Let your phone battery last longer with these 6 awesome tricks
We’ve all experience life coming to a screeching halt when our mobile phone battery has gone flat at the worst time possible. To help with this modern day disaster, we've searched the techosphere to find these 6 easy ways of ensuring all your must-have apps are available to you 24 x 7.
Of course, there are situations like Apple's current iPhone 5 disaster where you can't do anything to prolong the life of your battery because the battery itself was defective from the start. If you've got an iPhone 5 with a dodgy battery, you need to sign up to our campaign to get Apple to replace the faulty battery for FREE. Fill out a simple form and we'll do the rest on your behalf. With your help, we will urge Apple to do something about the shoddy battery life we've seen in iPhones and in the new Apple Watch.
1. Don’t leave your phone in the car
Gizmodo says you can cause damage to the longevity of your lithium ion mobile phone battery if you expose it to periods of excessive heat. Even at a temperature of 25°C your battery loses 20% of it’s maximum capacity per year. At 40°C, this jumps to a whopping 35%.
We recommend – Keep your phone out of sunlight and cool where possible. If it becomes overheated, place your phone in the refrigerator until the housing around the battery is cool to the touch.
2. Top up your battery as much as you want
The experts at Battery University say letting your battery charge drop below 50% regularly cuts months off your battery's life. Though it may be counter-intuitive, the more you charge your phone, the longer, happier life it will have.
We recommend – When your battery capacity drops below 50%, charge it. Every battery has a certain lifespan based on how many times its charge goes to 0% and then goes back to 100%. This is known as a “full charge”. When you make a habit of charging your phone when it's capacity hits 50%, your extending your phone's life to 1,200 full charges. If you always let your battery go down to 0% before you charge it, you'll only get about 300 to 500 full charges before it dies for good.
3. App your way to better battery life
If you're an Android user, Google Play has plenty apps that will help you regulate your phone's battery consumption. More efficient consumption means longer battery life.
We recommend – Check out these five battery saving apps: Juice Defender, Battery Defender, Autorun Manager, Tasker and Go Battery Saver & Power Widget. Use them to coordinate your phone's power usage according to when you use your phone the most often and when you use it the least.
4. Charge it for the right amount of time out of the box
Getting a solid charge on your phone its first day trains your battery to charge to 100% of its capacity over the course of its life. Think of it like giving your battery a good stretch before it begins its run. The inconvenience of having to wait a few hours before you can play with your new gadget is compensated by the benefits you’ll reap, like having a reliable, long lasting phone battery.
We recommend – Charge a lithium ion (Li-Ion) battery 4-6 hours on its first day before you use it. If you happen to buy an older phone with a nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd) battery, charge it for 16 hours before you use it.
5. Ask for a replacement
If you're an iPhone 5 user and think your battery doesn’t last the distance, you've got a legitimate concern. Apple has admitted to selling phones with faulty batteries that drop to 0% charge much quicker than they should.
We recommend -Join our iPhone 5 battery replacement campaign. We'll do the work for you after you fill out our simple form. Join your family, friends and Two Hoots in taking action to get a free iPhone 5 replacement battery from Apple.
6. Say goodbye to wireless charging
Sounds like a great idea, but wireless charging has a harmful side effect, it makes your phone get hot. And as you’ve read in the tips above, heat is your mobile battery's worst enemy.
Read 5 common myths about charging your mobile phone battery.
Got another suggestion for getting the most from your phone battery? Share it with others by adding it to the comments section below.
