There's little in life more frustrating than having your mobile phone run out of battery in the middle of the day, when you've left your charger at home. But you don't just have to accept this -- follow these simple tips to extend your phone's battery life and avoid being caught short.
Tip 1: Features and settings
Nowadays phones have a tonne of functions and all of them drain battery power, so if you don't need something, switch it off. Some phones provide ways of saving energy by putting the phone in standby mode or turning off non-essential features when idle. You can usually make any changes to your phone's features via the "Settings" or "Tools" section in the menu. Almost every modern feature on a mobile phone puts a strain on the battery and while batteries are improving, they're still not good enough to support all the features available on modern mobile phones for long periods of time.
Turn off your Bluetooth when you're not using it
One of the most infamous battery-draining culprits is Bluetooth, which can be left on unintentionally. Bluetooth is a radio standard that can receive and transmit information, but to do this it consumes battery power. Unless you're using a Bluetooth headset, transferring files or sending information to someone, then you should turn it off and only use it when you need to.
You can usually turn Bluetooth off in the "Settings" section of the menu. Here we have done it on a Nokia mobile phone.
Lower your screen's brightness
Another feature that you should keep an eye on is your screen's brightness. Some phones adjust the display's brightness automatically according to the ambient light, but most don't. The majority of mobile phone displays will be set to full brightness when you first switch them on and, unless you change it manually, they will stay on that setting.
You don't usually need full brightness to view the screen properly and setting it as low as possible will save plenty of energy. Some phones also have an option letting you adjust how long the backlight stays on for. It's best to keep the backlight on for as short an amount of time as possible, so turn it down to around 15 seconds, or less if possible.
You can change screen brightness in the "Settings" section of the menu. Here we have done it on a Sony Ericsson mobile phone. Reducing screen brightness will save battery life, but make sure you can still see it in daylight.
Keep it plain and keep it quiet
Screensavers and moving wallpapers may look pretty but they use up battery power, so turn them off. A loud ring and the vibrate mode also use up a lot of power, so turn down the volume and turn off the vibrate mode if you don't need it.
Watch out for GPRS, 3G and Wi-Fi
Other features that drain power but aren't featured on every phone are 3G connectivity and Wi-Fi adaptors. You should be able to turn off a Wi-Fi adaptor and switch from 3G to GSM in the "Connectivity" section of your mobile's menu. If you enjoy browsing the Web on a GPRS connection, make sure you set the GPRS connection to "only when needed" so that it turns itself off when you stop using it.
Use your phone sparingly and turn it off when you don't need it
If you restrict your phone usage to text messaging or phone calls and turn it off when you don't need it, your battery will last much longer. It may be fun playing games or browsing the Web at the bus stop, but your battery will have run out by the time you get to work.
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Surojit Chatterjee
25/11/2006 10:13 AM
One of the most easy ways to save battery life on a cell phone is to keep it silent when not needed that is if someone is in a wokplace then it is better to turn off the silent as well as the sound mode .
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c
01/03/2007 01:50 PM
My chocolate battery dies so much and it makes me so mad so. HELP!
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root
12/05/2007 03:38 AM
and what is the trick with nokia batteries?
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bert
19/06/2007 04:53 PM
whats the trick with the panasonic x700 it keeps dieing
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James
09/09/2007 06:44 AM
First of all, you need to buy a phone based on it's battery life. The best I have ever had is the Nokia 6310i which will last for 10 to 12 days on standby. I won't "Upgrade" that phone unless I find something significantly better. I travel with a spare battery and I NEVER have a problem with battery life.
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P
30/10/2007 09:52 AM
Have just bought new LG phone, cannot work out if you can use the alarm whilst phone is off. Can anyone please help me
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Charli
31/10/2007 04:26 PM
P, why not just set the alarm to go off in about 5 minutes, turn the phone off, and wait to see if the alarm goes off?
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Andre
27/12/2007 07:02 AM
As someone asked for a tip for Motorola, I have a Rokr Z6 and when I bought it, the battery couldnt last more than a day... Then, after searching for some options around the settings, I lowered the brightness, the backlight timeout, the display timeout and turned on the "battery save" option (not sure if all the morotolas have this) ... I still testing, but I can say that im having good results so far... hope this can help !
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fanni
08/04/2008 04:21 PM
1) Do not modify or disassemble it. 2) Do not incinerate or expose battery to excessive heat, which may result in an exposure. 3) Do not expose battery to water or other moist/wet substances. 4) Avoid piercing, hitting, crushing or any abuse use of the battery. 5) Do not forget to take away your battery from the device if you will not use it for a long time. 6) Avoid short circuit of the terminals by keeping your battery pack away from metal objects such as necklaces or hairpins. battery tips from http://www.lithium-batteries.net
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beyond
27/05/2008 02:30 PM
Battery run-time on a mobile phone is difficult to determine. Actual battery running time depends upon the power demands made by the equipment. The use of the screen, the hard drive and other accessories also results in an additional drain upon the battery, effectively reducing its running time. The total run-time of the battery is also dependent upon the design of the equipment. Generally, a new Hi-Capacity battery will run 30% to 50% longer than the old battery did when it was new. The life span of a Notebook battery is about 1.5 to 3 years under normal conditions. As the rechargeable battery begins to die, the user will notice a decline in the running time of the battery. info from: http://www.cheap-laptop-batteries.com
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beyond
27/05/2008 02:31 PM
Battery run-time on a mobile phone is difficult to determine. Actual battery running time depends upon the power demands made by the equipment. The use of the screen, the hard drive and other accessories also results in an additional drain upon the battery, effectively reducing its running time. The total run-time of the battery is also dependent upon the design of the equipment. Generally, a new Hi-Capacity battery will run 30% to 50% longer than the old battery did when it was new. The life span of a Notebook battery is about 1.5 to 3 years under normal conditions. As the rechargeable battery begins to die, the user will notice a decline in the running time of the battery. info from: http://www.cheap-laptop-batteries.com
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beyond
27/05/2008 02:31 PM
Battery run-time on a mobile phone is difficult to determine. Actual battery running time depends upon the power demands made by the equipment. The use of the screen, the hard drive and other accessories also results in an additional drain upon the battery, effectively reducing its running time. The total run-time of the battery is also dependent upon the design of the equipment. Generally, a new Hi-Capacity battery will run 30% to 50% longer than the old battery did when it was new. The life span of a Notebook battery is about 1.5 to 3 years under normal conditions. As the rechargeable battery begins to die, the user will notice a decline in the running time of the battery. info from: http://www.cheap-laptop-batteries.com
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raul
25/06/2008 08:00 PM
What causes short lifetime of battery? 1. Charger or electro circuit can't be fit for the battery. 2. Overcharge and over-discharge, etc. 3. Battery can't comply with the charging requirement The lifetime of a battery can be prolonged by: 1. Using the original charger 2. Charging the battery after it automatically powers off, then full charge the battery 3. Avoiding erroneous usage of battery, such as heavy pressure, short circuit, fall off and so on ---------------------------------------------- http://www.toshiba-laptop-battery.com/toshiba-pa3383u-1brs.htm
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linda
14/07/2008 01:10 PM
Why can't the battery be charged? How to solve this problem? 1)Reason: a.The battery has no voltage. b.There is problem with charger, as it has no output electric current. c.Low charging efficiency due to external cause. 2)Solutions: a.Test whether the charger has voltage and output electric current or not. b.Check if the charger is well contacted with battery. c.Activate the battery with voltage and current 1.5 time higher then the highest ones of battery. (Use this method only when the battery can't be charged.) if you want to know the others tips,you get them on <a href="http://www.digital-camera-batteries.net">http://www.digital-camera-batteries.net</a> .
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raul
16/07/2008 01:30 PM
Some tips for Battery Maintenance and User Instructions 1. A new battery usually maintains a discharged condition with very low capacity. It is highly recommended to fully charge new battery packs before using. You can refer to the users' guide of your electronic device for charging instructions. 2. A new battery pack needs to be circled (fully discharged and recharged) three to five times to reach its optimum performance. 3. Rechargeable battery will undergo self-discharging when left unused for a long period of time. Thus, it should always be stored in a fully charged state and kept in a cool, dry and clean place. 4. To maintain the optimum performance of a battery pack, it is highly recommended to circle (fully discharging and recharging) it at least once a month. 5. It is normal if a new battery gets warm when being charged or used. However, please pay special attention if the battery pack becomes excessively hot. This may indicate there is a problem with the charging circuit of the electronic device. Please consult a qualified technician if necessary. 6. New batteries are hard to be charged. Sometimes, your electronic device may indicate a fully charged condition about 10 to 15 minutes when the new battery pack is being charged for the first time. When this happens, remove the battery pack and let it cool down for about 10 to 15 minutes then repeat the charging procedure. Sometimes, a new battery will suddenly refuse to be charged. If this happens, a suggested solution is trying to remove the battery from the device and insert it again. http://www.toshiba-laptop-battery.com/toshiba-pa3291u-1brs.htm
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