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How to save iPhone and Android battery with 10 easy tips to improve battery life – and the best portable chargers
ARE you tired of your mobile phone running out of battery before the end of the day?
There are tricks you can do for both iPhone and Android users to help improve your device's battery life...
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How can you save your iPhone and Android battery?
Turn on Low Power Mode
If you have updated your iPhone to the iOS 9 or higher software, you’ll be able to activate a Low Power Mode on the settings tab.
Apple claim that this helps you to gain three extra hours of battery life from your phone.
The energy-saving mode is offered to you automatically when you hit 20 per cent remaining power, which turns the battery indicator from green to orange if activated.
However, you can turn it on before your phone reaches 20 per cent by going to Settings > Battery and turn on Low Power Mode.
Android users also have a power saving mode which can be activated via the battery screen in the Settings app, or by pulling down the notification shade from the top of your screen, pulling it down again to access quick settings, tapping the gear icon to open the Settings screen, and tapping “Battery.”
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Turn down your brightness
If you reduce your phone’s brightness, you are able to get another few hours out of your phone.
To activate on your iPhone, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and drag the brightness slider as far left as you can.
You should also head to Settings and then access Display & Brightness and make sure Auto-Brightness is turned off.
This stops your phone turning up the brightness whenever it deems necessary.
Android users can pull the top of the home screen down and then adjust the brightness on the slider.
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Reduce your Auto-Lock time
The longer your screen is on, the more power you are consuming.
Set your Auto-Lock to as low as 30 seconds to ensure your device sleeps as quickly as possible after inactivity.
To do this on the iPhone, go to Settings > General > Auto-Lock (in iOS 10 it's found in Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock).
Android users can do this by going to Settings > Timeout (depending on which version you have it could also be Screen Timeout), and adjust the timeframe.
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Airplane Mode
Activating the Airplane Mode can be the best way to get the most out of your phone during the day.
Your mobile will drain quickly during the day thanks to the antenna constantly searching for Wi-Fi networks and nearby cellular signal.
If you don’t need to access the internet or receive calls and text, put your phone in flight mode and it will stop all internet and cellular connection.
IPhone users can turn it on easily by swiping up from the bottom of the screen and tapping the airplane icon, or tap Settings and set Airplane Mode to On.
If you are on Android swipe down from the top of your screen to open your device's notification panel, swipe down again if you don't see it the first time, and then select Airplane mode.
Alternatively head to Settings > More > Airplane Mode.
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Disable background app refresh
Typically apps will periodically refresh their data so when you open them up again you’ll see new updates immediately.
Most of the time this can waste important battery juice as apps are being updated that you don’t require or care about.
To turn the feature off on iPhone, head to Settings > General > Background App Refresh, and you can stop all the apps updating altogether, or individually select the ones you require.
Turn off Siri
Siri can be good for helping Apple users out with online searches and information.
But the feature can be drain on the battery, particularly with the “Hey Siri” feature, which listens out for the phrase “Hey Siri” and gets ready for any commands.
To turn it off go to Settings > Siri and make sure Hey Siri (or Siri in general) isn't switched on.
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Turn off location services
A lot of the time, apps that are open are a big cause of the battery bar shooting down.
Some apps utilise location services, even though it may not be obvious why they need to know where you are.
To turn off the feature, tap Settings > Privacy > Location Services and select the apps you don’t need to have the privilege, or deselect the entire lot.
Turn off iCloud
If iPhone users want to make your battery last longer, try to avoid constantly syncing to the iCloud.
ICloud uses a large amount of data so you can save battery life by turning off unused features.
To do so, select Settings > iCloud and turn off everything you don't really use.
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Turn off Wi-Fi
Unless you really need your Wi-Fi, for example if you’re FaceTiming, you don’t need it on as it’s actually a secret battery drainer.
Even when you don’t want to connect to a network, your Wi-Fi is constantly searching for one, so remember to turn it off.
Stop your phone vibrating
This one sounds strange, how does your phone vibrating make a difference to your battery?
But it actually does, when you have your phone buzzing away after every message it impacts your battery life so turn it off.
What are the best portable chargers?
One of the best days for giving your phone a boost during the day is to plug in a portable charger.
Here are some of the best:
Energizer Max Portable Power Bank (Phone/Tablet) – 5000mAh - £14.99
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The Energizer Max Portable Power Bank, which can be found on the website, is packed with 5000mAh of portable power.
This allows multiple charges of your device, and the portable charger is compatible with most USB handsets.
It's slim design means it can fit snuggly inside your bag on your travels.
Veho Pebble Explorer Portable Battery Pack Charger 8400mah - £21.49
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The Veho Pebble Explorer Portable Battery Pack allows you to charge two devices on the go.
It's 8400mAh battery can give tablets a complete full charge and most smartphones up to five charges.
The device, which can be purchased from , has an auto shut off mode to protect against over-charging.
TP-Link 10,400mAh Powerbank - £25
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The TP-Link 10,400mAh Powerbank has a battery of 10400mAh, and lets you charge your phone numerous times.
It has a dual USB port so you can charge two devices simultaneously.
The charger is compatible with any USB rechargeable device, and can be purchased from .
Aukey 20000mAh Power Bank - £20.99
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This 20000mAh Portable Battery, available on allows iPhone users to fully charge your phone 4.5 times.
Designed to work with all popular USB powered devices from iPhones to Android phones, tablets, Bluetooth speakers and more.
with built-in flashlight and LED battery indicator.
Anker PowerCore Speed 10000: 10,050mAh - £28.99
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The Anker PowerCore Speed 10000 weighs a similar amount to a can of soup but allows you to recharge your iPhone 7 almost seven times, the Galaxy S6 five times or the iPad mini 4 twice.
It is also available on , and is compatible with the new 12 inch MacBook 2015 (USB-C to USB 2.0 cable needed), Apple and Android smartphones and tablets.
The product, which comes with a cable, has PowerIQ and VoltageBoost to ensure your devices charge at a quick rate.
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