Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Increase the time between charges
• Method 2 of 3: Extend the battery life
• Method 3 of 3: Indicators for a broken battery
• Tips
• Warnings

Most people nowadays use cell phones at home instead of a landline, but a cell phone does require some extra maintenance due to the lithium battery. In this article you can read how you can get more out of your battery!

To step

Method 1 of 3: Increase the time between charges

1. Turn off the phone. This is probably the most effective and easiest way to extend your phone's battery life. Why? It helps you to save energy. If you don't plan on answering the phone while you sleep or after hours, you might as well turn off the phone. Do this even if you are in a place where there is no reception (such as in the metro or in a remote place), because the continuous search for networks is not good for the battery. Some phones have a "power save" feature, but it often takes 30 minutes without reception for this feature to start working. And after 30 minutes, the battery is already a lot empty. If you are not using your smartphone to make calls for a while, you can activate the flight mode. Other functions will still work.
2. Stop looking for signal. If you are in an area with little or no signal, the phone is constantly looking for a better connection and the battery drains quickly. Make sure you have a perfect signal where you use your phone. If you do not have a perfect signal, you can purchase a GSM repeater, which will amplify the signal.
3. Follow the method of full charge and full discharge. Do not put your phone on the charger if it is not already on, unless it is very important. Do not charge the phone until it is about to shut down and keep charging until the phone is completely full. OR do the opposite: some articles show that with lithium batteries it is better to charge them if they are only slightly empty.
4. Turn off your phone's vibration. The vibration function drains a battery faster. Keep the ringtone volume as low as possible.
5. Turn off your phone's backlight. Screen lighting makes it easier to read the screen when you're outside, but it consumes a lot of battery. If you don't really need it, you better turn it off. If you do use it, you can set the duration. One or two seconds is often enough. There are also telephones with a light sensor, which switch the screen lighting on or off automatically.
6. Avoid using unnecessary functions. If you know that you cannot charge the phone for the time being, do not use the camera or access the Internet. And if you're already using the camera, don't use the flash.
7. Keep conversations as short as possible. It may seem obvious, but how often have you heard someone say on the phone: "my battery is almost empty", after which they continued talking for minutes? Sometimes a dead battery is just a good excuse to cut a call, but if it's true, keep the conversation short.
8. Turn off bluetooth. Bluetooth is very demanding on a battery.
9. The same goes for Wi-Fi, GPS and infrared, if your phone has these features. Only switch on the relevant function when you really need it.
10. Set the screen brightness as low as possible.
11. Rather use GSM than 3G. 3G or Dual Mode significantly reduces battery life. With GSM alone, the battery often lasts up to 50% longer.
12. In the case of a smartphone, avoid using moving pictures or video as wallpaper.
13. Use a black background whenever possible. AMOLED screens consume much less power if they display black instead of white. Use a site like Blackl [1] if you use your web browser, then Google will have a black background instead of a white one.

Method 2 of 3: Extend the battery life

1. Initialize a new battery. New batteries should always be fully charged before using them. Nickel-based batteries should be charged for at least 16 hours and then completely used up and fully charged 2-4 times. Lithium ion batteries need to be charged for 5-6 hours. The phone will indicate that the battery is full much sooner, but do not look at that, the indication is not accurate yet if the battery has not yet been initialized.
2. Avoid completely draining a lithium-ion battery! Unlike Ni-Cd batteries, battery life is shortened each time the battery is completely discharged. Put the phone on the charger when you have one line left.
3. Keep the battery cool. The battery lasts the longest when used at room temperature, high temperatures are not good. Of course you cannot influence the weather, but try not to leave the phone in a hot car and do not put the phone in your pocket. Check the phone if it is on the charger. If the phone is very warm to the touch, there may be something wrong with your charger.
4. Charge the battery correctly, it varies by type. The newer phones often have lithium-ion batteries, older types usually have a nickel-cadmium battery. Check the battery or the user manual to see which type you have.
   • You can extend the life of lithium-ion batteries by charging them gently, keep the battery partially charged when not in use. Recharge the battery before use.
   • Always use a charger that is suitable for your type of battery.
5. Store batteries properly. If you are not going to use it for a while, keep the battery in a cool, dry place. A resealable bag in the refrigerator works well (not in the freezer). But let the battery warm up for an hour before you start using it.
6. Clean the contacts of the battery and the phone. The contacts slowly get dirty, reducing efficiency. Clean them with a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol. If the contacts are two different metals, such as gold and tin, corrosion can occur. Use acetone or nail polish remover to remove the corrosion, but watch out: this can dissolve plastic.

Method 3 of 3: Indicators for a broken battery

1. Learn how to notice that the battery is no longer good:
   • The operating time becomes shorter and shorter after charging.
   • The battery becomes very hot during charging.
   • The battery becomes very hot during use.
   • The battery casing is getting thicker. Feel the inside / phone side of the battery to see if the battery is swollen. Or put the battery on a flat surface, if it spins easily and is not flat, there may be a bulge. The housing of a healthy battery must be flat.

Tips

• You don't have to turn off your phone while charging. Most battery chargers provide enough power to charge the battery and use the phone at the same time. The charging time will be no longer and you better keep an eye on when the phone is full again.
• Do not use a car charger if the temperature in the car is very high. Wait for the car to cool down a bit before charging.
• Check if your phone has a "Battery Save" option. This extends the battery life considerably.
• Don't let your phone automatically check for new mail every few minutes. The best for the battery is if you manually download your mail.
• mAh is short for milli-amp hours. Higher values ​​at the same voltage indicate that the battery has a higher capacity and therefore the battery lasts longer.
• No matter how well you take care of your battery, the battery will eventually wear out. Always take the old battery to your municipal waste point or other suitable collection point for chemical waste.
• Use the special battery saving mode if you have an Android smartphone with Android 5.0 or higher.
• For Apple devices with iOS 7.0 or higher, switch off the 3D effect within the start screen. This can be done within the general settings of your smartphone.

Warnings

• Avoid direct sunlight. The direct contact of the sun's rays on the phone is bad for the battery.
• Never dispose of your old battery with general waste. Batteries contain poisonous metals.