Tips and tricks to optimize your phone’s battery life
If you feel chained to your charger, there may be some quick fixes to make your phone’s battery last longer. By adjusting a few simple settings on your device, you can avoid unnecessary drainage and save power between charges.
Extend the life of your battery
Did you know that charging your phone to 100% can damage its battery long term, and even reduce its lifespan? Help protect it by turning on Adaptive Battery, which optimizes charging based on your typical phone usage and sleep patterns.
On Samsung devices, just go to Settings > Battery > Battery protection, toggle it on, then select “Adaptive.” If you’re on a Pixel, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Saver > Adaptive Battery, then toggle on “Use Adaptive Battery.”
On Samsung devices, just go to Settings > Battery > Battery protection, toggle it on, then select “Adaptive.” If you’re on a Pixel, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Saver > Adaptive Battery, then toggle on “Use Adaptive Battery.”
Stretch your charge with Adaptive Battery
Stretch a battery’s power when you’re low on charge
Turn on your phone’s power-saving mode to limit battery-draining visual effects and background activity, such as app updates. To do so on a Samsung, go to Settings > Battery, then toggle on “Power saving.” On Pixel devices, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Saver, then toggle on “Use Battery Saver.”
Tip
Save even more power by pausing nonessential apps and their notifications. After toggling on “Power saving” in your Samsung battery settings, tap it to view and set additional battery limits, or select “Extreme Battery Saver” in your Pixel battery settings.
Steer clear of high-drainage visuals and activities
Go to your phone’s display settings to find easy ways to make your battery last longer, such as turning on Adaptive brightness, setting your display to dark mode, and decreasing how long it takes for your screen to time out.
Avoid actions that keep your screen on – such as videos, games, or long periods of navigation – to stretch your time between charges. You can also try to minimize activities that require constant internet connection or process a lot of information – like using your phone as a hotspot, streaming media, or taking a video.
Avoid actions that keep your screen on – such as videos, games, or long periods of navigation – to stretch your time between charges. You can also try to minimize activities that require constant internet connection or process a lot of information – like using your phone as a hotspot, streaming media, or taking a video.
Tip
In poor signal areas, your battery may drain more quickly, so try to connect to Wi-Fi when possible.
See which apps are depleting your battery
Want to see a breakdown of your battery level and usage since your last full charge? On Samsungs, go to Settings > Battery, then tap the battery usage chart. If you’re on a Pixel, go to Settings > Battery > Battery usage. Here, you can see the apps that used the most power, and how long they were running in the background. If any apps have been running unnecessarily, it may be time to try out your phone’s battery-saving settings.
Make sure your systems and apps are up to date
Google is always working on new ways to optimize battery performance for your device, so make sure your phone and apps are updated regularly. You can check for available software updates by going to Settings > Software update if you’re on a Samsung, or Settings > System > Software updates if you’re on a Pixel. To view app updates, open the Play Store, tap your profile icon in the upper-right corner, then tap “Manage apps & device.” Under "Updates available," choose to update all apps or just a specific one.
With these tips and tricks, you can spend less time looking for an outlet and more time enjoying your phone.