How To Extend The Life Of Your Battery and When to Get a New One

In recent years, cell phones have become integral tools for billions of individuals around the world—a means of communicating, accessing news, enjoying entertainment, and even making cash. As such, newer and more cutting-edge cell phones are released annually, and today’s devices are capable of performing an astonishing variety of functions. Calling is the tip of the iceberg.

However, today’s phones are similar to models of the past in that they run on batteries, which need to be charged with electricity. These batteries are similar to those of the past in that they seem to run out of charge at the most inopportune occasions! Batteries also need to be replaced at certain times, when their capacity is compromised to the point that regular use of the phone is inhibited.

To help cell phone users get the most out of their devices, let’s take a look at how battery life can be maximized—and when it’s time to replace batteries.

Don’t Let the Battery Become Completely Depleted

Experts have stated time and time again that allowing cell batteries to become complexly depleted puts unnecessary stress on said batteries and the phones themselves, which will reduce the longevity of both. As a general rule, try to keep a battery’s charge above 20 percent at any given time; above 50 percent is ideal. In the long run, these efforts will payoff in the form of more powerful batteries—and saved cash.

Don’t Overcharge

Similarly, batteries can be overcharged. Allowing a cell phone to remain plugged into an outlet for a substantial period of time after it’s reached 100 percent battery will negatively affect the battery’s long-term capabilities. Excess electricity burns out electrodes on even the newest cell batteries.

With that said, this difficulty won’t arise in a matter of minutes—or even an hour or so. Rather, leaving a cell phone charging for hours and hours after its battery is maxed-out will prove troublesome with time. Thankfully, today’s abundant charging options, from outlets to USB inputs and charging pads to in-vehicle chargers, make it easy to keep a phone’s battery percentage within the ideal range.

Disable and Uninstall Unnecessary Applications

Every application on a phone uses processing power, and this processing power requires battery power. Thus, the more applications a phone has, the more quickly the phone’s battery will be depleted.

This effect is more of a short-term issue than a long-term consideration, but it can nevertheless be frustrating when a phone can’t seem to make it through the day without requiring a charge. Consider uninstalling unnecessary applications—especially if you don’t often use these apps, as they operate in the background and consume battery in any event.

Applications’ background activities—namely updating—can be disabled in the settings section. This initiative will allow one to save applications while also guaranteeing that they won’t wreak havoc on the cell phone’s battery. Then, when an application needs to be used, it can be updated manually.

Lastly, it should be mentioned that these short-term problems often snowball into long-term issues by bringing batteries below 20 percent charge.

When It’s Time to Purchase a New Cell Phone Battery

Here’s the bottom line: cell phone batteries are not designed to outlive the devices they power. If a battery loses its charge rapidly, takes a longer time to charge, or is reported as defective by the device (most modern cell phones have battery-diagnosis options from which users can receive a comprehensive report concerning their battery’s status), it’s time to buy a replacement.

Replacements can be purchased online and in-store. Simply type the battery’s model number in and search on the former; sales associates will be able to help in the latter. Installing a new battery is as easy as popping a phone’s back off, removing the old battery, sliding the fresh unit in, and reinstalling the back.

That’s it—there’s not a whole lot to the process, but its perks are fantastic.

These tips are sure to help cell phone users maximize their battery life and know when it’s time to take the dive and buy a new power source—when it’s time to invest in a replacement battery for the sake of the phone owner and the phone.

Thanks for reading, and here’s to all the advantages of cell phones and modern technology!