If you've had your Android phone for a while, you might have noticed that its battery life isn't what it used to be. Most modern Android phones boast impressive battery life, often lasting a full day or more on a single charge. Still, the more you use your phone, the faster that battery drains.
Activities like watching videos and using navigation apps tend to drain your battery faster than usual, as do certain software and apps. Older phones also generally have shorter battery life. Sure, you could replace the battery or even buy a new phone, but before spending your hard-earned cash, try a few battery-saving techniques -- outlined below.
Most of the tips here should work, but the exact steps may vary depending on your Android device. For more specific guidance, check your manufacturer's support site.
These settings screens can show you how much battery capacity is drained by different Android apps. Screenshot by Nicole Lee/CNET
Check which apps are draining battery the most
One of the most common reasons your phone loses battery life is an app (or several) using up too many resources. These are often location-tracking or graphic-intensive apps like maps or games, or anything running constantly in the background.
To find out what these battery-hogging apps on your phone are, head to Settings. From there, tap on Battery. If you scroll down, you'll see your battery usage for the past 24 hours as well as a list of apps that are taking up the most battery.
After identifying which app is using the most battery, you have a few options. The simplest is to remove it, but that's probably not ideal if it's something you use often, like Instagram or Gmail. Instead, you can close the app or stop it from running in the background. Tapping the app in the list will give you options to disable or force stop it. Depending on your Android phone, you'll also see some other battery saving choices. You can select options like Close apps after 10 minutes of background activity or Restrict background apps or a Battery saver mode that'll limit that app's activity in the background if you're low on power.
Checking the battery health can help let you know if it makes sense to get your battery replaced. Nicole Lee/CNET
Check the health of your battery
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