Fair-proof your phone battery to last all day long

When you are out and about using your cell phone all day checking email, opening websites, navigating maps, taking photos or video, and struggling with an crowded cell tower, it doesn't take long to drain the battery. Instead of waiting for the 20% red battery warning, here are some tips to follow at the start of your day to keep your phone running longer:

Adjust Screen Brightness

The display screen is the most power consuming component of a cell phone. Lower your screen brightness manually to the lowest comfortable level and shorten your auto-lock screen timeout to 30 seconds (Settings > Display).

Enable Power Saver Mode

Turn on Low Power Mode (Settings > Battery on iOS) or Battery Saver (Settings > Battery on Android) at the start of your day. This stops non-essential background processing before battery drain starts.

Switch to Dark Mode

Enabling Dark Mode can significantly help reduce battery consumption. Dark mode is available on phones with OLED displays.

Turn off Keyboard Vibration & Sounds

Vibration and typing sounds consume more battery, especially if you are using it a lot for typing. Disable keyboard haptics and sound effects (Settings > Sounds & Haptics).

Pause Unnecessary Connectivity (GPS, Bluetooth, Cellular)

In dense crowds, continuous Bluetooth scanning loops and GPS background tracking drain energy fast. Toggle off Bluetooth and Location Services when not actively using them.

Limit Background App Refresh

Stop unused apps from constantly pinging servers. Disable Background App Refresh (Settings > General on iOS) or Allow background data usage (Settings > Apps on Android) for apps you don't need.

Disable Animated Wallpapers & Widgets

Animated lock screen wallpapers and home screen widgets continuously refresh in the background, consuming processing power even when you aren't using them. 

Connect to Wi-Fi Whenever Possible

Cellular networks (4G/5G) require significantly more energy to transmit data than Wi-Fi. Connect to a reliable Wi-Fi to save your battery and keep your phone running cooler.

Close & Clean Up Unused Apps

Background apps that run silently in the background may still consume power. Force-close apps when you aren't using them, and deleting unused apps will improve overall battery usage.

I hope these tips help keep your device powered all day long. Have a fantastic, fully charged time at the fair! 

Article by Karen Matthes, Extension Learning Technologies, klm@umn.edu