You need to call 999 for an emergency, take an important interview call or use Google Maps to navigate to a location: if your phone’s battery isn’t up to the task, it could sometimes mean serious inconvenience or even danger. Learning how to make your battery last when you really need it is an important basic skill everyone should have. Here’s a primer on what you need to know.
Learn to use your phone’s Stamina mode switch
Your smartphone has all kinds of radios and functions running all the time to make sure that you are always reachable, that you connect to the strongest Wi-Fi or data signals as soon as they’re available, and that you know where you are. This kind of frantic radio signal activity, however, expends a lot of battery energy. On top of all this, if you like to keep your screen bright, it uses up 20% of your battery right there.
Whether you have an immediate emergency or simply wish to make your battery last in case there is an emergency, engaging your phone’s Stamina mode does everything necessary all at once to make your battery go as far as possible (Stamina Mode is the name Sony uses for its battery extension function on Xperia phones; other brands have their own names).
When you use Stamina mode, your phone’s radios turn off in an intelligent way. The radios get turned on when you turn the screen on, and they are shut off when you put the screen to sleep. You do still get your phone calls, however.
You can also individually turn your phone’s Bluetooth, 4G and Wi-Fi radios off manually.
Do a little housekeeping
A few OS generations ago, phones didn’t manage memory and processor resources intelligently. If you let a number of apps open in the background, they continued to use the phone’s resources. Today, newer operating systems manage to mostly make sure that unused apps do not drain battery power. Nevertheless, there is the possibility that your specific OS version doesn’t do this very well. It’s also possible that you have specific apps that are programmed with a wakelock.
This is a function that keeps programs running even once the screen turns off. Facebook is one well-known app with an overactive wakelock. You could try installing an app like Wakelock Detector to see what apps are on all the time, and set them to turn off when the screen is dark.
Finally, make sure that you have a good battery
Some phones come with anemic 2,000 mAh batteries, while others are twice the size. Paying close attention to battery size when you buy a phone can greatly help. It’s also important to make sure that you treat your battery right by not plugging your phone in for hours after it is fully charged. If you’re buying a new phone, you should look for something that incorporates Qnovo battery life extender technology (click here and here to know more).
With such technology, you can make sure that your battery doesn’t need frequent replacement. One of the best things that you can do is to buy a few backup power banks and charging cables, and keep them everywhere (your car, your purse, your home and so on). You can never know when they might turn out to be useful.
Erika Williamson is a geeky girl who enjoys coming up with technology related topics for her articles which appear all over the web.
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