How Do You Preserve Your Battery’s Life?

Breaking Bad is a show about cooking drugs. Why mention it on our blog? Well, in an episode in the first season the two main characters are stuck in the New Mexico scrub with a dead battery. Through elementary level chemistry they power up their machine and are off on an adventure that makes one heck of a great show. This episode highlights that Batteries are an important part of modern life and it’s only when they’re not working properly or die minutes after charging that we realize this.

Here’s the top five battery life killers:

1. Exposure to extreme heat/cold. Leaving your device in the car during a hot day, or frigid night can and will reduce the life of batteries. You should be careful not to expose your device to these extreme conditions.
2. Moisture/Humidity. While most places in the US, Australia, the UK and Canada don’t have high enough humidity to noticeably affect battery life, rapid or sudden changes in moisture can and often will affect battery life. If you’re traveling from say Phoenix to Singapore, you should ensure there is a charge in the battery (above 40%) and to remove it from the device before traveling. This will help reduce shock due to an extreme change.
3. Incredibly bright screens. High quality displays like those found on the iPhone and most new Android phones have amazing image quality. Some are also super bright. If you have your brightness cranked, you will notice fast battery drain which could lead some users to think their battery is functioning poorly. If you turn your screen’s brightness down, you will have  increased battery life, which means less drain.
4. Data is fast…at draining batteries. 3G and 4G data connections are great, as you can surf the Internet at speeds that rival current high-speed landlines. The only problem is that coverage in most places can be a little spotty. The way most phones are set up is If you have mobile data turned on, the phone will be always searching for a connection. This constant action, especially when you don’t have 3G coverage, will drain the battery, and make most users think that their phone’s battery is dying. When not in use, turn off data connections.
5. Full discharge/recharge. Yes, believe it or not, phones with a lithium-Ion battery (nearly all new smartphones) will see decreased battery life if the user keeps doing full cycles – using the phone until it dies, then recharging it. Lithium-ion batteries work best when you keep them charged, fewer full cycles results in longer battery life. In other words: ABC (Always Be Charging). Combine this with tips three and four, and you will increase your battery’s life.

If you’d like to learn more about caring for your phone, please contact us.