Smartphones, whether you prefer a BlackBerry, an iPhone, or one of the many devices that run the Android operating system, have many wonderful features. The battery life is generally not one of them. I have gathered a few tip in hopes of helping you power through long days on campus, at the archive, or on the road:
Screen Brightness: Anytime the screen of your Smartphone is illuminated, it uses battery power. The brighter the screen, the greater the drain. Most Smartphones will allow you to make several adjustments to your screen settings that can reduce consumption. You might check to make sure that the ambient light sensor is turned on (sometimes called “auto-brightness”), which adjusts the brightness of the screen according to the light in your environment. A dimly lit room will not require as much light as a brightly lit one. Also check the settings for the backlight timer. The longer the screen is lit, the more juice the phone uses.
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is an extremely useful feature to have on your Smartphone, in no small thanks to the savings that it can bring by not tapping into your data-plan. BUT, if you are on the move, you might want to disable the Wi-Fi until you get to where you are going. Wi-Fi itself is fine, but the act of looking for a new network to access can suck the life right out of your battery.
GPS & Bluetooth: Like Wi-Fi, the GPS and Bluetooth features of your phone need the battery to function. When they are on but not in use, they drain the battery. If you don’t need them, you can disable them to conserve power.
3G (or 4G): Many of the newer Smartphones are capable of operating on multiple networks: 2G (also known as EDGE), 3G, and now in some cases, 4G. As you might expect, 3G is faster than 2G, and 4G is faster than 3G. BUT, these faster speeds have a price: they require more battery life. First, if you are somewhere without any coverage, disable all connections. If you are somewhere without 3G, turn it off. Or even if you are somewhere with 3G but want to conserve power, you can disable 3G and use the EDGE network. This will slow things down a bit, particularly the internet and certain apps, but you will still be able to get your email, make calls, and send texts.
Email: One of the most popular features of Smartphones is their ability to instantly deliver email and other data to your handset; this feature is called “Data Push.” You can adjust your settings to conserve battery life by turning it off and checking your email manually.
Ringtones: It might surprise you to know that the ringtone you choose can affect your phone’s battery life. If you have downloaded a clip from your favorite band to use as your ringtone, it will cost you a bit more battery than the standard tones on your phone. Volume settings affect battery life too, and this is true both for ringtones and the vibrate feature. To conserve maximum battery life here, set your phone to silent. But if you rely on the audible cue, you might opt for a standard ringtone rather than a custom one, lesser volume on those rings, and/or fewer vibrations in the vibrate setting (many phones let you customize the setting here too: my phone, for example, allows me to choose both how many times the phone vibrates and their duration).
Apps: Many apps are, to put it frankly, power hogs. Facebook, Twitter, RSS readers, and weather forecasters all can be a huge drain on your battery because they automatically update information according to a specific schedule. To conserve power, either change the options on these apps to a less frequent refresh schedule, or close them down completely when you are not using them (rather then letting them run in the background).
The Actual Battery: Depending on what kind of phone you are using, the battery itself might be part of the problem. If you have a phone with a removable battery (iPhone readers can skip this one), you may need to clear the battery connection of any dust or lint that has gotten into the handset. Remove the battery and carefully clean the small metal surfaces, which connect the battery to the handset.
If you have made all the adjustments that you can make and still find that your phone’s battery life leaves something to be desired, there are several battery extenders on the market that you can purchase. Depending on the make and model of your phone, these can run anywhere from $20-$75, and almost all of them will add bulk to your handset (some more than others).
How about you? Do you have other tips for extending your battery life? Please share them in the comments section below.
[Creative Commons licensed image by Flickr user osde8info].