My iPhone is basically an extension of my hand, and I don’t know what I would do without it – but damn, the battery is absolutely awful. I’ve been using an iPhone since college, so I don’t know if other cell phones are as bad, but I do know that everyone out there seems to have phone battery problems, so I’m guessing it’s a universal thing. The other day, my phone was on Low Battery before noon. I mean, yeah, I used it a lot before then, but there was no reason for it to die that quickly. I don’t think I need to tell anyone how frustrating this is, which is why I spend a good amount of time searching for ways to make my cell phone battery last longer.
I’m sure you’ve already heard of the most obvious ways to make your phone battery keep on keeping on: dim the light as much as possible, put it on Airplane mode when you’re really desperate, buy yourself a portable charger and keep it with you at all times, etc. These are all effective, but they’re also all annoying. Airplane mode means you basically can’t do anything, and a portable charger costs money and also needs to be charged all the time. There has to be a better way!
And there is… sort of. The below surprising ways to make your cell phone battery last longer might sound like they won’t work, but they do! I mean, it’s not a miracle, but if it will keep your phone alive for 20 extra minutes, I know I’m down to try it.
Stop Closing Your Apps
For as long as I can remember, people have been advising others to close all of their apps in order to save battery. As it turns out, everyone was wrong. Closing your apps actually removes it from the memory of the phone, which forces the app to reload from scratch when you open it - and that uses up a lot more battery. So, closing them is either making your phone use more battery, or it's just not doing anything at all. Leave 'em open, guys.Use Music That's Stored On Your Phone
Most of us use streaming services like Spotify or Pandora, and it's probably no surprise that those things use a lot of battery life. It might seem like playing any music does that, but that's not true: streaming uses more battery than listening to music that's stored on your phone. Streaming uses a wireless connection that uses battery, but listening to stored music doesn't require WiFi. So, when you're low on battery, have some music stored to listen to.Don't Put It On Vibrate Or Ringer
It's pretty obvious that leaving the ringer on your phone would drain just a little bit more battery... so a lot of people put their phone on vibrate. As it turns out, putting it on vibrate uses just as much battery life, if not more. Your best bet is to put it on "silent" completely so that it doesn't buzz or make noise.Don't Charge It All The Way
This is where I toss up my hands and say "eff it," because wow, batteries make no sense to me. To make the most of your phone battery, you shouldn't charge it to 100 percent every time you charge it - you're better off charging to 75 to 90 percent, and then always keeping it over 50 percent. This seems like WAY too much work to me, and also explains a lot: I let my phone charge overnight every night. I guess we should all stop doing that!Keep it Out Of The Heat
A few summers ago, I noticed that my phone battery was dying super quickly whenever I was at the beach. At first I thought it was because it was struggling to find a Wifi and phone connection, but then I realized that it's probably because it was way too hot. Too much heat kills your battery, and also messes with your phone. Keep it cool.Use Wi-Fi
I've heard a lot of people say to stop using Wi-Fi to save your battery, but that's not true. Using Wi-Fi requires less energy than using cellular data. Leaving Wi-Fi on also helps your phone get your location without relying on other GPS features, which can drain your battery faster. You should turn your Wi-Fi off if there's no connection and your phone is struggling to find one - that's when it will drain your battery quickly.Disable The Health App
Okay, so there's no cold, hard evidence saying that the health app is draining your battery, but it can't hurt to try disabling it. Most people don't even realize that the health app on newer iPhones counts your steps and what you're doing all day. When you're desperate, try disabling it. It can't hurt!Don't Use Moving Backgrounds
It's not shocking that moving images like videos and gifs take up more battery life than a regular old photo. If you're using an iPhone wallpaper or background that moves, you're killing your battery much faster. Sure, they're cool, but they're also draining your life source. You're better off with just an image.Use Adblockers
Yes, Adblockers exist for your iPhone. They're controversial, but they help with battery life. When your phone detects an ad, it uses battery power to play that ad - especially if it's an auto-playing video. Search for the apps in the App Store. Some that work include 1Blocker and Ghostery. Keep in mind that this is only helpful if you're using the Internet a lot. If you're just texting, it's not going to do anything.Turn Off Background App Refresh
Background App Refresh is a setting on your iPhone that updates your apps with content even when you aren't using them. It's very, very cool, but it also uses up a ton of battery. When you're trying to save battery, just turn off the feature and you'll probably notice a pretty big difference - as long as you aren't constantly refreshing the apps on your own.Turn off Location Services
Some people say that turning off location services does nothing, while others argue that it helps. I say, try it. Location Services is a feature that runs constantly and is always tracking where you are. It's actually pretty creepy, when you think about it. I mean, sure it can be helpful when you're using apps or searching for a pizza place near you, but you know someone is keeping a record of everything you're doing. Disable this when you want to save battery life, as it sucks it up.Use Low Power Mode
One of the best new features on the iPhone is the Low Power Mode. This feature cuts down on all of the background things happening with your phone that you might not even be thinking about - fetching new mail automatically, updating apps, etc. It's super helpful. I put it on whenever I know I'm going to need some extra battery life.What makes your phone die the most? How do you make your battery last longer? What did we forget to include? Let me know in the comments.
You can follow the author, Jessica Booth, on Twitter or Instagram.
12 Things You Do That Ruin Your Cell Phone Battery
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