not streaming videos of downloading applications, I recommend you turn off the WiFi on your phone. The WiFi adapter in your smartphone is a significant power hog. As long as you have reception, the WiFi speed is not necessary for simple email checking or web browsing. Turning off your WiFi adapter will make a noticeable impact on your battery life. Do remember though, if you are using data intensive applications, that you may want to turn it back on if your data plan is not very big.
Android users: Go to Settings>Wireless & network. In this menu, just uncheck WiFi when you don’t want to use it.
iPhone users: Go to Settings>Wi-Fi. Toggle the Wi-Fi switch to off.
3. Turn off Bluetooth – Just like WiFi, Bluetooth is a wireless frequency that your phone uses to transmit data. Most smartphones come with the bluetooth defaulted to off. However, if you have turned it on in the past, or use a bluetooth device, it’s likely your adapter is on. Turning it off when you are not using it will save you some precious battery life time.
Android users: Go to Settings>Wireless & networks. In that menu, uncheck the box next to “Bluetooth”.
iPhone users: Go to Settings>General>Bluetooth. In that menu, you will be able to toggle Bluetooth off.
