10 ways you can preserve your smartphone battery health

By Vijay Anand

CNBC-TV18.com

Published July 12, 2024

Don't let your battery drain below 20%: Whenever your phone's charge drops below 20%, the charger will have to input more power into the cell, which means more heat is generated. This can be dettrimental to the smartphone's battery health in the long-term.

Don't use your phone while it is charging: It's simple — using a phone generates heat and strains the battery. Charging it too puts strain on the battery while generating heat. If you use your phone while it is charging, the heat generated increases, decreasing the battery's longevity.

Use battery optimisation: Smartphones these days — Android or iOS — come with a battery optimisation or smart charging feature. This feature learns your usage habits and, even if you charge your phone for long periods, will, over time, charge the phone to 100% when you are most likely to unplug it. 

Maintain the charge range between 20% and 80% This is supposed to be the optimal range for a smartphone's battery. Most smartphones these days give you the option of stopping a phone from charging when it reaches 80%. If you don't have battery anxiety, this feature will prolong your battery's health.

Close background apps: If you keep too many apps open in th e background, some of them may sip from your battery life, requiring you to charge it more often. Close any background apps you don't need so that your charge cycles are reduced. 

Use adaptive brightness: Also known as auto brightness, it adjusts the brightness of your screen depending on ambient lighting. This has the dual benefit of prolonging your battery life and also preserving your screen from long-term burn-in.

Keep your OS up to date: Smartphone makers frequently send out updates with bug fixes and hot-fixes to resolve issues with battery, charging, etc. It is advisable to keep your phone up to date. 

Avoid using your phone in extreme heat conditions: If you use your phone in hot weather, the entire device will heat up, including battery. This will have long-term ramifications for your smartphone's battery health.

Fast-charging is cool, but bad for your battery health: Several smartphones these days come with extremely quick charging solutions. While quick-charging is a convenient way to top up a dying phone, use it sparingly as fast-charging actually degrades your battery faster.

Be selective with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS: The impact of Wi-Fi on battery life depends on your location. When stationary, Wi-Fi uses less power than cellular. But when moving, constant network scanning can drain the battery., so only enable Wi-Fi when needed.