Charging your cellphone is the simplest yet most critical step in making sure it’s available when you need it to be. Fortunately, between wall chargers, car chargers and portable power packs, there are more than enough ways to stay supplied with juice, even when you’re on the go.
Here are a few tips that will help you make your phone charge faster. Remember, keeping it charged consistently will increase the life of your battery, and it will help you avoid that annoying “Low Battery” message just when you’re about to make an important call or send a text message.
Tip #1—Turn on Airplane Mode
Putting your phone into Airplane Mode shuts down calling features, reducing the background work it must do while plugged in. This allows it to charge more efficiently. Likewise, you should also turn off both Bluetooth® and GPS before plugging the phone in to charge.
Tip #2—Just Leave It Alone
It can be tempting to use your phone while it’s plugged in, but this actually makes it work harder and ultimately slows down the charging process. It’s best to charge overnight, or at times when you know you won’t need to use it for a while.
Tip #3—Don’t Overheat
When your phone is charging, it’s generating a lot of heat. Don’t leave it on a couch or bed. This will only build up more heat around the phone, making the battery work harder (not to mention, creating a fire hazard!)
Tip #4—Use the Original Charger
Though it may be convenient, it will take much longer to charge your phone using a USB connection to a computer or tablet. The wall charger that came with your phone is specifically designed for it, and will always provide the fastest charge. For some devices, wall chargers even provide “super charging”, which really speeds up the process.
Tip #5—Be Consistent
Charge your phone fully every day to prolong its battery life. If your battery does run low, simply turn off the phone until you can charge it rather than letting it discharge completely. On both Android phones and iPhones, you also have the ability to activate a “low power” or “battery saver” mode once the charge falls to 20% or less. This helps nurse your battery along until you can get to your charger.
Your cellphone can do all sorts of marvelous things, but it can’t do any of them with a dead battery! Remember these 5 easy tips, and you’ll be sure to have all the power you need to stay connected.
Also turning Data off will save programs running in the background that eat power.
I listen to Pandora radio on my phone/plugged into my car. Does this use a lot of media and is this expensive?
Thank you for posting your questions, Diane. If you’re listening to Pandora when you’re near home or another location with a Wi-Fi connection, you won’t be using data from your plan. Otherwise, you will need the data connection if you’re in the car. That’s OK, that’s what your plan is for, after all! We recommend using the My CC app to view your usage, so you can manage your plan accordingly. You can also look at your data usage on your phone by app, just to see how much Pandora is using. We’re happy to answer any other questions you may have about your plan or your phone at 888-345-5509. We appreciate you taking the time to post, and we hope you have a great day!
Want to pass along a super high 5 to the Target Store on Blairs ferry road in Cedar Rapids, Iowa they give super,friendly and fast service to a very satisfied Consumer Cellular customer.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Gene! Our retail team will be sure to reach out to them and congratulate them on a job well done. We appreciate you posting!
Take a long nap.
That’s always an option as well, Mike. When you wake up, your phone will be ready to go, too!
Thanks for the information.
You’re very welcome, Frank! We hope you find it useful.
Ashley,
You were very helpful. Thank you!
I also had A great experience with the Target store in Chandler, Arizona at the Chandler Mall. They were patient and very knowledgable. I was impressed!
What are the advantages of using WiFi? How does it lower my monthly payments? Why do I have to buy a new phone? I already have a Motorola Android.
We’re happy to tell you more about using Wi-Fi with your smartphone, Kristi! Connecting to Wi-Fi is a great way to minimize your data usage, since your phone won’t use data from your plan if you’re using it. You may even find that you’re using less data than expected, and you can switch to a lower plan and save. If you already have a smartphone, you likely already have this feature. All you’ll need to connect is the Wi-Fi network name and a password if it is required. If you like, we can walk you through setting up your connection over the phone at 888-345-5509. Thank you for taking the time to post today, and we’re sure you’ll find that Wi-Fi is a great way to save.
How will it affect my phone if I turn off Google Pla Services?
Great question, Betty. Google Play Services works with many of the other apps on your device, and ensures that new features and updates are added to apps such as Maps. If you turn it off, you won’t receive these updates automatically. We’re happy to answer any other questions you may have about your device at 888-345-5509. Thanks for posting today!
I have an ICON in the upper right hand corner of my Motorola MOTO G4. it is “LTE” what is that and how can I get it off.?
Thanks for posting, Shirley. The “LTE” icon tells you that you are connected to an LTE signal, which is the fastest form of 4G for most people. It’s actually a good thing! With an LTE signal, you’ll experience faster downloads and internet speeds. If we can answer any other questions you may have about your device, please don’t hesitate to call us at 888-345-5509. We hope you have a great day!
I bought a iphone 5s at a Target Store two weeks ago. I have been a consumer cellular customer for many years. I charged the battery on my phone over 9 hours last night and it only lasted 8 hours befor running down. I only made one voice call, received one voice call and sent one text message. This was the only usage the phone had today and all from my home where I have a wireless wifi system in place.
Should I be getting more battery life?
Thank you for posting, William. First, your phone’s battery will lose a charge faster if you have both Bluetooth and GPS or Location Services on at all times. Next, check to make sure you don’t have a lot of apps running in the background if you don’t need them. If the problem continues, we can work with you to troubleshoot further over the phone at 888-345-5509. We appreciate you posting today!
I have just signed up with Consumer Cellular and the Moto phones are on their way. I am now questioning if my husband will be able to charge his phone while driving a Freightliner semi-tractor cross-country? I also have questions about charging phone in my car. The receptacle in car certainly will not accept the car charger I saw at Target. Help!
Thank you for posting, J! After taking a look at your account, I see you’ve ordered the Moto G4 Play. We do offer a car charger for that device that uses a standard 12-volt outlet. If you like, we can assist you in ordering one or answering any questions you may have about using a vehicle charger. Just give us a call at 888-345-5509 at your convenience. We’d like to welcome you to Consumer Cellular, and we look forward to speaking with you soon!
How do I charge my phone when it won’t come on at all?
Thanks for commenting, Isabelle! Please try plugging your phone in, and allowing it to charge for a longer period of time. If it still won’t power back on, please give us a call at 888-345-5509 so that we can perform some additional troubleshooting. We appreciate you posting today!
I just found my Cingular cellular flip phone after a year and a half, can I charge it to full capacity? When I try nothing happens
Hi Jane, you can try charging it for at least 4 hours, and then hold the red “End Call” button to try and power it on. If it doesn’t power on, you’ll need to buy a new phone.