Worst apps for draining battery: Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat among apps killing your phone usage time. Social media giant Facebook and music streaming behemoth Spotify,” the report says. If I was going to start off this list of battery draining Android apps with an app many people have (and I am), it would be Spotify.When it comes to music streaming, Spotify is one of the most popular choices on mobile, and unfortunately a popular battery killer.
Spotify Free Music App
Do you find your Android phone battery draining too fast? Or always keep asking yourself what’s draining my iPhone battery? It may not be your phone’s fault – social apps and mobile games can kill your battery life. And some phone settings tax your battery even further. Discover what things and apps drain your phone battery, and how to fix your phone settings to extend your battery life.
Limit the time spent playing mobile games
Mobile games are a fun way to pass the time but can be taxing on your phone’s battery. Most games need to connect to the internet or use your data connection to save your progress. That and the heavy graphic use over time uses more of your battery. And if you are playing a game on your phone for an hour, your cell’s screen has been on for an hour. Spend less time playing mobile games to conserve your battery.
Don’t spend all day on Facebook
It can become routine to turn on Facebook and scroll through an endless news feed. But Facebook is already one of the tops reported battery-killing apps on both iOS and Android. It could be the app’s location tracking or background processes. You don’t have to uninstall the app, but try using it less and turning off features in the App Settings. “Continuous Contacts Upload” and “Autoplay” are unnecessary features, and are active all the time – as a hint to you for disabling unnecessary mobile Facebook features.
Take a step away from Spotify
Spotify is another app that drains phone battery on both iOS and Android. Spotify streams music to your phone via wireless or data connection. Constant streaming kills your battery, and can have an adverse impact on data consumption. You’ll have better luck making your own playlists in your built-in music app!
Turn off Snapchat when you aren’t taking selfies
Snapchat doesn’t just take photos of you to post to your friends. The app uses location services to provide appropriate location filters. Spending so much time using your camera and uploading online already drains your battery. Having your phone use location services to apply geo filters is even more taxing.
Limit the use of communication apps like Facebook Messenger
How many messenger apps do you use? Facebook Messenger is a popular choice for phone users on both iOS and Android. With Messenger, you can message your friends without texting and have video chats. But being connected to the internet or data while you are chatting pulls from your battery. Try turning the app off when you aren’t chatting to conserve battery life.
Save Netflix for your computer or television screen
If you like to watch Netflix on your phone, you’ve noticed that it drains your battery over time. If you ask me, I used it on one of my Android devices and I found it one of the worst battery draining apps I ever encountered. Not only are you streaming movies and episodes, but you are streaming them for a long time.
While YouTube videos are maybe a few minutes long, Netflix has anything from 25 minutes long to over an hour. Watching a movie on your phone is always going to kill your battery – try waiting to watch at home instead.
Lower the screen brightness of your phone
The screen brightness on your phone does have an effect on your phone battery. Setting your phone to 100% brightness means that your phone is working its hardest when the screen is on. Try setting your brightness to auto. This lets your phone change the brightness based on the lighting. If you are desperate to conserve battery power, turn the brightness all the way down.
Turn off Bluetooth when you aren’t using it
Bluetooth is convenient – you can connect devices like external speakers to your mobile device. This feature also drains your battery, even if you don’t have any devices connected. If you aren’t using Bluetooth on your phone, turn it off. Your phone battery will thank you for it.
Use location services only when you need it
So many apps today rely on your phone’s location services. Google Maps uses GPS to track your location, while Snapchat uses it for geo filters. Facebook lets you tag your location, and some mobile games use location services. But when you aren’t using location services, it’s a good idea to turn them off. When your phone spends time updating your location, it uses more battery.
What else can you do?
Are you looking for more ways to conserve your phone battery? Sometimes your settings are draining your battery behind the scenes. Your display settings, notifications, and widgets can all affect your battery consumption.
Figure out which apps are draining your battery
If you can’t figure out why your battery is dying, check your phone’s battery use. Android users can access this feature under their Battery or Power settings. It displays a list of apps and how much battery they are using, from most to least used. If some of the top entries are apps you don’t use or need, uninstall them to see if battery life improves.
Remove extra widgets from the home screen
Widgets are convenient but are battery draining culprits. Eliminate the widgets you don’t need so they aren’t running in the background all day. Examples include weather widgets, clock widgets, and social media widgets. You may not need any of these widgets at all!
Turn off notifications you can live without
If all your apps are sending your phone notifications, more of your battery drains. If you don’t need notifications from Facebook and other social apps, turn them off. Visiting “Apps” in your phone’s settings lets you turn off notifications for specific apps. You can turn off notifications altogether if you don’t need them.
Turn on power saving mode if you can
Some phones come equipped with power-saving or battery-saving modes. These limit the time your display is on, your screen brightness, and more. You can also download apps to do the job for you. Doze (in Google Play) prevents apps from sending and receiving data when your phone screen is off. This conserves both your phone battery and data usage!
Charge your phone between 40 and 80 percent
Experts say that the best way to keep your battery healthy is to keep it more than 40% charged. Letting it die all the time can damage the battery, as well as overcharging it. Keeping your phone plugged in after it’s reached 100% can hurt your battery in the long run.
Let your battery die completely once in awhile
On the other hand, letting your phone battery die once in awhile is a good thing. Doing this once every three, or so months can keep your battery healthy.
In the end, it’s all about learning what apps and settings are wearing down your phone’s battery. You shouldn’t have to delete all your apps to extend your battery life. Take some time to go through your phone settings and adjust them. Something simple, like turning off data and WiFi while you sleep, can save battery life efficiently.
Spotify App Draining Battery
Top/Featured Image: By Martin Abegglen / Flickr