How to make your phone battery last longer

Why the phone battery runs out early

The battery runs out early because the phone is using more energy than it should, or because the battery holds less charge than it did when it was new. Finding out which one is your case keeps you from changing habits for no reason or replacing the part when you do not need to.

A lithium-ion battery is a consumable part: with every charge and discharge cycle, it loses a little capacity. This is true for any phone brand. What changes is the speed, which depends on temperature, how the phone is charged, and the age of the part.

High usage: the phone uses too much power

In this case the battery is fine, but something is drawing power without you noticing. A stuck app, a weak signal or the screen at full brightness can make the percentage drop in just a few hours. This case is fixed by adjusting how you use the phone.

Wear: the battery holds less charge

In this case the usage is normal, but the battery no longer keeps its charge. The phone reaches noon with little power even with light use. This case cannot be fixed with settings. Only replacing the part solves it.

What uses the most battery every day

The screen is almost always the biggest battery user on a phone, followed by a weak signal and apps running in the background. Checking these three things first solves most battery complaints.

Bright screen and always on

Full brightness and a long screen-on time use a lot of power. Turning on automatic brightness and shortening the time before the screen turns off on its own gives you good extra hours of use, and you will not notice the difference.

Weak signal

When the carrier or Wi-Fi signal is poor, the phone increases the power of its antenna to stay connected, and this uses battery. In a place with a very weak signal, airplane mode for a while saves battery.

Apps in the background

Social media, maps and games keep working even when you are not looking at them. In the battery settings, the phone shows which apps used the most power in the last few hours. If one of them appears well above the others, consider limiting its background use or uninstalling it.

How to charge so the battery ages slowly

The battery lasts longer when you avoid extremes: do not let it reach zero every time, and do not keep it fully charged for many hours in a row. You do not need a strict routine, just avoid the excesses.

Do not wait for zero

Letting the phone run down until it shuts off stresses the battery. Prefer to plug it in while it still has some charge, and unplug it without waiting for 100% every time. A partial charge is gentler than a full cycle.

Careful with charging all night

Leaving the phone plugged in all night keeps the battery full for hours, which also speeds up wear. Many phones have an optimized charging or charge limit option in the settings; if yours has one, it is worth turning it on.

Use a good-quality charger

Poor chargers and cables deliver power unevenly, heat up the phone and wear out the battery faster. Prefer the manufacturer's charger or a well-known brand. A bent cable or a loose connector also gets in the way of charging.

Heat, cases and other silent culprits

Heat is the biggest enemy of a lithium-ion battery: the hotter the phone gets, the faster the battery wears out. Controlling the temperature matters more than any money-saving trick.

Sun, car and beach

A phone on a car dashboard, in the sand or in strong sun gets hotter than normal. In Florianópolis, in summer, this is common. When the phone is too hot, turn off the screen, take it out of the case and leave it in the shade until it cools down.

Charging while using the phone

Playing games or recording video with the phone plugged in adds the heat from use to the heat from charging. If you can, let the phone charge in peace, especially if it already heats up easily.

Thick case while charging

Thick cases trap heat while charging. If you notice the phone is very hot while charging, take the case off while it is plugged in.

Settings that give you more hours of use

A few settings, changed in a few taps, can extend your phone's day without removing anything important. Start with the ones that help the most and test them for a week before changing others.

1. Automatic brightness: the screen adjusts to the light around you and does not stay at maximum without need.
2. Short screen timeout: 30 seconds of waiting is enough for most people.
3. Battery saver: the phone's own mode reduces background tasks; use it when the charge drops to a certain low level.
4. Location only when needed: keep GPS on only for apps that really depend on it.
5. Too many notifications: each alert lights up the screen and wakes up the network. Silence what does not matter.
6. Keep updates installed: new system versions often fix unusual battery use.

What does not help

Closing all apps all the time usually uses more energy, because the system has to open everything again later. There is also no app that "boosts" the battery: what it does is close processes, and you can do that yourself in the settings.

When the problem is the battery and not how you use the phone

The problem is the battery when, even after adjusting the settings and using the phone lightly, the charge drops very fast or the phone shuts off on its own. In this case, no habit restores the lost capacity; only replacing the part gives back battery life.

Checklist before you decide

• Does the phone shut off while the screen still shows some charge?
• Does the percentage jump all at once, for example from 40% to 15%?
• Does it get hot during light use or while plugged in?
• Have you already tried another charger and another cable?
• Does the back or the screen look raised?

Two or more "yes" answers point to the battery. If the back or the screen is raised, stop using and charging the phone and read swollen battery: what to do before it bursts.

Battery replacement at Help Cell

Help Cell replaces the battery in phones of all brands, and the battery replacement is ready in up to 2 hours for most models, at Floripa Shopping. The store is an independent repair shop and does not sell phones: you bring your own phone and leave with it working. For iPhone, the key question is battery health; see when to replace the iPhone battery: signs and battery health.

Before replacing it, it helps to know which part will be used. The guide original, genuine or compatible battery: what is the difference explains what to ask. If you prefer to get your question answered directly, just message us on WhatsApp from the contact page and send the model.

Frequently asked questions about a phone battery that runs out fast