14 DAY TRIAL // Hot on the heels of iPhone's OS, Android has its weaknesses and one of them is the low battery life. It seems that the Android OS has been mostly designed to stay connected plenty of the time. Either it's a widget, an email account or a GPS location service, Android smartphones ask for data transfers, which drains the battery faster than it should.
Here are some tips and tricks that will help Android smartphone users prolong their gadget’s battery life. Bear in mind this comes at the loss of some applications and functions of the phone that you might need. Some might even say removing/stopping some of these processes/applications will take away the fun of using an Android device, so employ it as you see fit.
If you're not too attached to your device' eye-candy interface, then the first thing you need to do is get rid of the Live wallpapers. Replace it with anything that doesn't contain the word “Live” and if you have an AMOLED display, try getting a dark background. Disable the 3G connectivity if you are traveling in areas with weak signal and your phone struggles to lock on it. You are better with EDGE connectivity, when you're not actually surfing the Internet, as background data doesn't need too much speed.
Be careful what widgets you are using, as most of them require Internet connection updates. Also, streaming software will drain a lot of energy from your battery, so avoid using this feature unless it's absolutely necessary. Another important feature you might want to disable is the Always-On Mobile Data option. You can do that by going to Settings / Wireless & networks / Mobile networks / Enable always-on mobile data (uncheck). You will notice the option is on by default, which enables your phone to stay connected all the time, as long as it needs. Even though you will disable the option, you will still get your mail and some of the third-party applications and widgets will be able to connect to the Internet, a few of them will stop updating themselves.
Another useful tip is to turn off Wireless Network Positioning your device is using to learn your location. You can change this option from Settings / Location / Use wireless networks. There are some minor tips you should be aware of, such as: turning off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity when not in use, lower the screen's brightness, and try to employ your GPS only when it's absolutely needed.
Following the tips described above will not double your battery's life, but at least you will be able to run your device longer than you did without applying these tricks. If you know other tips that could improve an Android phone's battery life, please post them below.
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