#TechBytes: 5 ways to save battery on Android devices
What's the story
Smartphones have become an absolute necessity for most of us owing to the functionalities they offer.
From working to booking holidays to passively browsing social media and playing games, we spend a lot of time on our phones.
However, casual and careless use can often result in extremely poor battery life.
Here, we list 5 ways which help conserve battery on Android phones.
Connectivity
Disable location services and other connectivity options
One of the best ways to stop unnecessary battery drainage is by disabling location services and other connectivity tools such as Wi-Fi, mobile data, NFC, Bluetooth etc.
There's rarely a need to keep Wi-Fi and mobile data switched on simultaneously.
Additionally, switch off your mobile data when there's little to no reception. Constant signal searching by the device inevitably drains your battery life.
Optimization
Since Marshmallow, Android has had an in-built power optimizer
In a bid to help users save battery life, Android had launched its 'Doze Mode' feature on Android Marshmallow.
The feature would shut down apps running in the background if they hadn't been used for a while, and would also stop constant syncing.
Newer Android versions offer a similar but improved feature called 'Power optimization'. The feature can be accessed from the 'Battery' Settings.
Light-weight apps
Use 'Lite' and 'Go' app versions for better battery life
If you're used to accessing several apps, but also want to save battery, it's recommended that you use stripped-down, lighter versions.
These versions are generally called 'Lite' apps, but Google's own lightweight ones are called 'Go' apps.
Being stripped down to their essential features, they're more efficient than their regular counterparts.
Light-weight versions are offered by Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, Skype, Google Maps etc.
Apps & brightness
Close running apps and disable adaptive brightness
A lot of users have a habit of keeping apps open in the background, even when they're not using them, and this significantly affects battery life.
Long story short, always remember to close apps if you're not using them.
Additionally, turning off adaptive brightness and manually keeping brightness low is also a good idea if you're looking to conserve battery.
Other tips
Other tips: Haptic feedback, widgets, battery saver apps, and more
There are other ways to improve battery life too.
It's recommended that you keep vibration and haptic feedback settings off, since they consume a lot of power.
Disabling widgets, especially ones which require a constant data connection, also goes a long way.
Additionally, third-party apps like Greenify, DU Battery Saver etc. can be used, but aforementioned organic modes of reducing battery usage are recommended.