The autonomy of a smartphone depends on several factors. Some can be modified to increase the usage time between each recharge.
If you use your smartphone intensively, you don’t want to charge it two to three times a day just because the battery level tends to drop dramatically. The endurance of our mobiles depends on several factors including battery capacity, screen consumption and processor consumption.To choose the most enduring smartphone, you can refer to our top 10, but be aware that among the factors that influence autonomy, some can be adjusted to increase autonomy. Here’s how to do it for iOS 10 and Android 6.
Change screen settings
The easiest solution to saving battery power is to reduce the screen brightness. Paradoxically enough, we also advise against activating the automatic adjustment, which adjusts this brightness according to the ambient lighting. This system indeed generates a brighter screen than necessary. So reduce the screen brightness to achieve a satisfactory compromise, with a display that remains visible. On Android, it is often accessible in the quick settings that appear from the home screen by swiping your finger up and down. On iOS, swiping upwards from the bottom of the screen brings up the Control Center, which gives access to the brightness adjustment.
The operation is also possible by going to the device settings. On Android, this is a gear-shaped icon located in the quick settings or accessible from the home screen. On iOS, the gear icon is located on the home screen.
The other change to the display level is to reduce the time before the device goes to sleep. On Android 6, go to settings, then select Screen lock, then on Day before. On iOS, press Brightness and display in the settings, then Automatic locking. If your screen’s automatic shutdown is set to 2 minutes, you can, for example, reduce it to 30 seconds. Note that on Android, the titles may vary slightly depending on the overlays of the manufacturers.
Finally, it is also possible to change the wallpaper by replacing the image in place with a black image. This can be beneficial with screens using Amoled technology because the black pixels are in this case off and do not consume any energy.
Disconnect unnecessary communication functions
The Bluetooth and Wi-Fi interfaces of smartphones are very practical but consume energy. If you don’t use them, you can turn them off in the quick settings of Android and iOS (see above). the airplane mode allows, in turn, to deactivate all communication interfaces in a single operation. It is also accessible in the quick settings. This can be used for example during the night if you are sure you do not want to receive a call.
GPS is also a heavy consumer of battery. If you are not using the location functions, it is recommended that you turn them off. On Android, they are usually found in the quick settings. Otherwise, search Confidentiality in the settings, then Location. On iOS, go to Confidentiality in the settings, then Localization service. You can then completely deactivate the services or disconnect them for certain applications.
Finally, you can deactivate mobile data if you do not plan to receive emails or use applications. To do this, select Use of data in the settings, then deactivate Mobile data. This is convenient because the device spends less power trying to connect and you can still make and receive phone calls.
Limit notifications
The notification reception is certainly a practical function but which brings the smartphone out of its standby state with the key to a screen that lights up, or even a vibration or a sound signal. You have the option of limiting these notifications. On Android, go to settings and press the line Notifications. You can then deactivate Show on lock screen or open App notifications to configure each app separately, as well as the emission of a sound or a vibration.
On iOS, tap the settings icon, then Notifications. You then access the list of apps and can configure notifications for each of them.
Check which apps are the most demanding
Some apps can be energy sinks at times, but you don’t necessarily know which ones. It is possible to determine which ones consume the most, provided you have used the smartphone regularly for a few days. On Android, go to settings and open Battery & performance, then Usage history. Some smartphones have analysis and optimization functions accessible in the section dedicated to the battery. Sometimes it is even possible to stop apps that are running in the background and are too resource intensive. Note that some applications sometimes exist in a lighter version, for example Facebook lite and Messenger lite.
On iOS, tap the settings icon then tap Drums to obtain the percentage of use of each application.
If you need to save energy at all costs, for example because your battery is almost empty, you can activate in this section a power saving mode which will limit or even deactivate certain activities (visual effects, email retrieval, automatic downloads, background app refresh).