14 DAY TRIAL // You don’t have to be a tech guru to know that some apps are more resource-demanding than others. But just in case you need a reminder, you can tone down the usage of some of the apps installed on your device to save precious power.
According to a study from Alcatel-Lucent, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, BlackBerry Messenger, Viber, Nimbuzz, Google Search, and YouTube “rank among the worst offenders, when it comes to battery drain,” according to re/code.
Described as “chatty,” these apps constantly wake the phone to send or receive data packets. Internet radio services like Pandora and photo pinning apps like Pinterest are also power-sucking vampires, according to the study. YouTube is the hungriest of the lot, as it puts the strain on your phone’s radios, CPU, and GPU, all at once.
“It’s the sort of thing people do not necessarily know,” said Josee Loudiadis, Alcatel-Lucent’s director of network intelligence.
While that’s true, the people who do know this are doing little to avoid battery drainage. At the end of the day, they will not refrain from using their phones to check out Facebook, text people on WhatsApp, or watch a 30-minute “fails” clip on YouTube. It’s what smartphones are for, and the customer has every right to demand a more efficient battery from its vendor, especially when you consider the price of these gadgets.
But one thing everyone can do is tone down the usage of some of these apps. After all, life is worth living outside the smartphone screen.
While the iPhone 6 will have a much thinner profile, the device is also expected to be considerably taller and wider than its predecessor, which means extra room for a larger battery.
However, the bigger display, faster processor, and extra features (possibly NFC) will undoubtedly set back the mileage, so customers shouldn’t expect any massive improvements in this area. Unless, of course, the phone also packs a solar charging panel embedded in its design.
But a faster processor doesn’t necessarily translate into a power-hungry processor, as Apple has shown over the years. The same goes for the wireless chips designed by Qualcomm. These parts are specifically tailored to draw as little energy as possible from the phone. With every new generation, the chips are faster and also more power-efficient, as evidenced by the latest MacBook Air upgrade announced by Apple.