How to Make Your Phone Battery Last Longer — 12 Real Tips

Start with the two biggest drains

Before any clever tips, fix the two things that drain most phones the hardest:

1. The screen. It is the single largest power user on a phone. Two quick wins:

• Lower brightness, or use auto-brightness so the screen is not blasting full brightness indoors.
• Shorten the screen timeout so the display turns off quickly when you are not using it.
• On AMOLED phones, a dark theme can save a little extra power because black pixels use less energy.

2. Background activity. Apps quietly working in the background — refreshing feeds, checking location, syncing — drain battery even when you are not using them.

• Turn off background app refresh for apps that do not need to update constantly.
• Limit location access to "while using" for apps that do not need your location all the time.
• Turn off connectivity you are not using (Bluetooth, hotspot) when idle.

The full list of practical tips

1. Use auto-brightness or keep brightness modest — the easiest big win.
2. Shorten screen timeout to the lowest comfortable setting.
3. Turn on battery/power-saving mode when you need the phone to last — it throttles background drain automatically.
4. Limit background app refresh for non-essential apps.
5. Set location to "while using" for apps that do not need constant location.
6. Use a dark theme on AMOLED phones for a small saving.
7. Turn off Bluetooth/hotspot when not in use.
8. Reduce push notifications from apps you do not need pinging you — each wake-up costs a little power.
9. Keep apps and software updated — updates often include efficiency fixes.
10. Watch out for one rogue app — if the battery suddenly drains fast, check battery settings to see which app is responsible; one misbehaving app can be the whole problem.
11. Avoid extreme heat — high temperatures are hard on batteries; do not leave the phone in hot sun or a hot car.
12. Lower refresh rate if your phone lets you choose — a high refresh rate looks smooth but uses more power; dropping to standard saves battery when you need to.

Protecting long-term battery health (not just daily life)

The tips above stretch a single day. To keep the battery healthy over years:

• Avoid constant 100% and constant 0%. Keeping the battery roughly in the middle range most of the time is gentler than always charging to full and draining to empty.
• Avoid heat while charging. Charging in a hot environment, or using the phone heavily while fast-charging, generates heat that wears the battery faster over time.
• Use a quality charger. Cheap, unreliable chargers can be inefficient and harder on the battery.
• Modern phones often include battery-protection features (like limiting charge or optimised charging) — turning these on helps long-term health.

When the battery is just worn out

If your battery drains fast no matter what you do, and the phone is a few years old, the battery itself may simply be worn. Batteries naturally lose capacity with age. In that case the real fixes are a battery replacement (where available) or a new phone — no setting will restore a worn-out battery.

What to do next

• Buying a phone with great battery? See phone specs explained to understand capacity and charging.
• Want a phone matched to "battery life first"? Try the Phone Finder and set battery as your priority.
• Picking between two phones? Compare Phones to see battery capacity and charging speed side by side.

Evergreen how-to, reviewed as phone software and battery technology change.