What is the lifespan of a battery? It’s four in the afternoon and I’m already down to 30% on my phone charge, but someone else might still be at 60% even if they have used their phone the same amount as I have. Every battery differs in lifespan, and it’s pretty widely known by now that all cell phone batteries degrade. You might be thinking, “So can I increase the life of my battery?” Phone batteries lose their charge as part of being batteries but just because batteries will eventually lose their efficiency doesn’t mean there aren’t things you can do to improve your battery’s life.
How to Improve Your Phone’s Battery Life
Here are some tips and tricks to keep your phone alive longer for you and your kid.
- Be aware of the temperature.
One sneaky factor potentially affecting your phone’s battery life is temperature. Don’t leave your phone in the car or in the sun. This increase in temperature will shorten your battery’s life.
- Use the right charger.
If possible, use the charger your phone came with, but I know I lost my original charger almost as soon as I opened the box. So what now? If you need to buy a new charger, great, just make sure it’s certified. Off brand chargers don’t have the same built in protection that keeps your phone from overheating or overcharging.
- Charge slow, not fast.
Now it’s okay to charge your phone quickly. It won’t explode or destroy your battery, but fast charging does cause your phone to heat up. As we mentioned above, a hot phone battery degrades, shortening your overall battery life. When possible, use slow charging.
- Don’t let it die.
For a while, there was a popular myth that you should let your battery run completely out, to 0%, before recharging. With how phone batteries are designed, letting it die is like letting it overheat. Don’t do this with lithium-ion batteries. But is it bad to charge your phone to 100? Turns out, it’s not great. Experts recommend the 80/20 rule. Charge at 20% until you are at 80%.
- Delete apps you don’t use.
Phones come with a lot of built in apps and some are secretly chowing down on your battery life. Going through your apps and deleting the ones you don’t use can actually improve the longevity of your battery. There are settings that let you see which apps are taking power and you can put them to “sleep” if you don’t want to delete them.
How Can I Make My Battery Stronger Right Now?
Let’s say you aren’t worried about your phone’s battery life and only need your battery to last a little longer right now. Here are some steps.
- Power saving modes
When your phone is running low on charge it will have a feature either referred to as “Power saving mode” or “Battery saver mode” depending on if you have an android or iPhone. It turns off background apps and other features that guzzle up power to give you more battery life in the moment.
- Screen brightness
A quick fix to battery life is to decrease the brightness or use a “dark” or “night” theme.
- Reduce screen timeout
Your phone screen stays on after you’re done using it before turning off automatically. You can reduce the amount of time the screen is on or turn it off manually when putting your phone down.
Your phone is a useful tool. Now you know some helpful tips to keep it alive longer.
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