7 Ways to Make your Phone Battery Last Longer

One of the most frequent grievances about mobile phones is their poor battery life, whether it’s the duration of a single charge or the battery’s degradation over time.

Fortunately, you can extend your battery’s lifespan by making some changes to your phone’s settings.

We have provided guidance on locating each setting, but these may differ across devices. In our example, we use a Google Pixel with Android 16, but your phone’s layout might be different. Most phones, however, feature a search bar at the top of Settings to help you find what you need.

Here are seven steps you can take immediately.

1. Change your screen settings

• The screen is a significant battery drain, and reducing the brightness can conserve a lot of power. You can lower it manually or activate the Auto-brightness feature, which adapts the screen to the current lighting conditions. To do this, go to Settings > Display & Touch.
• Adjusting the screen timeout, which determines how long the screen stays on when not in use, can also save power. The shorter the timeout, the less battery is consumed. To adjust it, go to Settings > Display & Touch > Screen timeout.
• The Always-on Display feature allows you to check the time and date without waking your phone, but it uses power. You can disable it to save battery. To do so, go to Settings > Display & Touch > Always-on Display.
• Turning off your phone’s screen saver can also conserve power, as it prevents the screen from shutting off completely. To disable it, go to Settings > Display & Touch > Screen Saver.

Chris Martin / Foundry

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2. Switch to night mode

• Most phones offer a dark or night mode, which uses less power by displaying white text on a black background. If you prefer not to use it all the time, you can activate it at night, which can also be easier on the eyes. To enable it, go to Settings > Display & Touch > Dark Theme.

3. Lower the screen refresh rate

• While a higher refresh rate can enhance display quality, it also consumes more power. You can turn this feature off by going to Settings > Display & Touch > Smooth Display.

Chris Martin / Foundry

4. Disconnect from wireless features

• Wireless features like Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC consume considerable power. Turn off those you aren’t using by navigating to Settings > Connected devices > Connection options.

5. Keep an eye on your apps

• Apps consume power, and you can monitor which ones use the most. Access this information by going to Settings > Battery > Battery usage. Tap an app for more details.
• You can also disable Allow background use to prevent apps from running when not in use, which helps save battery.
• Lastly, uninstall any apps you no longer use.

Chris Martin / Foundry

6. Find your battery-saving mode

• Many phones include a battery-saving mode that extends battery life by limiting functions and speed. Options often include a standard mode and a super-efficient mode that limits all non-essential functions. Some phones allow you to enable battery-saving mode automatically when the battery reaches a certain percentage, like 20%. To activate it, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Saver.

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7. Keep your phone updated

• Updating your phone enhances security and maintains system optimization. Make it a point to restart your phone weekly and install updates as they become available.