When I purchased my first-ever smartphone back in 2007, the shop-owners told me to keep charging its battery for seven hours straight. I don’t know whether that was a piece of true advice or a simple tech misconception. Similarly, 14 years later, there are still misconceptions surrounding the lithium-ion batteries equipped in our smartphones.
With our phone screens bigger and bigger, the concern for batteries is increasing simultaneously. Even though the phones we now use are more energy-efficient, many features we use, drain the battery life quite briskly.
Moreover, with the increasing smartphone prices, not everyone can afford to change their phones every two years, so maintaining a phone for this long becomes arduous if the battery doesn’t last long. Let’s look at some mistakes that drain your battery faster.
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7 reasons why your phone battery dies fast
Following are some of the causes why your phone battery is dying too quickly.
1. Display
Today’s smartphone screens are anywhere between 6-6.9 inches. We were constantly on our phones during the pandemic, so the battery was being used upon those FHD/QHD screens. Keeping the screen brightness too high is one of the reasons why your battery drains quickly. Moreover, most of the user-interface is white, and using it on default will also drain your phone’s battery.
If you have set your screen timeout over 2 minutes, your phone will stay awake that long, thereby draining more juice. Ensure that you use the dark mode, set the screen timeout to 2 minutes, and use the display at 40-50% brightness.
2. Background Applications
You can download as many applications and games as you want, but they will run in the background if they aren’t optimized, thereby draining your battery life. Syncing is another culprit that is responsible for draining your phone’s battery. Some notorious apps keep running in the background when they shouldn’t. Go to Settings and click on Battery Usage to find such culprit applications. You can either optimize or uninstall them.
3. Bad Cellphone Reception
Spotty cellphone reception is the quiet battery killer. The thing is, your smartphone continually interacts with cellphone towers so that you are connected 24×7. When it can’t, your smartphone will work harder to join the network and get you connected again. The scenario is worst in rural areas as the connections are often spotty, which will drain your battery life quicker.
4. Wireless communications used constantly
If you constantly keep your Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth connections turned on, then it’s no wonder your smartphone doesn’t last a whole day. Even though mobile data can add to your monthly bill, it won’t drain your phone’s battery as much as Wi-Fi does. If you keep your Wi-Fi on all the time, it will keep searching for a Wi-Fi signal wherever you go. As a result, your battery can use up a lot of power.
When it comes to Bluetooth, you can use Bluetooth headphones, but if you don’t turn it off, your phone’s juice will drain quicker. If both, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, aren’t turned off after usage, you’ll see the battery percentage falling.
5. Resource-exhaustive applications
Gaming and other fun applications never let us get bored, but they do cost our phones, sometimes both monetarily and battery consumption-wise. Streaming music on Wi-Fi, gaming in Ultra-HD settings, playing 4K videos are some of the major reasons why your phone battery dies fast. Optimize such battery-hungry applications so that you can use your phone even after office hours.
If you are a heavy user, you can carry a power bank to get extra juice out of your smartphone. If your phone is 3 years old or more, it is time to change it to get the latest and greater SoC, efficiently managing your battery life.
6. Outdated Operating System
Android provided at least two years of software upgrades, which means that if your phone was on Android 9 out of the box, it could get Android 11. It depends on the manufacturer as iOS provided five years of software upgrades. If you are using a phone with 3 years or more old operating system, it is time to upgrade your phone. If you are using a relatively newer phone, ensure that it is up-to-date since OEMs provide the latest bug fixes and enhancements.
7. Battery hardware issues
I have typed it twice – replace your older smartphone with the latest one. One of the reasons is the battery life itself. Our smartphone batteries are in their prime the first year, but they begin deteriorating in their third year. An extended warranty does help, but soon a can of worms is opened – the SoC is inferior compared to what’s on the market, the software lags a great deal, and you are frustrated! If your smartphone is under warranty, book an appointment (and wear a mask!) to your nearest service center or schedule a home call to replace your battery.
FAQs
Why is my phone battery dying so fast all of a sudden?
Third-party applications are one of the major reasons why your phone’s battery dies all of a sudden. Android settings will determine if an app uses the battery too much.
How do I stop my phone battery from draining so fast?
To stop your phone’s battery from draining so fast, you should restrict your push notifications, turn off background access to applications, keep eye on-location services, adjust your screen timeout and brightness, and use Android battery-saving options.
How can I tell which app is draining my battery?
To check which apps are draining your battery, go to Settings > Device > Battery > Power > Battery Use. Here you will see a list of all the apps and how much battery power they’ve or have used.
How do I restore my cell phone battery?
You can easily restore your smartphone’s battery by letting the battery run until it shuts off the phone. Wait 30 minutes before recharging it. Now switch on the phone and let the battery run out a second time. The battery should now be fully discharged.
Should I charge my phone 100%?
You can charge your phone 100% twice or thrice a week, but mostly you should keep your phone’s battery between 30% to 80%. Plugin the charger once your battery reaches 30% and unplugs it when the battery is 80%. By doing so, your battery life will be extended.
How long does the phone battery last?
Your phone’s usual battery lifespan is about 3 years. A lithium-ion battery lasts 2–3 years or about 300 – 500 charge cycles. Subsequently, the battery capacity will drop by approximately 20%.
Conclusion
These are some of the reasons why your phone battery dies fast. Doesn’t matter if you are using an Android or iOS device; battery struggles are pretty common on both operating systems. It’s a given that nowadays, smartphones cost as much as bikes, so you’d naturally expect your phone battery to last at a full working day.
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It so happens that your smartphone’s battery is sometimes uncooperative, and you would be finding a charger in half the day. Keep an eye on the seven aforementioned points to prolong your battery life to ensure you can work and play on your smartphone. The battery is an essential factor in every smartphone, so you have an expensive brick in your hand if that goes south.
Which of the pointers did you find the most advantageous? Tell us in the comments below.
