Your Android phone’s short battery life might be caused by a variety of circumstances. Manufacturers are adding more potent batteries to make up for the drawbacks of thinner bodies, better panels, quicker processors, more background software, and faster internet connections. The Google Pixel 9 Pro’s battery lasted more than 17 hours during our tests, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s lasted more than 14 hours. However, there are methods to make the most of any phone.
Depending on the phone you’re using and the Android version installed, the menu options will change. For this article, we utilized a Google Pixel 6a running Android 15 and a Galaxy Z Flip4 running Android 14. However, the functionality of all Android smartphones have to be comparable. Here are some tips for extending the battery life of your Android phone while keeping this warning in mind.
1. Select the “Power Saving” option.
Do you think you might find yourself in a situation where you need to extend the life of your phone’s battery? To reduce features that might drain battery life, Google and Samsung phones each provide an emergency option. Each phone has a different name for it, but the functionality are the same.
Samsung
Turn down the screen’s refresh rate and restrict networking, syncing, and location services by going to Settings > Battery and turning on Power saving. To disable the Always on Display, restrict CPU speed, or lower brightness, tap Power Saving. To allow certain applications and restrict all background activities for optimal battery savings, choose Limit apps and Home screen. The Quick Settings menu now has a Power Saving option.
Navigate to Settings > Battery > Battery Saver and turn it on. Turn on dark mode and use Battery Saver to reduce background activities and visual effects. Use the gear icon to select approved apps that will continue to function, and turn on Extreme Battery Saver to pause notifications and non-essential apps. Use a schedule and reminders to manage when Battery Saver should activate automatically, and keep Adaptive Battery enabled to maximize how apps use the battery.
2. Modify the brightness of the screen
Large, bright displays on smartphones drain batteries. The brightest setting on your gadget is generally not necessary. Navigate to your display settings and reduce the screen’s brightness. The brightness may also be adjusted by opening the pull-down screen. Think about turning off auto brightness while you’re at it. Although it can increase the brightness beyond what is required, this feature adapts to your perceived needs. Turn off adaptive brightness, and both your eyes and your battery will appreciate it.
3. Control the Lock Screen
While Always on Display is a relatively new feature for iPhone users, Android devices have had it for a while. When the display is otherwise off, this enables the display to show basic information like the time and date. Although you may set limitations to extract every last bit of power, the function is designed to consume as little energy as possible.
Go to Settings > Lock screen on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone, then turn off the option next to Always on Display. You can alternatively tap When to show and arrange it to just appear when the screen is tapped or simply at particular times if you don’t want to remove the function totally. To adjust when the function is utilized on a Pixel phone, go to Display > Lock screen, turn on Always display time and information, and adjust a number of settings.
4. Configure When Your Screen Ends
Your phone’s battery drains more quickly the longer the screen is on. Setting the screen to shut down earlier than it may typically do can help combat this. This feature has to be changed if you often leave your unlocked phone on the table. You may choose from a variety of choices, ranging from 15 seconds to 10 minutes, by opening Settings > Display > Screen timeout on both Galaxy and Pixel phones.
5. Disable Background Updates for Apps
Apps continue to run in the background even when you aren’t utilizing them. This will, of course, gobble up data and battery life over time. It’s a good idea to frequently check on the apps that are consuming your power. Go to Battery > View details on a Galaxy phone or Battery > Battery usage on a Pixel phone, then determine which applications should be restricted.
Samsung
Open Battery > Background use limits and activate Put unneeded applications to sleep to prevent apps from losing battery life. You may also manually instruct your phone to put certain applications to sleep. Tap the addition (+) symbol to add your app to the list after choosing either sleeping applications or deep sleeping apps. Updates may be delayed since deep sleeping applications won’t function until they are in use, and sleeping apps will only get updates infrequently.
Turn on the adaptive battery by opening Battery > Battery save > Adaptive Battery. Apps you don’t use will run less in the background if you utilize adaptive battery. Additionally, you may manage the battery use of certain programs by going to programs > Apps. Make sure the app is set to Optimized, then choose an app, hit App battery consumption, then either manually deactivate it or touch Allow background usage.