Many people in today's first world have had their fair share of experiences with a smartphone, myself included. However, some of these experiences may be unpleasant, with your phone dying at the worst time or having to charge your phone repeatedly to be able to use it. However, with some of these tips, you may be on your way to mitigating these issues.
1. Turn On Low Power Mode
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Most phones today have a low power mode option, like the one shown above, that can be enabled to easily allow your phone battery to last longer. This is especially useful if your phone's juice has been just short of what you need to get through the day.
2. Use Airplane Mode, Low Brightness, and Low Power Mode To Charge
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The last tip, keeping your phone on low power mode, is also useful when going in the other direction: charging. By using low power mode, airplane mode, and low brightness, you decrease your battery consumption by as much as possible to ensure that you are able to charge your phone at the fastest speed without turning it off. Seen above is my setup in control center for easily enabling these options.
3. Do Not Let Your Phone Die
https://pixabay.com/illustrations/battery-full-charge-flat-battery-1688883/
You may or may not have done this, but giving up and letting your phone die may unnecessarily damage some devices, especially if it was at 100% before, because a deeper depth-of-discharge harms some batteries. This extra discharging may decrease your battery's capacity over time and reduce the time your phone battery will last.
4. Download A Battery Health App/View Your Battery Health In Settings
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An appealing choice to many people to learn about their battery's health is to download an app to determine their battery's current state. However, some operating systems such as iOS are getting better about being transparent with a phone's battery health and showing battery trends, as seen above.
5. Buy An External Charger
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USB_battery_charger.jpg
If you just can't find an outlet during the day and whatever you do to extend your battery life doesn't work, it may be worth to buy an external charger like the one above. They are small and are something that you can easily carry with you in case you need it. You can find portable chargers pretty cheap and anywhere at any major store or shopping site.
6. Get A Battery Replacement
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hightechdad/8714484038
Unfortunately, at some point, your phone battery may be so degraded and losing capacity so fast that you need to get a battery replacement. These may seem expensive, but can allow your phone to last for much longer not only in terms of battery but general lifespan, saving you some money in the short run. Seen above is a prompt given by Apple
7. Charge Your Phone In The Morning
One of the problems with charging your phone overnight is that it reaches 100% much before the time you wake up, possibly wasting electricity with hours of excessive charge. This problem is especially true if you have to charge your phone at some point before bed, like me. If you find someway to charge your phone in the morning and , like using a car or external charger, you can prevent some loss in electricity.
8. Use Your Built-In Battery Health Settings and Tips
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If you have a newer phone or a phone with a newer operating system, chances are there may be some built-in features that can help you manage your battery and reduce charge consumption. For example, on an iPhone, there is an entire section devoted to your battery, and it even suggests some tips. Pictured above is a tip to reduce brightness to improve battery life.
