We know that Android is the most popular mobile Operating system (OS) in the world as it dominates over 50% of the smartphone market. While the Google platform has its shortcomings like its vulnerability, short battery life among other issues, mobile phone manufacturers still prefer their devices run the mobile OS, maybe because of its popularity or perhaps the open source nature.
Short battery life is a general problem of smartphones, not just the ones powered by Android but all other mobile OS. It is evident that the technology that goes into the manufacture of these gadgets have way gone pass the battery technology. Consumers continue to purchase thin, light and stylish devices as a means to ease their life, make work simpler and faster while still stuck with the Smartphones and Dumb Batteries Syndrome.
Battery life on Android devices gives a big headache especially if you stick with its default settings. Simple adjustment in settings listed below will go a long way to give battery boost on your phone and tablet.
Disable location reporting and history
GPS is a huge battery hog, as it harnesses data from the phone’s GPS chip, cell phone towers, and Wi-Fi hotspots to find your location. The more a phone surveys your location, the more battery it uses. And that goes beyond just Google Maps.
Location reporting and location history are two GPS-based services with somewhat unclear motives. According to a Google Help page, the services can be used in conjunction with any other Google Apps, and may be used to improve your experience.
Chances are you can probably live without them, so disable these two features by going to Settings > Location > Google Location Reporting.
Disable Google Now cards
Now is an unmatched personal assistant, but some of its services — which come in the form of informational “cards” — are tireless battery drains.
For example, a card titled “Nearby places” shows you nearby attractions when you travel to a place that Google recognizes is out of your usual routine. Cool? Yes. Necessary? No.
To disable cards, go to Google Now, then scroll down to the very bottom, and tap the magic wand. Here, you can pick the cards you actually need. As a general guide, the GPS-reliant cards will demand the most battery, so disable cards like “Travel time” and “Nearby places” to see a battery boost.
Wi-Fi scanning
It’s well-known that when Wi-Fi is left enabled, more energy is used. However, on Android, even when Wi-Fi is disabled, a phone could still be searching for networks.
To make sure this isn’t happening, head to Wi-Fi settings > Advanced. Here, uncheck the option for Wi-Fi scanning.
Going forward, you’ll have to connect to Wi-Fi manually, but you’ll get a longer battery life in return.
Use the battery tool
If you’re unsure how energy-demanding an app is, or you’re wondering why your battery is draining so quickly, use the Battery tool. The feature shows you which apps use the most battery, with the top two items almost always being Screen and Wi-Fi.
