Your Android™ Device and Maximizing Its Battery Life

Maximizing Your Android Device’s Battery Life

Do you leave your Android™ phone or tablet on at all times? You probably find yourself having to charge it every day. Sure, we’re making better batteries all the time, but we’re also designing new apps and more powerful devices. The result is that battery life still remains relatively similar to previous devices. Short of buying a spare, how does one eke out a little extra battery life from your phone or tablet?

Some apps waste battery life. To find out which ones take up most juice, check your settings and look at battery usage. From this menu option you can select various features and apps and choose to shut them off or at least change their specs. Stopping apps from running can be rough on your device, so it may mean more resets if you resort to closing them. The better option is to simply uninstall apps that you don’t need or use.

You’ll probably notice that your display is consuming more power than anything else. That makes your brightness setting the number one determining factor in how long your battery lasts. Turning down the brightness too far can result in eyestrain, though, so try to find a happy medium.

Another thing to consider is your device’s wallpaper. Using animated wallpapers drains the battery because they’re constantly running. A static wallpaper is much less intensive for the system. Also, the amount of time that the system waits to sleep can be tweaked. Don’t set it too short lest it hibernates while you’re still using your phone or tablet, but don’t leave it active too long, either, as this wastes battery life as well.

Bluetooth™ or WiFi™ should both be switched off when not in use, as both drain the battery even when you don’t use them. The same is true about location-based services. Anything that continually tries to connect to a satellite or other device is going to use up energy.

As a last resort, you may want to download an app that helps conserve battery life. Look for one with good reviews.