9 Ways to Extend Your Android's Battery Life

Use these tips to keep your Android smartphone running while on the go

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by Molly McLaughlin
Molly K. McLaughlin has been a technology writer since 2004. Her work has appeared on PCMag, Dealnews, Wirecutter, and others.
Updated December 19, 2018

We've all been there. You're away from home, and your Android's battery is quickly slipping away. You need to squeeze out all the battery life you can until you can plug in, but that's not for several hours. What's a desperate on the go, have-to-be-connected person to do?

Luckily, there many ways you can conserve battery life, whether you're down to almost nothing or looking to keep your Android going longer as a general practice. Here are nine ways to save battery life whether you're at flying high at 75 percent or lurching toward 10 percent or less.

The tips below should apply no matter who made your Android phone: Samsung, Google, Huawei, Xiaomi, etc.

  1. Shut it down. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, location Services, and NFC, that is. If you're not using it, turn it off. Switch on Airplane mode if you're somewhere with a poor signal, so your phone doesn't keep trying to connect.
  2. No really, shut it down. Better yet, power the phone off until you need it again. If you're not waiting for an important call or text, just unplug for a bit. Maybe even read a book!
  3. Why so bright? Your screen can easily devour battery life if you don't pay attention. In those dire moments when you need a battery extension, turn down the brightness a couple notches. 
  4. Find the culprit. Look at which apps are taking up the most battery life by going into the application manager and looking at the apps currently running on your phone. Here, you can see how much bandwidth each app is using, and even force stop it, if necessary. 
  5. Keep it simple. OK, this is obvious, but it has to be said: avoid using power hungry apps like games and videos, and any app that's powered by ads, thus requiring a network connection. 
  1. Join the Lollipop Guild, the Marshmallow Brigade or just have an Oreo? Introduced in Android Lollipop, a power saving mode turns off haptic feedback (vibration) on your keyboard, dims your screen, and slows down your smartphone. Marshmallow added a Doze Mode, which kicks in when your device is idle for an extended period of time and keeps apps from running in the background. Android 8, aka Oreo, was tweaked to ensure background apps behave better and don't eat up so much battery life. In other words, upgrade your OS!
  2. Of course, there's an app for that. Download a task killer app like Clean Master or Juice Defender, which help manage power-hungry apps and adjust battery-draining settings in the background to keep your phone running efficiently.
  3. Get to the Rooting of the Problem. Rooting offers battery-saving benefits. First, you can clean up your phone by removing bloatware, and at the same time, you can access apps designed for rooted phones that can help you save on battery life, such as Greenify.
  1. Always bring backup. Finally, get a smartphone case with a built-in battery. You can find charging cases in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes from Mophie, PowerSkin and uNu. Alternatively, you can purchase a portable charger from Anker, PhoneSuit, Powermat, and others.

In the meantime, Android smartphones are becoming more and more efficient, while Google adds more power-saving features to the OS. For example, the Marshmallow 6.0 update includes Doze Mode, which prevents apps from checking for updates when the phone has been idle for a while, and a Do Not Disturb feature, which, when enabled, lets you choose which notifications come through for a set period of time. Manufacturers have added their own features, such as Samsung's ultra power saving mode, which changes your screen to a grayscale theme and limits app usage.