How to Avoid Cell Phone Battery Replacements
Next to screen replacements for cracked glass digitizers, cell phone battery replacements are something we perform nearly every day. Until there is a battery revolution that sees us moving away from lithium-ion technology, batteries dying over time is just a simple fact of life. So how can we make our batteries last longer?
Turn on Battery Saving Mode
This might be obvious, but both the latest iOS and Android OS have a battery saver mode. Turning this feature on will modify a few software settings to make your smartphone battery last longer. It is not recommended that you always use this feature as it will slow down your phone and make loading times longer but it’s a great idea if you’re just using your phone as a phone (what a concept!) or texting. Turn it off for watching videos, internet browsing and gaming.
Understand How to Charge your Phone
There is a lot of debate on how you should charge your phone to make it last longer. Although we used to recommend that you charge your phone from as low to 0% as you are comfortable with all the way up to 100% once per day (at night works best), recent studies have shown otherwise. The battery experts now recommend charging your device once it hits around 40% and unplug it once it reaches 80%.
Avoid Extreme Hot and Cold Temperatures
Don’t leave your phone in your glovebox in on a hot muggy day and think twice about bringing your phone on that icy-cold ski slope. Cell phone batteries are designed to run best at temperatures between 16° to 22° C. Charging your phone in extreme conditions can harm your smartphone battery further as well. If your phone gets too hot or cold, keep it at room temperature and your phone should operate as normal once again.
Don’t Use Fast Charging
Fast charging cell phones are all the latest rage but did you know that fast-charging actually degrades your battery. So unless you really need that blast of juice in a short period of time, it is highly recommended that you charge your phone the regular slow, old-fashioned way. Similarly, charging your device with a 2.4A power adapter (think the big iPad cube) is worse for your battery than a 1.2A one (like the smaller iPhone cube).
Store Your Device Around 50% Battery Life
Are you storing your device for a long period of time? If you want to prolong visiting us for a cell phone battery replacement, it is recommended that you store your device between 40%-60% battery capacity. This is exactly how we store our phones for sale at our shop! Smart, hey?
Turn Down Screen Brightness
A brighter screen can mean a dimmer battery life. We see a lot of people frown when we show them their screen at a lower brightness but believe us: your eyes will adjust to your less intense screen in no time.
Disable Push Notifications
Push notifications refer to those “helpful” little pop-ups that can show up on your screen from time to time. Basically, your phone is constantly searching the internet for updates and when your app or operations system sees there is something new to report – BING! You get an alert. It may be handy but it is a hog on your battery’s resources.
Use a 3G Cellular Network, Turn Off 4G/LTE
These days, when you get a new phone, it will automatically be using a 4G/LTE cellular network option. They make downloading much faster but did you know that they also take a lot more battery power than the 3G network? In our experience travelling around Vancouver, the 3G network not only uses less battery consumption but it is more reliable too!
Turn Off Location Services
Does your camera app really need to know your location? You’d be surprised at how many of your apps are trying to figure out exactly where on Earth you are. It goes without saying: allowing all of your apps to pinpoint your GPS location is destroying your battery performance. Choose wisely which apps can use this feature.
Turn Off Vibrate/Haptic Feedback
Buzz buzz buzz! That’s the sound of your battery depleting. The tiny little motor that spins around inside your phone to make it vibrate uses…you guessed it…ENERGY! If you think you can live without the physical sensation of your phone altering you to getting a new like on Instagram, then you can save a lot of battery power by turning this feature off.
Put Your Phone in Airplane Mode
You don’t have to be flying to use Airplane Mode! Turning this feature on will effectively turn your phone into a tiny computer that isn’t connected to a cellular network, wifi, Bluetooth and GPS location services. Great for if you’re sleeping, working or if you don’t want to be a slave to your phone!
There you have it, folks. 11 tips on how to save yourself from a premature cell phone battery replacement. Of course, if your smartphone or tablet’s battery has run its course, feel free to stop by our lovely boutique repair shop at 245 W Broadway or contact us at 604-700-6049 to inquire about having us replace your battery at your location. Our cell phone battery replacements are some of our most reasonably-priced repairs we offer (as low as $50) and they all come with a one-year warranty. Woohoo!