What are the best practices for extending the battery life of your smartphone?

1 Adjust your screen settings

One of the biggest factors that affect your battery life is your screen brightness and timeout. The brighter and longer your screen stays on, the more power it consumes. To save battery, you can lower your screen brightness or enable adaptive brightness, which automatically adjusts the brightness according to the ambient light. You can also reduce your screen timeout, which is the time your screen stays on after you stop using your phone. You can find these settings in your display or battery menu.

2 Turn off unnecessary features

Another way to conserve battery is to turn off features that you don't need or use. For example, you can disable Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC, and mobile data when you're not using them. These features constantly scan for signals and connections, which can drain your battery. You can also switch to airplane mode when you're in a place with poor or no network coverage, as your phone will use more power to search for a signal. You can access these features from your quick settings panel or your settings menu.

3 Manage your apps and notifications

Your apps and notifications can also affect your battery life, especially if they run in the background or send you frequent alerts. To prevent this, you can close or force stop apps that you're not using, or use the battery optimization feature to limit their activity. You can also disable or limit notifications from apps that you don't need or want, as they can wake up your screen and make sounds or vibrations. You can check your app usage and notification settings in your battery or app menu.

4 Update your software and apps

Keeping your software and apps updated can also help you extend your battery life, as updates can fix bugs, improve performance, and introduce new features that can optimize your phone's power consumption. You can check for software updates in your system or about phone menu, and for app updates in your app store. You can also enable automatic updates or schedule them for a convenient time, such as when your phone is charging or connected to Wi-Fi.

5 Avoid extreme temperatures and fast charging

Your battery life can also be affected by the temperature and the way you charge your phone. Extreme temperatures, especially heat, can damage your battery and reduce its capacity over time. To avoid this, you should keep your phone away from direct sunlight, hot surfaces, or enclosed spaces. You should also avoid using your phone while it's charging, as this can generate more heat and stress your battery. Fast charging can also degrade your battery faster, so you should use it sparingly or only when necessary.

6 Replace your battery or phone

Finally, if none of the above tips work, you might need to replace your battery or phone. Your battery will naturally wear out over time and lose its ability to hold a charge. If you have a removable battery, you can buy a new one and replace it yourself. If you have a non-removable battery, you can take your phone to a service center or a professional to have it replaced. However, if your phone is too old or damaged, you might want to consider getting a new one with a better battery life.