To get the most out of your Android battery life, you will have to know how to manage what’s going on on your device. You’ll have to learn exactly what is draining your Android battery, then take action accordingly. Here is a list of 6 things to check to get yourself on the track to maximum battery life bliss.
1. Syncing Accounts
Accounts that have to sync data can drain your battery by constantly attempting to connect to the Internet. Users who install apps like Facebook or Twitter will notice a significant drain on battery life since those apps can sync contact data and social feeds.
Action Items
- Uninstall syncing apps you don’t use.
- Have a look in the “Settings” > “Accounts” for each app and set the app to sync less often or disable syncing entirely.
2. Display
The longer and brighter your display is lit, the more juice that gets sapped from your battery.
Action Items
- Set the timeout on the display to a lower interval of time under “Settings” > “Display and wallpaper” > “Screen timeout“.
- Turn the brightness down under “Settings” > “Display and wallpaper“.
3. Grabbing a Data Signal
If your Android device is struggling to get a data signal, it will tax your battery faster than anything. You should always connect your Android to the strongest network connection possible.
If your device isn’t getting a strong 4G or Wi-Fi signal, it may be constantly trying to stay connected to the network, taxing your battery.
Action Items
- Disable BlueTooth when you’re not using it.
- When possible, connect to a Wi-Fi network that has a strong signal.
- If you cannot connect to Wi-Fi, disable Wi-Fi in “Settings” > “Wireless” so that your device won’t keep attempting to find Wi-Fi networks when utilizing 4G or 3G connections.
- If you’re in a rural area or another area where there’s a weak signal and can’t connect to Wi-Fi, 4G, or 3G, shut off Wi-Fi and data connectivity completely by utilizing “Airplane Mode“.
4. Running Apps
If you have apps running in the background, they use precious battery juice to stay alive. This is especially true for game apps.
Action Items
- Close apps when you’re not using them. On most Android devices, you can do this by tapping the “Recents”
button, then swiping the app off the screen. - Prevent apps from displaying notifications by turning them off under “Settings” > “Notifications“.
- Uninstall or disable apps you don’t use under “Settings” > “Applications” > “Application manager“.
5. Widgets
We all love widgets. They give us quick access to the information we need. But it’s likely those widgets you love so much drains your battery because they have to constantly grab data each time you load the Home screen.
Action Item
- Remove widgets you can live without by tapping and holding them, then dragging them to the trash.
6. Track Battery Usage
Continue to be diligent about tracking what’s using your battery using the Battery Usage utility in “Settings“.
Action Item
- After a full charge, use your device as you normally would throughout the day without charging it. Have a look under “Settings” > “Battery” to see what exactly is using your battery throughout the day.
Conclusion
Manage what’s draining your Android battery better by paying attention to everything above and you can make your battery last days, maybe weeks.
Do you have any pointers when it comes to managing battery life? Share them in the Comments section.