9 Ways to Extend Your Android's Battery Life

When you're away from home and your Android's battery is running low, here are nine tips to save battery life on Android.

Turn Off Unneeded Services

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, location services, and NFC drain battery power, even if the device isn't connected. If you're not using a service, turn it off. Switch on Airplane mode if you're somewhere with a poor signal, so the phone doesn't keep trying to connect.

Shut Off the Phone

Save the battery for when you really need the phone. If you're not waiting for an important call or text, turn off the phone and unplug for a bit. Leave the phone off until you need it again.

Dim the Screen

The screen can easily use up battery life. When you need a battery extension, turn down the brightness a couple of notches. 

Dynamic brightness settings can drain the battery. While it's convenient to have the phone adjust itself, it uses battery power when the phone keeps adjusting itself. Set the brightness yourself to better manage the battery.

Find the Culprit

Look at which apps take up the most battery life. Go to Apps & Notifications and browse through the apps running on the phone.

Open the Settings app, tap Apps & Notifications, then tap an app.

Go to the Battery section to find out how much battery power the app used since the last charge.

Tap Battery to view information on how the app used the charge and which power saving options are in place.

To find general battery use information, open Settings and tap Battery. The Battery Settings show how much battery power remains, the estimated battery life, the power mode, and battery usage by apps. The apps that use the most power are at the top of the usage list.

Keep it Simple

When you need to conserve the battery, limit the use of apps that require a lot of battery power such as games and videos, apps that are powered by ads, and apps that require a network connection.

To save power, use your phone as little as possible, and kill apps that run in the background. A game doesn't have to display on the screen to download a half-gigabyte update in the background and drain the battery.

Update the Android Operating System

Introduced in Android Lollipop, a power-saving mode turns off haptic feedback (vibration) on the keyboard, dims the screen, and slows down the smartphone. Marshmallow added a Doze Mode, which kicks in when the device is idle for an extended period of time and keeps apps from running in the background. Android 8 (Oreo) contains improvements that prevent background apps from using battery power.

Upgrade to the latest version of the Android OS so that your phone has the latest battery-saving features.

Use a Battery-Saving App

Download a task-killer app such as Clean Master or Juice Defender to manage power-hungry apps and adjust battery-draining settings in the background to keep your phone running efficiently.

Root Out the Problem

Rooting offers battery-saving benefits. You can clean up the phone by removing bloatware. You can also access apps such as Greenify that save on battery life.

If you flash a custom ROM, you may get power-saving controls included in the version of Android. The extra control that comes from rooting a phone means more control of the battery.

Always Bring Backup

For extra battery life, get a smartphone case with a built-in battery. Charging cases come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes from Mophie, PowerSkin, and uNu. For even more battery life, purchase a portable charger from Anker, PhoneSuit, Powermat, and others.

If you don't want a bulky battery case, look for an external battery pack. You'll find external batteries anywhere phone accessories are sold.

Android smartphones are becoming 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 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 the screen to a grayscale theme and limits app usage.