11 simple things you can do to make your phone battery last longer

There a few more things more annoying than having your phone battery die on you half way through the day.

If you can't access a charger you are left to wonder around in a daze, uncontactable and oblivious to what is going on elsewhere in the world.

No matter the device you use, trying to maintain your battery for an entire day has become a Herculean task, thanks mostly to the array of apps and data we plow through.

It needn't be that hard though as there a numerous tips and tricks you can implement in order to preserve battery life.

Don't charge the battery overnight

This might not sound too logical but charging your battery throughout the night is not healthy for the phone.

It is believed that this method can play the battery in a state of stress - microcharging that final per cent between 99 and 100 - wearing it out and shortening its overall life.

The best alternative to this is to charge your phone intermittently throughout the day rather than having it hooked up to the mains until dawn. Easy if you work in an office, not so great if you're always out and about.

Turn off unnecessary apps

If you're like most people you'll have dozens of apps that you'll use throughout the day.

While not every app will drain a considerable amount of your battery, others will.

Facebook is a particularly bad offender on this issue, but all iOS and Android phones now have battery monitors which detail how much power each app is using.

From there you can determine which apps you should close or uninstall altogether.

Dim screen brightness

Part of the appeal of a smartphone is being able to use its big and colourful screen to it's full capability.

Screen brightness is a guaranteed killer of batteries though, so it is advisable to switch to the auto-brightness feature.

This will then adjust the phones brightness depending on your environment at the time and preserving its life for longer.

Turn off vibrations

If you don't like to announce your presence to the world with a ring tone or notification noise then vibrations are the next best option.

The truth is though that vibrations actually require more power than ringtones, which actually makes sense as the phone is physically moving rather than merely making a noise.

Of course vibrations are important for quieter situations such as meetings, so if you do still need to use them make sure you at least reduce their intensity.

Shorten screen timeout

Not all phones have the ability to automatically lock themselves, so the timeout period becomes quite important.

This feature determines how long the phone remains lit after you've stopped using it.

The amount of time is easily adjusted in the phone's settings, so keeping it to the shortest possibly time is essential for battery longevity.

Turn off Bluetooth

It's rare that many people actually think about Bluetooth but it is another serious drain on the battery.

Obviously some people use it for their accessories (headphones, smart watches etc.) but not everyone needs it turned on.

If you're not using it, knock it off.

Turn off GPS and other location services

You may have noticed the little messages that constantly pop up on your phone asking if you would like a certain app to track your location.

Nearly every app does it, and while it is useful for some it is pointless for others and will drain the battery with little benefit.

You can choose how often the GPS is used in your settings and selecting which actually need it.

Don't have notifications for everything

We all need to know when someone is phoning us or when we receive a new message.

However, you don't need notifications for every app on your phone - all of these naturally consume energy, so eliminate those unnecessary notifications as soon as possible.

Push email

Constantly being informed of new emails is very handy, especially if it is key to your job.

Yet, requiring your phone to continuously check for new mail is power draining.

To change this you can ask you can set you phone to check every 30 minutes, or even manually check them yourself.

Keep the phone cool

If you've ever touched your phone and noticed that it is hotter than usual, it is probably because it is using too much battery power processing something.

This sometimes happens when the phone is one charge or if you are using an app that requires a great deal of memory - so let it rest and recharge properly.

This can also happen when the device is left in direct sunlight or any hot environment, such as a parked car on a summers day.

Phones will always operate in cooler locations, so try to be mindful of that if the phone is going to be exposed to heat.

Invest in a battery bank or phone with a bigger battery

If you can't see yourself remembering to apply any of these tips you could always spend a little more money and acquire a portable battery bank for yourself.

They can be purchased relatively cheaply nowadays and although they mean that you'll have to carry one more item, you won't need to keep plugging into the mains for the entire day.

There is also the possibility of upgrading to a phone with a bigger battery.

HT The Sun Hongkiat Tech Advisor

More: New super batteries could charge phones in seconds and electric cars in minutes