Need to Extend Your Android Phone’s Battery Life? Try These Tips

Many people look to buy a new phone when the battery starts draining quickly. The best options, though, is to make your existing battery last as long as possible. Try these tips to extend and boost your Android phone’s battery life.

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1. Enable Battery Saver

This is a well-known way to make your phone battery last longer. Enable a low battery warning setting when the charge drops to 20% or less. Otherwise, if it gets very low, say 5%, it can stress out your Li-ion battery. Getting it closer to 0% should be completely avoided, as this can cause a “full cycle discharge,” the single biggest factor in reducing battery lifespan.

All my recent Android phones have had a feature that reminds me to charge my device when the battery is low. Go to Settings -> Battery -> Power saving/Battery saver and toggle it on. This mode slows down the CPU, lowers the screen brightness, and reduces background apps. It helps delay the battery drain to critical levels, giving me time to charge it.

On Pixels and other Android devices, there’s an extra setting in Battery saver: Turn on at specified battery level. You can set the exact percentage when you want to get the low battery alert. Even 15% is a good setting for recent Android phones, but I always keep it at 20% as an extra precaution. Once the battery dips to single digits, it quickly dissipates at a much faster rate.

Note: many of the remaining Android battery tip vary from model to model, but you can find most of them under Settings -> Battery or Settings -> Display.

2. Limit Your Maximum Charge to the Mid-80s

Phone batteries last much longer if you do not charge them to 100% or keep them plugged in overnight. I try to keep my phone’s desired charging state anywhere in the mid-80s percentage. It is one of the best, proven ways to extend your battery’s health and is recommended by Android manufacturers.

I find it very difficult to keep track of my phone’s charging status. Thankfully, the latest smartphones all have a Protect Battery feature that limits the maximum charge to your desired percentage. When my phone reaches that level, it stops charging immediately.

Since I have already enabled Battery Saver, I know it will remind me to charge again when it drops below 20 percent. Operating within the 20-85 percent range makes a tangible difference to battery wear and overall life, extending it by a few years.

3. Turn on Adaptive Battery

The AI feature Adaptive battery has helped Android phone battery lives based on actual phone usage since Android 9.0. It studies the apps you commonly use, the ones you use rarely or never, and your typical charging habits.

The results of adaptive battery won’t be immediately noticeable. You need to give it time, sometimes weeks, for the battery to sync with your actual app usage.

4. Adjust Screen Settings

Optimizing screen settings is a great way to prolong your Android battery life. On my end, I always go for the big three screen adjustments by visiting Settings -> Display.

Screen brightness: the lower, the better. However, it depends on what is comfortable for your eyes. I don’t always stick to one setting. It’s easier to adjust the brightness constantly from the Quick Settings menu based on the time of day and my surrounding light conditions.
Screen timeout: if you’re not using your phone, it times out automatically. The longer you delay it, the more you strain the battery. Some phone models allow you to set the timeout duration to Never, which is not a good idea. I use anywhere between two to five minutes, which is comfortable.
Screen saver: there’s no harm in having one, but it comes at the cost of battery drain. If you don’t really need a screen saver, opt out of it.

Tip: Many phones have an Adaptive Brightness feature, which again, varies your device’s brightness based on your actual app’s usage.

5. Turn on Dark Theme

As dark pixels reduce power consumption and produce far less heat (it’s elementary physics!), the overall impact is reduced battery drain. Of course, during the daytime, you may want things to be brighter. On many Android phones, you can turn on a dark theme schedule from Settings -> Display -> Dark mode settings. Depending on the sunset and sunrise timings of your region, dark mode will automatically switch on.

If you’d rather turn off the location feature by default on Android, set your own custom time schedule to enable dark mode.

Related: learn how to enable dark mode for Google Maps on Android and iPhone.

6. Reduce App Notifications

App notifications are necessary for the apps you use frequently, but what about apps that remain idle most of the time? It’s very easy to turn off their notifications from Settings -> Notifications -> App notifications. Extend Android battery life by keeping as few app notifications as possible enabled.

Typically, when you check your Android battery status, you’ll find the apps that cause the most battery drain and take action. I found that I wasn’t using the Uber app on my device for years, but it continued to be a battery hog, so I uninstalled it.

Another thing I do is leave the idle apps out of all activities unless restarted again. I found that a majority of the apps can be put to sleep or deep sleep. Go to Battery -> Background usage -> Sleeping apps and Deep sleeping apps.

7. Turn Off Location Services and Wi-Fi

I don’t use location services on my Android phone unless I’m using Google apps or a ride-sharing or delivery app. Certain apps may require your location when installed for the first time. Following this, you can switch it off and turn it on temporarily when needed.

Depending on your region, mobile data can be cheap. If you have sufficient data balance, you may not even need Wi-Fi. It’s the single biggest battery hog. By default, many apps are programmed to only schedule updates when you’re on Wi-Fi. I disable that setting whenever I have enough data balance.

On that note, it’s recommended to turn off most wireless services that aren’t using at that moment, such as NFC and Bluetooth.

8. Keep Your Phone Cool

Keeping your Android phone or iPhone cool is a guaranteed way to ensure that the battery lasts longer. Keep your phone away from sunlit areas for long durations. For those living in a tropical or subtropical country, it may not be an easy option. But air conditioning or the right amount of shade can help.

Bonus Tip: Bring a Portable Battery

If you have access to a portable battery or power bank, it helps take the focus away from your main Android battery. In other words, the battery usage is much less. Many people have a habit of relying on power banks all the time for charging, so they may be doing the right thing, as it helps the original phone last longer.

For those going several hours between charges, a MagSafe battery pack is a good option. If you’re looking for a laptop power bank instead, we have some great options for you.

Image Source: Pixabay. All screenshots by Sayak Boral.

Sayak Boral –
Staff Writer

Sayak Boral is a technology writer with over eleven years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise IT, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a wide range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Internet, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews.

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