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10 Best Practice Tips for Charging Your Smartphone Battery
Maybe it's just us, but doesn't it seem like your smartphone battery always runs out of juice at the worst time possible? Like when you're trying to get a photo of your child graduating from kindergarten, or when you're 10 minutes away from your GPS destination, or that time you totally spotted Keanu Reeves on the NYC subway.
Although it may be nice to have a super fast processor, or an ultra cool camera, it's good to know that people today are still practical about their smartphones. According to a USA Today article, "76 percent of iPhone owners and 77 percent of Android users listed longer battery life as something that will get them excited about buying a new phone." And we'd have to agree because if you don't have a charge, you don't have use for the device. (Unless you want to use your phone as a paperweight).
By following a few best practice tips, you can get the most out of your smartphone battery and make sure it doesn't shut off at the wrong time.
Tip 1 - Get Good Charging Accessories
If there's anything you should spend a little more money on, it's the charging accessories because the cheaper the products, the less effective they are. Luckily, at Simple Cell we carry all the brand name charging products you need to keep your phone running, like lightning cables, USB-C chargers, mini USB and micro USB chargers and cables, and wall charger adapters and travel chargers.
When choosing the right charger, always make sure you match to your phone's voltage (power pushed by the power supply) and amperage (power pulled by your device when charged). We suggest getting the exact voltage and amperage or higher because if you go lower, your battery could overheat or stop functioning.
Make sure your cable is a good length and that you have the right plugs and adapters. For example, check your phone to see if it has a USB-C or Mini/Mirco-USB charging port. Also, double check that you can actually plug your charger into a wall socket, or you'll need an adapter.
Finally, if you're constantly on the go, think about going with a portable charger, like the Mophie International PowerStation Hub. It's compact, quickly charges and can charge up to four devices at the same time.
Tip 2 - Turn Off Background Apps
You may love all of your music, food ordering, games, news and social media apps, but they are silently draining your phone's battery! According to a study by CNET, the wildly popular game Pokemon Go uses 15 percent of your battery for every 30 minutes of play, and Facebook uses 5 percent of your battery for every 30 minutes you're on it.
The solution: when you're not using them, turn them off. Or at least use the Power-Saving mode in your phone's Settings section.
Tip 3 - Don't Let It Overheat
There are some obvious reasons why your smartphone might overheat, such as you left it to soak up the sun by the swimming pool, but there are also less obvious reasons, like you're streaming a video or using the GPS tracking system. Regardless of how your phone got hot, take precaution because that's also sucking up your battery usage.
When your phone starts to overheat, the first thing to do is to unplug it if it's charging. Turn it off and let it cool down before you turn it back on. Don't put it on a fridge or place it by the air condition - let it cool down naturally.
Tip 4 - Turn on Airplane Mode
Why does this work? By switching off airplane mode, you're turning off your phone's cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, and that means less energy your battery is using. Not only will you save battery life, but your phone will charge much faster.
Tip 5 - Say No to Notifications
You know that "ding" you hear when you get a Facebook message in the middle of the day, or when that loud "ping" from your email inbox wakes you up in the middle of the night. Annoying, right? Not only that, but every time your phone gets a notification, it's using up your battery.
The main reason to turn off all notifications is to stop the madness that is ringing through your ears or vibrating your leg. The other reason, mainly for social media users, is to be more present. Social media ghostwriter Amy Blaschka says in this eye-opening article that turning off these types of notifications will make you less anxious, more productive, and an overall better person to those around you.
Tip 6 - Reduce Auto-Brightness
You may have been taught to stay away from the dark side, but when it comes to your smartphone, that may not be the case. A study done by Purdue University discovered that "switching from light mode to dark mode at 100% brightness saves an average of 39%-47% battery power." That means by adjusting your screen's brightness (especially if you're watching a video or reading a long article), will not only be better for your eyesight, but it will also significantly reduce how much power your battering is using.
During the day, lower your screen's brightness mode and take advantage of sunlight or surrounding lights. At night, turn on dark mode and let the battery get its full charge.
Tip 7 - Turn Off Location Services
Did you know that every time you use a GPS-location service like Google Maps or Waze, a small chip and antennae inside your phone is trying to communicate with three or four satellites? And according to a Forbes article written by Google Software Engineer, Robert Love, "Acquiring each satellite takes 12 to 30 seconds, but if the full almanac is needed, this can take up to 12 minutes."
That doesn't sound so great, especially if you're in an area with a poor signal or access to the satellites is somehow blocked. So, to better protect yourself and your battery life, only use location services when absolutely necessary and when you have a charger or plenty of charge left in your phone.
Tip 8 - Check Your Charge Time
As much as we always want to keep our battery charged at 100%, according to Tech Advisor, this is the golden rule: "Keep your battery topped up somewhere between 30% and 90% most of the time. Top it up when it drops below 50%, but unplug it before it hits 100%."
This is because most smartphones use lithium-ion batteries, which are supposed to retain 80% of their charge capacity after 300-500 discharge cycles, but that's rarely the case. Phone batteries start degrading around 400 discharge and their speed and storage capacity can slow down.
Tip 9 - Clean Your Charging Ports
If you can't get those bits of sand from summer vacation out of your charger port, or it's impossible to see past the dusty sludge that has formed in your port, then you need to give it a good old fashioned cleaning. Here's a great video from WikiHow that shows you how to clean a charging port. Once you know how to properly clean your ports, then you'll get much longer life out of your battery and charging accessories.
Tip 10 - Turn It Off
Nothing's guaranteed to save your battery life more than not using your battery at all. That means when you know you won't be using your phone for an extended period of time, like while you're sleeping or staying busy with family and friends, just turn your phone off. But first, make sure it has a reasonable battery charge left!
Watch the video below: