10 Ways to Save Your Smartphone’s Battery Life

4. Dim your screen

Turn down the brightness of your screen to at least half.

• iPhone. Swipe down from the top right corner of your display to access the Control Center ☼ sun icon. Use your finger to drag the bar down. You’ll see the screen dim in real time.
• Android. Swipe down twice from the top of your screen to Settings. You’ll see a ☼ sun icon near the bottom. Manually lower the brightness with your finger along the icon.

5. Get it to sleep faster

Phones, laptops and tablets turn off their screens after detecting inactivity. You can shorten this idle time, so the screen goes to sleep sooner.

• iPhone. Choose your preferred time-lapse in Settings ⚙️ | Display & Brightness | Auto-Lock.

It may be set at five minutes by default, but you can reduce it to 30 seconds. Keep in mind, you’ll need to unlock the device each time with a face scan; PIN, short for personal identification number; or thumbprint.

• Android. Find your options at Settings ⚙️ | Display | Screen timeout.

6. Lock your phone

For better security and battery economy, lock your smartphone when not using it. This prevents accidentally turning it on or pocket dialing someone. You’ll still be able to receive calls and texts.

For iPhone and Android. Tap the power button, generally on the right side, to turn the screen off. You’ll need your face scan, PIN or thumbprint to unlock it.

7. Update your operating system

Operating systems are designed to improve performance and fix software bugs that affect battery life. Your smartphone should automatically update if it’s plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi, usually overnight, but you can do it manually.

• iPhone. Go to Settings ⚙️ | General | Software Update | Automatic Updates. Make sure both iOS Updates toggles are green. Also choose to automatically install Security Responses & System Files.
• Android. Go to Settings ⚙️ | About phone or System update | Software update. You may also see a Check for install or Download and install option.

8. Store at room temperature

Extreme heat, cold or damp conditions can drain your battery in the short-term and affect its longevity.

Some iPhone and Android models automatically display a temperature warning screen if your phone overheats, prompting you to shut it down to cool. Others may dim, no longer charge or slow down performance but will let you make an emergency call.

9. Go for low-power mode

Low-power mode comes standard on most devices. That’s why your screen may switch to black from white and turn off nonessential wireless features.

Some devices running low on battery power switch to power-saving mode automatically at about 10 percent power. You can do this manually.

• iPhone. Find the toggle switch under Settings ⚙️ | Battery | Low Power Mode. Slide to green.
• Android. Go to Settings ⚙️ | Battery | Power mode or Power Saving mode. Toggle to on.

10. Don’t overcharge

For long-term battery life, try not to let your phone battery fall below 20 percent, and don’t charge it all the way; 80 percent or 90 percent is ample. Going from zero to 100 shortens the lifespan of the lithium ion battery’s electrodes.

You can check the health of your smartphone battery to see its capacity and peak performance levels and apps that use the most power.

• iPhone. Go to Settings ⚙️ | Battery | Battery Health & Charging.
• Android. Go to Settings ⚙️ | Battery | Battery information.

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Keep backup power at the ready

A power bank is a great way to juice up a smartphone or tablet on the go, especially when you can’t plug in. These typically have a micro-USB, USB-C or Lightning connector.

The higher the milliamps (mAh), the more times it can power up a phone. Low-capacity portable chargers, ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 mAh, can charge a typical smartphone once. Remember to charge the backup charger too.

This story, originally published Feb. 15, 2021, was updated with tips and new smartphone features.