Running out of battery can be a drama and more so if we take into account that Murphy’s Law makes it happen to us when we probably need the mobile the most. And well, this can be normal if the mobile has a low battery or the one it has is already somewhat deteriorated. However, before proceeding to change the battery of the smartphone or even consider buying a new one, you should know that there are very efficient ways to save battery .
In this post we review all the settings you can configure to reduce battery consumption , as well as actions to avoid. We will even tell you which are the situations in which the most battery usually consumes a smartphone.
Take into account the actions that consume the most battery
As we already indicated in the introduction, we will see what are those actions or situations in which the mobile tends to consume more battery. In this way, you can take it into account to avoid it whenever possible , since many times it will not be possible.
- Taking the brightness to the maximum, especially knowing that the screen is what consumes the most, is not recommended. If you are in a circumstance in which the ambient light prevents you from seeing the content of it well if you do not raise it to the maximum, it is logical that you raise it, but in other situations it is advisable to avoid it.
- Having the highest refresh rate configured, and despite the fact that the system can optimize it very well, is usually a battery drain, since the screen is updating its content considerably more frequently and this affects consumption.
- “Always on display” option, also known as “always on display” by its name in English, is a useful option to see the time or certain preliminary content when the mobile is locked, but it generates a constant battery consumption, despite because the refresh rate at that time may be the minimum.
- Constant use of mobile data, which generates a higher consumption peak than the connection via WiFi as it has to be constantly in communication with signal-emitting antennas. If on top of that you are physically moving, consumption rises more.
- Video calls, whether through Google Meet, Zoom, Skype or any other. Both sending and receiving video and sound via the Internet generates significant consumption due to the ‘effort’ that is made during this action, added to other screen elements active at that time, such as those previously mentioned.
- Recording video, especially if it is constantly and at maximum resolution, can mean running out of battery quickly.
- Editing video and photography, if done with a powerful tool, requires a lot of mobile graphic resources and causes battery consumption to skyrocket.
- Video games with high graphic demands, by the same rule as in the previous case, cause the battery percentage to drop very quickly. And although, to a lesser extent, casual games also usually involve significant consumption.
- Installing, updating and synchronizing applications, no matter how much it is in the background, generates significant consumption that can end up weighing down the autonomy of the smartphone.
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Check device battery health
First of all, it is necessary to make sure that the mobile battery is in good condition and does not have a level of degradation that makes the battery decrease evident. In fact, if it is in an advanced state of degradation, it would be convenient for you to change it.
To check it on an iPhone , just go to Settings > Battery > Battery health . In this section a percentage will appear in which 100% indicates the most optimal state, while below 80% it is considered already deteriorated and is thus indicated in this same panel, urging a battery change so that the device returns to perform in top form.
On Android, you will have to use third-party applications. There are several tools with which to check the battery status , although we recommend Ampere for its simplicity. Once you have it open, you will be able to see a section dedicated to technical data of the battery, having to look at Level and State to know the percentage of health and the interpretation of it respectively.
Observe which apps consume the most and act accordingly
Knowing which applications are generating a higher battery consumption is decisive to take action. If you find that an app consumes a lot and you don’t really use it much , you might want to delete it or even contact the developer to find out if it’s a technical issue with the app.
It may also be the case that the app is used, in which case it is worth considering reducing its use in favor of greater autonomy. Although this, like everything else, depends on each user and the use of certain tools cannot always be dispensed with.
To be able to see which apps consume in a list , either on an iPhone or Android mobile, you must go to the device settings and access the battery panel. Depending on the version of Android, the list could be a little more hidden, but you will always find it among the options in this panel.
Screen options that will save you battery
We previously indicated that the screen is one of the elements that consumes the most battery. Hence, it is important to carry out actions on it that can help increase autonomy. Below we tell you what parameters are recommended to configure, all of them within the screen settings :
- Reduce the brightnessof the screen manually, for which it is also recommended that you remove the “automatic brightness” option. It may seem tedious to you to have to move it manually each time, but this way you will ensure that you are never giving a higher percentage of brightness than necessary.
- Use the system’s dark mode, as long as the mobile screen is OLED or derived. And it is that these panels represent the black color as off pixels and, therefore, suppose a lower consumption while we use the device. To this we add activating said modality in all those apps that offer this visualization option.
- Reduce the refresh rateif the mobile gives you that option, preferably at 90 or 60 Hz. Of course, some devices such as the iPhone do not offer the possibility of changing it, since the system does it automatically. In the event that your mobile has that option that, in an intelligent way, alternates the refreshment, activate it.
- Activate special functions (if you have them), since many mobiles offer options that help save battery and reduce eye strain, such as True Tone and Night Shift mode in the case of the iPhone.
Disable background downloads
Having the apps updated to their latest available version is important, but if you have serious problems with the autonomy of your mobile, it might be convenient to prevent them from updating automatically. You can continue updating them manually if you enter Google Play or the App Store, but you will be preventing them from automatically searching for new versions and updating if they find them.
To block updates in iOS you must go to Settings > App Store and look at the “Automatic downloads” section. Here you must deactivate App Updates and, by the way, also Apps so that applications that you download on other devices linked to the same Apple ID (if you have them) are not downloaded either.
On Android mobiles you must go to Google Play, click on your photo in the upper right and go to Settings > Network preferences . Once there, tap on Update apps automatically and choose the option to Do not update apps automatically . By the way, you can review other options that appear and deactivate them if you think it is convenient for battery consumption and even save mobile data when you are away from home.
Check the apps you have in the background
On some occasion we have already commented that closing apps on the mobile is not as good as it seems . It does not necessarily serve to make the device go faster and it does not save battery life if it is going to be reopened later . However, if it is an app that you are not going to use again in the short term, closing it is a good way that it is not consuming resources in the background.
To do this you just have to look at the apps that are open in multitasking . If you have gesture navigation configured, just slide your finger from the bottom to the top. In the event that you have an Android with buttons (physical or virtual) you must press the button with the two squares. On an iPhone with a Home button, it will be that button that you must press twice.
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Use the battery saving mode, but do not trust everything
The mobile battery saving mode can be very useful to eliminate push notifications, prevent some apps from running in the background, lower the brightness and reduce other high consumption processes. However, by itself it could be insufficient , so we recommend activating it in conjunction with other configurations such as those discussed in this post to make it more effective.
Another important point is that on Android you only use it if it is native to the mobile . As a general rule, it is better not to trust third-party apps for this. Either because they reduce processes that are necessary for the mobile, even when you want to save battery, or because they access very high permissions in the system. Therefore, unless it is an app of proven reliability and efficiency, abort the idea of downloading such an app from Google Play.
Other actions that help you extend autonomy
Given all of the above, and the recommended actions being perfectly combinable, we believe it is interesting to end this post with other recommendations that, to a greater or lesser extent, will also help you to make your mobile battery last longer.
- Activate the automatic lockof the mobile to avoid that in an oversight you have not locked it and the screen stays on. By the way, you will avoid accidental touches.
- Deactivate unnecessary notificationsfrom the settings, and even in an emergency, activate the Do Not Disturb mode in order to prevent receiving all kinds of notifications.
- Disable “Ok Google”/”Hey Siri”, since the system will be constantly waiting for you to say the key phrase with which to activate the assistant. Knowing that you can invoke it manually, it shouldn’t be a problem.
- Carry a powerbankwith you if you leave home and fear running out of battery. There are many sizes, designs and capacities and, of course, at different prices .
- Take advantage of the fast charge of the mobileif it is compatible with it, since it will give you an extra battery before leaving, which can be key. If you don’t have any, and as we already said about the powerbank, there are fast charging plugs at a very good price .
- Airplane mode and even turn off the mobilein emergency situations in which yes or yes you need to have some battery and you still have minutes / hours to get home. This way you will make sure that hardly any battery is consumed (or at all) and you can have something in reserve to use when you need it.
