TOP TIPS FOR LENGTHENING THE LIFE OF YOUR PHONE

Whether you rely on an iPhone or Android device, we can all agree that our phones are investments worth protecting. However, you may be surprised to learn that some of your habits inadvertently shorten your smartphone’s life span!

Thankfully, with a little bit of awareness, you can take immediate steps to preserve your phone’s longevity and prevent it from breaking down before its time. Here are a few essential tips to help make your phone last.

Protect your device from physical damage

Once considered mandatory, advances in glass and screen coatings have rendered screen protectors unnecessary for most phones. To guard against drops and scratches, use a cell phone case made from a shock-absorbent material—usually silicone or rubber—with protection for the corners of your phone.

ITSKINS is a popular brand offering a range of stylish and functional phone and tablet cases, including antimicrobial and impact-absorbing HEXOTEK options.

Limit reliance on vibrations for notifications

The more demands you place on your phone, the quicker you wear it down. Vibrating notifications require a lot of energy and constant vigilance, forcing your phone to run at full capacity when it’s not really warranted or helpful.  Bottom line? Only use vibrations for notifications when you absolutely must.

Close apps not in use

This one is simple but worth emphasizing: Close out of apps when you’re done with them! It’s an easy but often overlooked step to not only preserve the battery life of your iPhone or Android device but free up memory as well.

If you open an app and never use it again but fail to close out of it, the app may continue to run in the background and cause your battery to drain faster. With that in mind, if your phone ever becomes sluggish, check for any open but unused apps and swipe accordingly.

Only allow permissions that are really needed

Not all apps need to know your location. Ride-sharing apps, sure—but they’re the exception. Only grant location-sharing permissions when necessary, and remember to take away permissions when unnecessary. It’s worth checking your settings and rectifying any pointless and draining activity that comes from oversharing your location.

Be mindful of battery-draining apps

When it comes to battery life, be aware that some apps are greedier than others. Google Maps, Netflix, and Amazon are leading offenders. In fact, The Guardian reported that by uninstalling the Facebook app from Android phones, people saved up to 20 percent of their battery life. It’s also been found that deletion of the Facebook Messenger app causes load times for other apps to speed up by around 15 percent.

Keep screen brightness in check

Now that our phone screens are so beautifully large, they demand much more from our phone batteries than the tiny-screened phones of decades past. The solution is to go to the display menu and turn on adaptive brightness, allowing the brightness of your screen to be automatically adjusted to accommodate the level of light in your environment.

Avoid exposure to extreme temperatures

Extreme temperatures, whether hot or cold, take a real toll on the life of your phone. According to Time, you risk data loss and corruption or battery leakage when you expose your phone to intense heat—whether baking on the sunny beach or smoldering under your pillow at night. On scorching days, it’s wise to remove the case and keep your phone in the shade, off the warm ground, and at a distance from your body heat.

Of course, in frigid weather, the performance of your phone’s liquid lithium-ion battery slows way down, and its power drains at lightning speed. When the mercury takes a dive, insulate your phone with a case and keep it in your pocket to take advantage of body heat.

Unplug your phone when fully charged

It may seem counterintuitive, but it’s not a good idea to keep your phone plugged in after it reaches 100%—and yes, that includes leaving your phone to charge overnight while you sleep. Heat buildup occurs when a fully charged battery is left plugged in, which can cause real damage.

Surprisingly, lithium-ion batteries should avoid being fully charged because a high voltage stresses the battery and eventually wears it down. In any case, resist the temptation to plug in your phone constantly. Only do so when needed, and unplug once your phone is fully charged or close to it.

Keep software up to date

We’re all guilty of putting off updates to our devices, but this poses unnecessary risks to our phones. Updates are regularly pushed out, by makers of both iPhone and Android smartphones, for a good reason—to fix bugs, improve battery function, or even boost security. Software updates could even solve issues you’ve noticed with your device, so skipping them is a missed opportunity. The same idea applies to apps, so stay on top of those updates.

5 Thoughts on "TOP TIPS FOR LENGTHENING THE LIFE OF YOUR PHONE"

  1. What am I doing to use so much data? If I cut off data what can I still do with the Iphone?How do I remove apps I am not using and I DOWNLOD AGAIN IF i NEED TO? thanks.

  2. David Lengefeld says

    We have no cell service in Hamilton, Tx

    • Nicole at Consumer Cellular says

      Hi David, I recommend powering the phones off and back on to help them reconnect to the towers. If the service still isn’t working, you can start a live chat here.

  3. Kenan Bud says

    How can I remove messages

    • Hi Kenan, thanks for your question. If you’re wanting to remove the texting plan, we’d be happy to help with that process. Give us a call at 888-548-6490 or chat with one of our live agents here for further assistance.