How to get the most from your Mobile Battery
(Reading time: 6 minutes)
You might have read my previous article on ‘How to keep your mobile smooth and fast’, which is more relevant to the software or operating system of the handset. However, in hardware part of any mobile handset, the most important component lies, which is its battery. We know that rechargeable battery life is typically defined as the number of full charge-discharge cycles before significant capacity loss. The rechargeable batteries of mobile phones, or other hand-held devices in daily use, are not expected to last longer than approximately three years. We should note that if we handle the battery with proper care, the performance shows consistently positive results in entire life span of battery. The mobile set is redundant if the battery does not perform well. In this article, we will take a look on the ways to make the battery perform well as well as it lasts longer. a) Increasing the performance of the battery
Decreasing the load over the battery: This is foremost tip to make the battery work like a charm. Kill the applications like facebook, twitter or BBM when not required and use only when required.
Doing away with third party themes: The third party themes installed on your phone are not specifically tested for power consumption factor and they may eat a lot of battery. Hence it is suggested to use only brand approved themes to minimize waste of the battery.
Keeping the brightness low: If you make your display brightness low, the battery will stay for long. After you make it low, initially you will find it little comfortable, but very soon you will be customized to new adjustment.
Shifting from 3G mode to GPRS or GSM mode: This also helps a lot saving the power for some extra hours.
Turning of Wi-Fi: If the Wi-Fi application is left on, it keeps on searching for Wi-Fi network which uses a good amount of power. So if you do not intend to connect to Wi-Fi, please exit the application.
Turning off Bluetooth: The Bluetooth application also keeps on searching the available devices when left on. It is always better to put it off, when not required.
Put the network off when signal is low: when you are traveling in a train or a plane, the network signal is often not available. However, by default, the network detection is continuously done by the handset and this consumes a lot of power. So please put your network off when it is difficult for the handset to connect to it.
Turning the browser off: Many people press red button after using the internet and think that they have closed the browser. Please remember that pressing red button does not exit the browser. Whenever you want to exit the application, it is better to use application-menu-exit.
Turn your phone off: Please make your phone off, if you are not going to use it for some time. This way you will conserve battery resource. If your phone has auto on-off function, please use it to make it off at night time. You can use third party approved application for this purpose.
Keep calls short: Do it especially when you do not sufficient storage of battery at your hands.
Turn off GPS: GPS is a service totally dependent of internet connectivity. Please exit it if you are not using it.
Avoid using flashy backgrounds: Moving or animated pictures used for background images drain the battery quickly. So please use a simple image (if possible, dark one) for your background.
Battery save option: Check to see if your phone has a "Battery Save" option. If so, you can turn this option to increase the life of your battery.
b) Increasing the Life of the battery
Charge the new battery to the full capacity: Please charge the battery at its full level when you buy a new phone or replace the battery. Correctly initialized battery maximizes its life span.
Avoid full discharge of battery: Whenever you find that your battery is showing low charge, look for your charger. Do not wait till its gets fully empty.
Charging the battery: You should charge your battery only when there is one bar left (or it is less than 20%) and not before that. Unnecessary and frequent charging affects the performance and life span of battery. Further, when you charge the battery, make sure you charge it to its full. Lithium-ion batteries which are used widely today, like most rechargeable batteries, have a set number of charges in them. So, avoid frequent charging. The battery has its own memory. If you charge the battery partially number of times, eventually the battery "forgets" that it can charge fully. Hence it is always better to charge the battery at regular intervals. Also, remove the charger once the battery is charged fully, unless your phone has an advanced feature of disconnection of charging process after the battery is fully charged. See your phone brochure if you have that function.
Keep the battery cool: Please see to it that your phone does not remain on car dashboard for a long time, in summer. The temperature of the battery plays vital role in its performance.
Use a branded charger: Please do not use locally available charger as it damages the cells of the battery. Use a branded charger, even if it sometime takes little long to charge it.
Storing battery: If you do not want to use a phone for a long time, remove its battery, pack in airtight polythene bag and keep it in a cool place. (You can safely keep the battery in the refrigerator, but not in the freezer)
Clean the battery contacts: Over time, contacts may accumulate dirt and dust which reduces the efficiency of energy transfer. Clean them with a cotton swab or with an ear bud once in two months. When you clean them, make sure you clean phone contacts as well. Make it delicately as extra pressure will damage them.
Charging in the car: When using a car charger, please do not charge the battery when the inside temperature of your car is hot. Wait until the car has cooled down before you plug in the phone.
Battery replacement: If you find your battery is heated while use or showing illogical charging levels or its charging time is shortened, Please replace it immediately with a new one. Please do not use the phone with an over used battery as it can damage the phone, too.
You can use an application named iON Battery Timer which shows average battery life, Battery left, time period left for its full discharge, exact time when the battery will discharge and other details with accuracy. It also has a screen saver showing the details, even when you are not using the phone. This application is not free but not expensive.
The above steps will help you to get the most out of your mobile battery, and will leave you comfortable so that you always have sufficient charge left in your mobile to make some calls. If you are not sure to follow these steps, then it is better that you keep a spare battery ready in your handbag.
