If your battery
keeps running out, here’s how to make your phone or tablet run for days on a single charge
Android device may be wonderful portable
powerhouses that put a huge choice of apps and tools in your pocket, but all
that computing can take its toll on their battery life. Checking your email,
making calls, playing games and browsing the internet all use up valuable
power, and even just having the phone or tablet on standby means that the
battery is slowly draining.
Fortunately, Android comes with built-in
settings that can be toggled to preserve battery life, and which can be
customized to particular scenarios. Going for a long walk? Than turn off
everything but GPS to track your route via Endomondo. About to go to bed? Turn
off sync, so you’re not woken by the inevitable 2am Groupon email. There are
many other settings, too, and here we’ll show you how to make the most of them.
1. Power control
Android’s built-in Power Control widget is
the first step to more battery life. It’s included with all versions of
Android, and it enables you to turn settings on or off. To get it, long-press
on the home screen, then choose ‘Widgets’ followed by ‘Power Control’. You need
a long, clear space on your home screen to install it.
2. Wi-Fi Bluetooth
To the left the Power Control strip you’ll
see the Wi-Fi icon – turn this off when you’re away from a Wi-Fi hotspot and
you’ll save a huge amount of power. We also need to think about Bluetooth,
which wirelessly connects to computers, car stereos and speakers. Turn it off
if you’re not using it.
3. GPS and brightness
GPS is handy when you want to use Google
Maps and location services, but it uses a lot of power and should be turned off
when not in use. Reducing your screen’s brightness stops your display draining
the battery, and some phones can set the brightness automatically to suit the
ambient lighting.
4. Sync
Sync means that the phone constantly
contacts Google’s serves to download new emails, contacts, calendar entries and
other background information. It uses a lot of power, and you can safety turn
it off for a while – anything that isn’t downloaded will appear on your device
when it’s turned back on.
5. 2G networks
2G networks are noticeably slower than 3G,
but 3G uses more power. You can switch to a 2G network by choosing ‘Settings’,
then ‘Wireless and networks’ followed by ‘Mobile networks’. Check the box
marked ‘Use only 2G networks’ to activate it. You’ll be able to make calls and
send texts.
6. JuiceDefender
JuiceDefender is a handy app that switches
off certain settings when they’re not in use. Download it from http://bit.ly/zPxWrN and install it, then run
it and choose ‘Enabled’ under ‘Status’. Deactivate the app if you’re
downloading a lot of data, because itmight stop connectivity when your phone
switches to standby.
7. Battery use
To find out exactly what’s eating your
battery, choose ‘Settings’, then ‘About phone’ and ‘Battery use’. Here you’ll
see list of the applications and tools that are using the most power. Some of
these functions can be selected and forced to stop, which will save you a
little more precious power in the future.
8. Got the power
Next time your device is running low on
power, or there’s nowhere available to plug in your charger, you’ll know
exactly what you can turn on and off to make the battery last a little longer.
The above tips are also handy for other situations, such as when you go away on
holiday and want to avoid using too much data.
