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
As your phone ages, so does its battery. If you have a particularly old phone, it might not hold its charge as long as it used to. To see how much capacity your battery has left, you'll want to check your phone's battery health. How you do this will depend on the type of Android phone you have.
The most straightforward way is to go to Settings and then tap Battery. You might find battery usage or health information on this page. For the phone I used (a Poco F7), the battery health was listed under Battery protection, along with its manufacture date and first use date. If you can't find this information, you could try using dial codes like ##4636## to uncover a hidden battery information menu. Alternatively, you can use third-party apps like AccuBattery, Battery Guru and DevCheck to find more battery details, though we haven't tested these ourselves.
If your battery health is above 80%, your phone should work fine overall. If it's at or below that, you may want to consider replacing the battery.
Turning down your screen's refresh rate could help improve its battery life. Nicole Lee/CNET
Turn down your screen's refresh rate
Another way to save some battery life is to reduce your screen's refresh rate. A high refresh rate typically leads to a smoother viewing experience for videos and games but it consumes more power. To change your screen's refresh rate, first go to Settings. Then scroll down and tap Display & brightness. Scroll down again and tap Refresh rate. On my Poco F7, the setting is set to Default, which adjusts the refresh rate dynamically based on how I'm using the phone. To turn down the refresh rate, I would tap Custom, and then manually select the lower of the two refresh rates (60Hz instead of 120Hz).
While the exact low power modes will differ between Android phones, you can choose an option that'll conserve power. Nicole Lee/CNET
Turn on low power or battery saving mode
If you need your phone to last just a little longer than normal, it's a good idea to turn on low power mode or battery saver mode. This essentially limits background activity, reduces the screen's brightness and adjusts your phone's settings so that only the most functional apps stay active.
For most Android phones, you can go to Settings, then Battery and select Battery Saver mode if available. On my Poco F7, for example, I select Current mode and choose Battery saver mode from the dropdown list. Some phones, including certain Samsung models and the Poco F7, also offer an Ultra Power Saving or Ultra Battery Saver mode, which cuts functionality to the bare minimum to extend battery life even further.
The Automatic Brightness setting can help keep the screen dimmer in darker environments. Nicole Lee/CNET
Darken your screen
Another way to lengthen your battery life is to find ways to reduce your screen's overall brightness. Go to Settings, then Display & brightness and make sure Automatic brightness is enabled. This allows the screen to adjust its brightness automatically depending on your surroundings so that it's not on full brightness all the time.
You might also consider turning on Dark mode on the same page. This can help reduce the screen's brightness significantly and can, in turn, conserve battery life. Plus, you can have it so that Dark mode is only enabled at a certain time of day if you don't want it on all the time.
Watch this: Tips to Extend Your Phone's Battery Life 05:56
Limit internet connectivity and location access (when possible)
Internet connectivity and location-tracking services can take a huge toll on your phone's battery. To conserve battery life, try minimizing data and GPS usage if you don't need them. For example, you can enable Airplane mode if you don't need your mobile network, especially if you only want to use Wi-Fi. On most Android phones, you can do this simply by swiping down on the top right of the screen and then tapping the Airplane symbol.
You can also try limiting 5G access, since maintaining a 5G connection uses a lot of power. To do so, go to Settings and then find an option that says Network & internet or Mobile networks or Connections. From there, select your mobile network and change your Preferred network type to LTE instead of 5G.
As for location access, go to Settings and then Location to disable location services. Limiting internet and location this way might not be practical in every situation, but it's a useful trick for stretching battery life if you're desperate for a bit of extra juice.