If you prefer Android to iOS on smartphones, one probable reason why is the larger degree of customisation the former operating system has traditionally offered.
For a while, this customisation included letting users easily swap out the phone’s battery – but this functionality has been increasingly abandoned by Android manufacturers pursuing sleeker physical designs for their handsets. So, how can you eke more life from a battery you can’t easily remove?
Make good use of Doze Mode
You might already be doing that – since, on smartphones running Android 6.0 or newer, Doze Mode automatically kicks in once the device has been left unplugged and motionless for a particular length of time. That’s when certain apps are curtailed in their battery-draining functionality.
Want to exempt specific apps from Doze Mode’s reach? The Verge has instructions for how to do that.
Enable the Adaptive Battery feature
This feature taps into AI to discern your app usage patterns before adjusting this software to optimise its power consumption. The aim is for these apps to only draw on the battery’s power when strictly necessary.
To check if Adaptive Battery is enabled, dive into your device’s settings before selecting ‘Battery’ and then ‘Adaptive Battery’.
Uninstall apps you no longer need
Chances are there are quite a few apps you installed long ago, played with a little bit at first and then have barely touched since. So, don’t be afraid to go through your library of apps to see which of them were abandoned so long ago you now momentarily fail to recognise them.
Use the Battery Saver feature
This feature automatically takes various measures to help keep a phone’s battery running when it’s almost depleted. For example, Battery Saver halts apps’ background activity and prevents Google Assistant from listening for “Hey Google” – and, in your phone’s settings, you can specify when all of this should happen.
Use ‘dark mode’ as much as possible
Various phones have what is commonly called a ‘dark mode’, where switching it on plunges the interface largely into darkness.
You might have a phone that lets you use dark mode exclusively – one good case in point being the Galaxy S21 Ultra. SamMobile has a step-by-step guide to how you can activate this particular device’s dark mode permanently – and “gain significant battery life, especially if you have a lot of on-screen time.”
If your device’s 5G connectivity is poor, disable it
Of course, it might not be poor all of the time – but, when it is, you would do well to switch it off. Otherwise, your phone’s 5G usage – however meagre it might seem at times – could suck up much of your phone’s battery life without you really getting much practical benefit in return.
Create power-saving routines using Bixby Routines
This feature, available on millions of Samsung phones, enables users to set specific instructions for the device to follow when particular conditions are met. So, on devices with always-on displays, Bixby Routines could be used to disable that always-on functionality when you know you won’t urgently need it.
Talha Ali is your tech generalist, covering a wide spectrum of topics within the ever-evolving world of technology. With a curiosity for the latest innovations, industry trends, and breakthroughs. Whether it’s hardware, software, emerging technologies, or the intersection of tech with daily life, Talha’s articles provide readers with a well-rounded perspective on the dynamic landscape of the tech industry.