How to save your phone’s battery life and yourself hassle

For many of us, keeping our smartphone or tablet charged is challenging enough without the pressure of airport security bearing down on us. However, there are a few steps you can take in order to stretch out the life of your device and ensure that you’re trip abroad isn’t delayed.

When you don’t need it, turn off your mobile data, wifi and Bluetooth as the energy needed to power these services will reduce battery life significantly. So if you have another device with you to access email on, spare your smartphone. The switches for all of these will be found in your settings app.

One of the biggest drains on your battery life is screen brightness, with many users leaving it much higher than it needs to be. You should also disable any auto brightness function as this will also affect battery.

Leaving your apps running in the background can not only cost you data, but battery life too, especially if you’ve been playing a graphics-heavy game. Do some housekeeping and close your apps as you finish using them.

Smartphone makers like Apple and Samsung regularly release software updates that reorganise how power is managed, so make sure you always complete updates. This is especially important if you’re not using the latest model phone, as new software can have an increased impact on older devices.

Similarly to data, you can set how often your phone attempts to fetch new emails — this requires data and battery power. Reduce the regularity of this and you can save a few percent in the long run.

The iPhone 5s has plenty of motion and animations as you move through the interface. Under the general section of the settings app you can turn this off and keep your phone charged for longer.

Maybe save that 20 minute video of cats playing table tennis until you get home, or watch it on your laptop, as streaming video to mobile can be strenuous for your battery.

If all else fails, invest in a charging case or power pack to keep with you in case of emergencies, or airport visits.

PA