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How to make your smartphone battery last longer

The days when cell phones could survive for a week on a single charge are dead and gone. Sure, the phones of yesterday could last what seems like eons between charges, but they also could do little more than make phone calls. Today’s phones are modern marvels, functioning as pint-sized computers that allow us to play 3D games, snap photos of our food, and navigate the world without having to ask anyone other than Siri for directions. Sadly, however, the battery on most smartphones has yet to catch up with the high-battery consumption of many apps, which takes a toll on on your phone’s longevity. Our guide will help you make the most of your smartphone battery, so you can stretch and extend the time span between charges.

More: Need some extra juice while the move? Here are our favorite portable chargers

Power down


Obviously this isn’t always an option, but if you don’t have reception or you’re going to sleep, then turning your phone off is the easiest way to save battery life.

Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi


Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are power-hungry features, so disable them when they’re not in use.

Turn off vibratations and keytones


Swinging a little weight is a ton of work and a premiere power drainer. Switch off your cell phone’s vibrate function and consider switching off your keytones, assuming you can live without them. You can also lower the volume of your ringtones to save some extra juice.

No flash photography


If you have phone equipped with a camera, avoid using the flash. The flash on most cameras is powerful, and therefore uses lots of energy, especially if you take multiple shots in a row. In fact, the same goes for the camera.

Lower your display brightness


Cell phones and smartphones can save power this way just like laptops. You probably won’t be able to decrease it by more than 50 percent, but your eyes will eventually adjust to a moderate decrease in brightness. Also, consider tweaking your setting so that the display brightness will adjust automatically.

Stick to phone calls


Playing games, watching video, browsing photos, and perusing the internet will all suck up your phone’s battery life. If you only have a sliver of battery life left, then save it for phone calls. While you’re at it, avoid using FaceTime and other video-chat clients.

Don’t search for a signal


Your phone will continually search for a signal in areas with poor reception. Either turn your phone off, switch it to airplane mode, or think about purchasing a signal amplifier for netting better reception in dead zones.

Don’t let it die


Avoid placing unwanted strain on your battery by charging it before it hits empty. Ideally, you want to keep your battery somewhere between 20 and 80 percent as much as you can.

Keep it out of the heat

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Don’t leave your phone in a hot car — or anywhere prone to high temperatures, for that matter — if it can be avoided. There is an optimum temperature range cell phones function at, which is likely further detailed in your phone’s manual.

Turn off GPS Tracking


Triangulating your position via radio waves and satellites will eat away at your battery life like no other. Try to use it only when navigation and location services are key.

Limit the screen timeout


Most cell phone screens will stay lit for a specified period of time after receiving an input such as a swipe or tap. Set the timeout to the shortest available time in your settings menu, so that the display will essentially go into a sleep mode when not in use.

Turn off notifications and syncing


Notifications and background syncing aren’t crucial, and, frankly, the constant updating consumes a good deal of energy. Limit your notifications to what’s actually important and keep automatic syncing to a minimum.

Update apps regularly


While not always the case, many apps are updated to increase their battery efficiency. Turn on automatic updates, or download updates manually, if you want greater control over the updating process.