How to Extend the Life of Your Cell Phone Battery

Lithium ion batteries have been a vital part of making technology more compact, powering everything from cell phones to laptops. They cram a lot of energy into a small and lightweight unit, giving you the power to run all your devices while you're out and about.

Without lithium ion batteries, your cell phone would be much larger, much less powerful and would need more frequent charging.

The drawback with these types of battery is that their performance starts to drop from the moment they're first used. This happens more quickly the more charging cycles you put the battery through.

If you want to extend its working lifespan, it's a good idea to reduce the everyday load on your battery. Doing this will increase the length of time your phone will last between charges.

Whether you're running an iPhone or an Android device, the factors that affect battery life are more or less the same.

By far, the biggest drain on your phone's power is the screen, particularly with today's larger and brighter displays. You can reduce the energy needed by dimming your screen's default brightness, either by hand or automatically using the power-saving features built into your phone.

Change the screen time out (also called auto lock) to its shortest setting, so that the screen is activated as little as possible. Also, try choosing a dark theme instead of a bright one. The less white you have in your display, the less battery juice it will need.

Turn off unneeded radio functions such as Bluetooth, NFC, and even Wi-Fi if you're not connected to a network.

Finally, deactivate or uninstall busy apps which you don't really need on your phone. Only allow your most important apps to run at all times in order to keep background activity as low as possible.

In addition to reducing the amount of energy your phone uses, you can also protect your battery's overall health to keep it working better for longer. For example:

•   Don't let your phone get too hot or too cold by leaving it in direct sunlight or outdoors in cold weather.
•   Don't let your battery drain completely, and don't leave it charging once full. Many people believe that batteries have a "memory" and it is best to completely discharge them before fully recharging them. This is not true of lithium ion chemistry, however, which actually prefers a partial discharge versus being completely discharged.
•   If you're not going to be using your phone for a while, charge it to around 50% capacity before turning it off. This is the healthiest amount of charge for a battery to hold when not in use.
•   If it's convenient, choose a slow overnight charge instead of a rapid one which is tougher on the battery.
•   Most importantly, for the best iPhone, Samsung Galaxy or other phone battery performance, make sure the battery gets a good, full charge and a few full cycles when purchased new. This sets the capacity potential for the life of the battery.

But no matter how careful you are, all batteries fade in time. Typically, new phone batteries will last about 1 to 2 years before needing to be replaced, depending on how often you charge your device. If you need a replacement, our cell phone repair service can handle everything from a cracked screen to a dead battery, and is available in your local Batteries Plus store.