EXTENDING BATTERY LIFE

DON’T GET CAUGHT OUT WITHOUT A CHARGER

Two of the scariest words in today’s technologically inclined world is the dreaded “low battery”. Mobile phones, tablets, laptops and many more electronic devices all have chargeable batteries so that you can use them on the go. But this charge unfortunately doesn’t last forever, it has to be replenished by plugging the device into its charger for a couple of hours.

This is often not a problem as batteries can last longer and longer with each new device released, but we all have odd moments where we rush out without charging!

This could mean you might be stuck at 10% battery while expecting an important phone call and no charger on hand.

In those dire situations try out these tips and tricks to extend your battery life just that little bit more.

1. TURN DOWN YOUR SCREEN BRIGHTNESS

Your devices’ screen is more often than not the biggest drain on your battery!

Most devices will automatically adjust the screen brightness to suit your surroundings but you can manually change this.

On laptops you can often change your brightness in the task bar by clicking on the battery icon.

On a smart phone the easiest way to change the brightness is to access the Control Centre (often by swiping up or down from the top or bottom of the screen) and change it from there.

2. CLOSE ANY APPS OR PROGRAMS YOU AREN’T USING

If an app or program is minimised or not on the screen doesn’t mean it isn’t using your battery. Often they’ll keep running in the background, slowly draining your battery.

On laptops, the best way to see what programs are running is to access the Task Manager by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + ESC (for Windows) and clicking on the Processes or Programs tab. From here you can see what programs are running and force them to stop.

On a smart phone you can see what apps are running by double clicking the home button (for iPhone) or pressing the Overview button which looks like one or two squares (for Android). From here you’ll see what apps are currently open and can close them by swiping them away.

3. TURN ON AIRPLANE MODE

Airplane mode will stop all signals going to and from your phone! This includes wifi, bluetooth and cellular so this tip is only useful if you aren’t using the internet or expecting a phone call/text message.

On a smart phone the easiest way to turn on/off airplane mode is to access the Control Centre (often by swiping up or down from the top or bottom of the screen) and change it from there from the airplane icon.

Some laptops might or might not have an airplane mode. On Windows 10 laptops you can turn on airplane mode by pressing the Windows Key + A and turning on flight mode.