Information provided by and used with permission of the Lake Travis Community Library. Written by LTCL Coaches Wendy Wright and Suzanne Logan
Having to charge your phone or tablet device more frequently lately? Sometimes a reduction in battery life can happen when there is an upgrade to your device’s operating system. But certain apps are known to drain batteries too, and some simple changes to your settings may do wonders for improving your phone's battery life. One of the biggest drains on your battery is when the screen is on brightly.
At this point, this column will split into two parts. The first part is for iPhones/iPads (by Wendy Wright) and the second part is for Android-based phones and tablets (by Suzanne Logan).
iPhone/iPad (by Tech Coach Wendy Wright)
To see what Apps are using the most battery, you can see a snapshot of which applications are using the most battery life by going to:
1. Settings
2. Battery
3. Scroll down to: BATTERY USAGE BY APP
Then click on the links below for helpful tips, complete with step-by-step instructions and visual aids to help you identify and tame the energy hogs!
Let’s also look at that bright screen issue mentioned previously. You can reduce the brightness whenever you can, or let the phone automatically adjust for you.
1. Settings
2. Display & Brightness
3. Move the brightness bar to the left as far as you want
For additional battery saving tips, click here to learn how to:
- Customize “Fetch New Data”
- Reduce Notifications
- Stop Active Listening by Siri
- Turn off Automatic Updates
- Manage vibrations
- Tame iCloud
If you have any specific questions about this, please feel free to contact LTCL Tech Coaches at techcoach@laketravislibrary.org and one of our coaches will respond.
Andorid-based phones/tablets (by Tech Coach Suzanne Logan)
There are many types of Android phones. These instructions may not match the type and version of your phone, but this should get you close to a solution on your phone.
Let’s first look at that bright screen issue mentioned previously. You can reduce the brightness whenever you can, or let the phone automatically adjust for you.
1. Pull down from the top of the screen.
2. Move the brightness bar to the left as far as you want.
3. For automatic adjustment, go to Settings>Display>Adaptive Brightness “ON”
Another good setting is to put the background into “Dark” mode:
1. Under “Settings”, go to Display. Tap the Advanced drop-down menu at the bottom of the page if needed.
2. Tap Device Theme, then tap “Dark” in the dialog box.
3. There may be a “Dark theme” listing under Settings>Display.
Also in the Display area of Settings, you will find the “Screen Time-out” option. Set it very low, like 30 seconds. This will turn off the screen when you are not using it.
Using “Live Wallpapers” will also increase the battery use for the background. Turn these off also.
1. In Settings>Display>Styles & wallpapers
2. Choose “none” or a solid color. Just make sure the title doesn’t include the word “living” or “live.”
To see what Apps are using the most battery: Under Settings>Battery find the “Battery Usage” option. It may be in the upper right three-dots. This will tell you how your phone is using the battery by percentages. You can restrict Apps that use a lot of battery by tapping on the App here (Battery>Battery usage>App) and tap on “Background restriction”.
There may be an Adaptive Battery setting under Settings>Battery> Adaptive Battery. Make sure that this is “on.”
Be sure to turn OFF tethering and hotspots when you are not using them. For instance, turn OFF your WiFi when you leave home. (Pull down from the top of the screen and touch the WiFi icon OFF.) Only turn it on when you want to use the WiFi at your destination (like at the library). Also set the WiFi to NOT turn on automatically near saved networks:
1. Settings>Network & internet>Hotspot & tethering OFF
2. Settings>Network & internet>WiFi>WiFi preferences Turn on WiFi automatically - OFF
3. Settings>Network & internet>WiFi>WiFi preferences Connect to open networks - OFF
4. Settings>Network & internet>WiFi>WiFi preferences Open network notification - OFF
Be sure to uninstall any apps that you don’t use anymore.
Here is a good listing of items to check: https://techlog360.com/save-battery-life-android-smartphones/
If you have any specific questions about this, please feel free to contact LTCL Tech Coaches at techcoach@laketravislibrary.org and one of our coaches will respond.
