GOOG TO GO
Android owners can unlock better battery life with Google’s list of eight must-use phone settings
There's also a common mistake you must never make
IF your Android phone is always running out of battery, the fix may be as simple as changing your settings.
Google has revealed eight different settings that can instantly boost your battery life.
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Some require switching off, while others need turning on.
And if you change all eight, you might find that the length of time your Android phone lasts between charges grows.
"You can take several actions to extend your device’s battery life and make a charge last longer," Google explains.
It's worth noting that if you have a very old Android phone then not all of the settings may appear.
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Here's Google's official list of settings you should choose to "use less battery":
- Let your screen turn off sooner.
- Reduce screen brightness.
- Set the brightness to change automatically.
- Turn off keyboard sounds or vibrations.
- Restrict apps with high battery use.
- Turn on adaptive battery.
- Delete unused accounts.
- Turn on dark theme.
Each of these settings might only make a small difference – but they should have a large combined effect.
Some will also be more effective than others: for instance, turning off keyboard sounds won't reduce drain as much as bringing your brightness right down.
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TAKE IT EVEN FURTHER
If that's not enough, you can turn on a special mode to save even more battery.
Many Android phones have something called Battery Saver.
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This limits a whole host of features on your phone in a bid to preserve your charge.
Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Saver and activate it.
You can also choose a schedule for the feature if you prefer.
"When Battery Saver is on, it turns on Dark theme and limits or turns off background activity, so some visual effects, certain features, network connections, and apps may experience delays in this mode," Google explains.
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BATTERY HEALTH
If you're really worried about your Android phone's charge then you'll want to make sure that you're keeping the battery healthy.
All smartphone batteries will get worse over time, holding less charge versus when they were new.
So if you've had a phone for about two years, you'd expect it to only hold 80% of its original maximum charge.
But the way you treat your phone in this time can make this drop even sharper.
One of the best habits you can get into is keeping your Android nice and cool.
Heat can cause permanent damage to a phone battery, and must be avoided.
Why does heat damage batteries?
Here's what you need to know...
- Hot temperatures can cause permanent damage to batteries
- That's because batteries contain fluids, and work through chemical reactions
- When heat is applied to a battery, the fluid inside starts to evaporate
- This damages the internal structure of the battery
- Components like the voltage indicator can be affected by heat
- This can allow batteries to charge at too high a rate, which can lead to a loss of electrolytes
- This can reduce battery life over time
- As batteries heat up, chemical reactions inside will also occur faster
- Excessive chemical reactions can reduce long-term battery life
That's not just heat from direct sunlight or being too close to your stove while cooking either.
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If you're using your Android phone intensively and it's getting very hot, that's going to hurt your battery too.
So if it feels like your Android phone is getting too warm, give it a break and let it cool down somewhere out of direct sunlight.
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