8 Secrets to Better Smartphone Battery Life

Never dead again: Boost your smartphone battery life—whether it’s an iPhone, Android, or Blackberry—with these easy tips.

1. Beware of location services. Many apps on iPhone and Android use “location services” to, say, tag status updates with GPS data (“We’re at Disney World!”) or find good deals in your immediate area. This can reduce battery life, so always keep track of it.
2. Watch for push notifications. Each time your phone receives a notification from the network, it lights up and, depending on your settings, vibrates or makes a noise, too. That all takes a toll on your battery, especially if you receive a lot of updates.
3. Use a black (or very dark) wallpaper. If your phone uses an AMOLED display—many popular Android devices do, though the iPhone notably does not—each pixel on the screen takes a little bit of power to “light up.” As such, the more black pixels you can get on your screen, the better.
4. Use ‘Airplane Mode’. Your iPhone or Android device will always try to connect to a cellular network when possible, which can put a strain on your battery if you’re in an area with limited (or no) service.
5. Clear out apps. Even if you’re not using an app, it can run in the background and sap battery life from your smartphone. Android devices allow you to “multitask” with apps running behind the scenes. Unused apps slowly but surely eat away at your battery life.
6. Lower the brightness. Obvious but easy to neglect: The brighter your screen, the more battery it’s eating.
7. Turn your wi-fi off. Another simple-but-forgettable tip: If you’re not using your smartphone to connect to wireless internet, switch the wi-fi settings to “off.”
8. Keep it cool. If your phone’s Lithium-Ion battery gets too hot, it’ll discharge its energy faster, and could even degrade the battery’s maximum life over time. Don’t carry it in your pocket if you can avoid it (especially if your pants are tight), and never leave your device sitting in direct sunlight or in a toasty car. (Adapted by Jessy Pearl)

Source: www.readersdigest.com