Today’s Android phones pack big, bright screens and high-end features that suck plenty of power. Here’s how to squeeze the most juice out of your battery.
There are a number of factors that contribute to poor battery lifeon your Android phone. Thinner bodies, brighter screens, faster processors, more background software, and speedier internet connections all take their toll on phone batteries, but manufacturers are also incorporating more powerful batteries to compensate.
Most new flagship phones offer all-day battery. The Google Pixel 7 Pro’s 5,000mAh battery provided just under 11 hours of juice in our tests, while the Samsung Galaxy S22Ultra ran for a bit over 12 hours. Still, there are ways to get more out of any phone.
Menu settings will differ based on which phone you’re using and what operating system version you have; in this story, we used a Samsung Galaxy S20FE running Android 11. But all Android devices should have similar features. With this caveat in mind, here are some ways to improve the battery life on your Android phone.
1. Turn On Power Saving ModeThink you’re going to be stuck in a situation where you need your phone battery to last longer than it normally does? Switch your phone into power saving mode, which automatically cuts back on functions that may eat battery life. On our Samsung device, we opened Settings > Battery and device care, then tapped the Battery entry.
Below the battery usage chart, we enabled Power saving mode to immediately limit networking, syncing, and location services, and turn down the screen’s refresh rate. By tapping Power saving mode, we could further customize the feature by turning off the Always on Display, limiting CPU speed to 70%, or decreasing brightness by 10% in order to save even more battery life. There is also a Power Saving option in the Quick Settings menu.
For maximum power-saving, the Limit apps and Home screen option enables only selected apps and limits all background activity when power saving mode is turned on. For older versions of Android, you may be offered multiple power saving mode presets, each with a different balance between performance and battery life.
If you’re on a Google Pixel, you can set similar battery limits under Settings > Battery > Battery Saver. There are also options to schedule when Battery Saver turns on and enable Extreme Battery Saver to get even more battery life.
2. Adjust Screen BrightnessSmartphone screens are big, bright battery hogs. You probably don’t need your device turned up to the brightest setting. Go into your Display settings and turn down the brightness on the screen. You can also open the pull-down screen and control the brightness from there.
While you’re at it, consider disabling auto brightness. This feature adjusts based on your perceived needs but can also raise the brightness of your display higher than it needs to be. Turn off the switch next to Adaptive brightness and your eyes (and battery) will thank you.
3. Manage Your Lock ScreenAlways on Display may be a brand new feature for iPhone users, but it’s been available on Android devices for quite some time. This allows basic information, such as the time and date, to be visible on the screen when the display is otherwise turned off . The feature is meant to use as little energy as possible, but you can set limits to squeeze out every drop of power.If you own a Samsung Galaxy device, head to Settings > Lock screen and disable the switch next to Always on Display. You can also tap Always on Display to set it to only display when the screen is tapped or just at certain times if you don ‘t want to lose the feature completely. Most Pixel phones allow you to make changes under Display > Lock screen > Always show time and info.
4. Set When Your Screen Times Outscreen timeout settingsThe longer your phone’s screen stays on, the more battery life you use up. You can counter this by setting the screen to turn off sooner than it might normally. If you tend to abandon your unlocked phone on the table, this is the feature to change. On both Galaxy and Pixel phones, you can open Settings > Display > Screen timeout, and then select among a number of options, from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
5. Turn Off Location and Wireless Servicesairplane modeEven when it’s sitting idle, there are all sorts of signals being sent from your phone that can ultimately drain your phone’s battery (even if it happens only a little bit at a time). If you want the maximum amount of power you can get, there are a few backend services you can turn off if you don’t want to go full Power Saving mode.
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and mobile data use up battery life with each new ping you receive. An easy way to conserve somebattery is to open the pull-down shade on your phone and tap the Airplane mode button. This will instantly disconnect your phone from all these services and save some juice.
Location services may let you navigate with Google Maps, but all those GPS pings that happen in the background can wear down a battery quick. You can turn off location services completely from Settings > Location to stop Google from tracking you. However, this will stop a number of apps from working properly. Instead, you can select App permissions to revoke access to only specific apps that may be particularly bad about pinging your phone.