3 Easy Tricks To Extend Your Phone’s Battery Life
If your phone barely lasts through the day, you're not alone. As smartphones age — or even fresh out of the box — many users struggle with short battery life. But you don't need a new phone or expensive accessories to fix the issue. By tweaking a few settings and habits, you can extend your phone’s battery life and make the most of every charge. Here are three essential battery-saving tricks to keep your phone running longer — at no extra cost.
1. Adjust Your Screen Settings Wisely
Reduce Screen Brightness
The screen is the biggest battery killer on most smartphones. Leaving brightness on full blast drains power fast. Instead, lower it to a comfortable level manually, rather than relying on auto-brightness. This small change can have a huge impact on battery conservation.
If available, turn on Night Mode or Blue Light Filter during evening hours — they not only ease eye strain but also reduce energy consumption from your display.
Shorten Screen Timeout
Your phone screen doesn’t need to stay on for minutes every time you stop using it. Go to your display settings and reduce the screen timeout duration to 15–30 seconds. The shorter your screen stays lit when idle, the more power you save.
2. Control Background Usage and Battery-Hungry Apps
Find and Manage Power-Draining Apps
Certain apps are notorious for consuming battery, especially social media, video streaming, and location-heavy services. On Android, check Settings > Battery > Battery Usage to see which apps are the worst offenders. For iPhone, head to Settings > Battery.
Once identified, consider:
- Disabling background app refresh (iPhone)
- Restricting background data (Android)
- Limiting usage of high-drain apps when on low battery
Turn Off Features You Don’t Need
Features like Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, and mobile data constantly run in the background and quietly consume power. Turn them off when not in use — it’s one of the easiest ways to stop wasting energy.
On iPhone: Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services
On Android: Go to Settings > Location to toggle off GPS
3. Optimise Battery Settings and Keep Your Phone Cool
Use Power Saving Modes
Modern phones come equipped with built-in battery saver options. Whether it’s Battery Saver on Android or Low Power Mode on iPhone, these features reduce screen brightness, restrict background activity, and pause non-essential tasks — all to extend battery life when it matters most.
You can activate these modes manually through:
- Android: Settings > Battery > Battery Saver
- iPhone: Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode
Enable Adaptive Battery Features
These smart features learn how you use your phone and automatically limit battery use for apps you rarely open.
- On Android: Settings > Battery > Adaptive Battery
- On iPhone: Settings > Battery > Battery Health > Optimised Battery Charging
Avoid Overheating
High temperatures can damage your phone’s battery over time. Keep your device out of direct sunlight, avoid running too many apps at once, and remove bulky phone cases if your device starts heating up. A cooler phone runs more efficiently and holds a charge longer.
Don’t Overcharge Overnight
Leaving your phone plugged in at 100% can degrade battery health over time. It’s better to charge your phone up to 80–90% and unplug it once it’s full. Many devices now feature adaptive charging, pausing full charging until just before you wake up to reduce wear.
FAQs: Keeping Your Battery Healthy
Q1: How can I stop battery drain on my phone?
A: Reduce screen brightness, limit background apps, disable unused features like Bluetooth or GPS, and enable power-saving or adaptive battery settings.
Q2: Is screen brightness really that important?
A: Yes. High brightness settings can significantly shorten battery life. Lowering it is one of the quickest ways to preserve power.
Q3: What features should I turn off to save battery?
A: Turn off Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, and mobile data when not needed. Also, disable background app refresh and automatic updates for lesser-used apps.
Q4: How can I tell which apps are draining my battery?
A: Go to battery settings on your phone to view detailed app usage and restrict or limit those consuming the most power.