When you’re traveling, you need your phone for directions, to take pictures, and more. Learn how to extend your phone battery life so you don’t miss a moment.
If you’re like most of us, your phone is your constant companion.
You rely on it to check your email or the weather, message friends and co-workers, and navigate through unfamiliar parts of town. And yes, you might still make the occasional phone call with it too.
The one problem with our portable friend? All that action quickly drains the life out of your phone battery.
As of 2017, the phone with the longest battery life was the Lenovo P2, with an impressive 28 hours of average battery life. In the Apple world, the iPhone SE averages 16 hours and 46 minutes of juice.
This means that if you forget to charge your phone–even for one night–you risk running out of battery life when you need it most.
To ensure that never happens to you, here are 10 proven tricks for extending the life of your phone battery.
1. Turn off Unnecessary Signals
Even when you’re not actively using your mobile phone, it’s still working hard in your pocket.
Signals such as WiFi, NFC, Location, and Bluetooth still continue to operate, even when your phone isn’t in use. Of course, when you’re on the road, there are times when you need to use these signals.
But when you’re not using them, one of the easiest ways to extend your phone battery life is to simply switch them off.
2. Reduce Screen Brightness
Another easy way to get more juice from every charge? Turn down the brightness level on your screen.
This is one of the biggest drains to your phone’s battery. And unless you’re outside in direct sunlight, do you really need the brightness turned all the way up to 100%?
Instead, reduce the brightness level to 50%-75, or wherever you can still comfortably view the screen without straining your eyes.
3. Disable Screensavers and Clocks
Some phones are programmed to display a screensaver after so many seconds or minutes of activity.
Others can be set up to display a clock even when your phone is in sleep mode. But do you really need a clock displayed 24 hours a day–especially when you’re trying to conserve battery life?
Since the average person checks their phone 46 times per day, you shouldn’t have any trouble keeping track of the time without a screensaver clock.
4. Select a Shorter Blackout Time
How long does it take for your screen to power off when you stop using your phone?
If it takes a minute or more (and you’re checking your phone 46 or more times per day), that’s a lot of wasted phone battery. On the other hand, if your blackout time is too short (5-10 seconds), you may have to constantly turn your screen back on while using your phone.
Either way wastes precious battery life. Find a blackout time that works best for you (and your battery), usually within the 15-30 second range.
5. Disable Auto-Updates
Have you ever been in the middle of using your phone when Facebook starts to download a new 40MB update?
This is waste of both your mobile data and your battery life.
Instead, switch off automatic updates for your phone’s apps. You can always enable it at your next stop when your phone is charging and you’re connected to WiFi.
6. Turn off Notifications
Of course, if you’re travelling for work or you’re waiting for an important message, you may need to keep your notifications switched on.
Otherwise, preserve your phone battery and disable any unnecessary push notifications while you’re on the road.
The same applies to synchronization services and other background apps and services. If you’re not using them, switch them off.
7. Use Airplane Mode
What if you don’t want to fool with disabling and enabling all these different apps and services?
It’s as simple as turning your phone on airplane mode when you’re not using it. This will automatically switch off data, WiFi, and all those background apps that drain your phone battery.
When you’re ready to use your phone again, simply switch off airplane mode. Your phone will automatically restart all those processes again for you.
8. Temperature Control
Did you know that extreme heat and extreme cold can quickly drain your phone battery?
Anything colder than 0C/32F or hotter than 35C/95F will suck the juice right out of your phone–even if it’s fully charged.
If you’re travelling somewhere during the dead of summer (or the dead of winter), you may want to invest in an insulating case for your phone. This will keep it at an ideal temperature no matter what the weather’s like.
9. Look at Pictures Later
Another easy tip for preserving your battery life? Don’t look at your photos right away.
It’s hard to do when you’re travelling and you’re excited about your photos. But scrolling through your phone’s gallery for minutes (or hours) while you’re on the road will quickly drain your phone battery.
Instead, wait until you get to your hotel for the night. Once you’ve got that Samsung charger cable connected, you can scroll through your photos for as long as you like!
10. Power Up Whenever Possible
Our final tip may seem obvious, but many travellers overlook it.
Even when you’re away from your hotel, you may have plenty of opportunities to add a little juice to your phone. Airports, restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops often have charging stations or outlets available to plug in your mobile device.
Even if it’s just for a few minutes while you enjoy a cup of coffee, that extra bit of charging could extend your battery life in a big way.
Where Will You Go with Your Fully Charged Phone Battery?
Now that you know how to keep your battery full of juice, the only thing left to do is decide where you’re going to travel next.
Whether you’re headed to Europe, Asia, or the Americas, we’ve got you covered. Click here to peruse our latest travel tips for every continent.
We also invite you to contact us with any questions or concerns you have. Happy travels!
