It has happened to all of us. And if it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will, and it will drive you crazy. What am I talking about? That sudden power drop in your device, most often when you need it for something important. And the older the device, the quicker the battery dries up or dies completely at somewhere around 20%. But why does this occur? Shouldn’t these batteries last as well through the life of the device?
The simple answer is “no.” Battery charge life is based on how you charge your device, how frequently, and even what percentage your device is most often when you put it on the charger. Conventional wisdom and the manufacturer’s recommendation is to fully charge the battery when it is new, then let it die completely, and after, never let it drop below 15 percent.
Improper charging is only one of the ways to kill your battery prematurely. There are plenty of other variables that contribute to your device dying too quickly.
Why Does It Die So Quickly?
What is considered an inconvenient time for your device’s battery to die varies from one person to the next, so let’s focus on the root causes for sudden power loss. We have already covered that improper charging conundrum, which most often is just a case of impatience or just not knowing any better. The type of charger and the type of battery also factor into this situation.
Other factors that can make your battery dry up incredibly fast can be:
• Constant bad signal
If your phone is always searching for service, it is working especially hard. It needs a good signal to work properly and without one it knows something is wrong and strives to fix it. This power usage can deplete batteries incredibly fast.
• Too Many Notifications
If you have running apps in the background, or a notification system set up to keep you apprised of time-sensitive app items, the device might look off and peaceful, but its mind is racing with information. Keeping track of all of these open apps is a monstrous power draw.
• Bluetooth Searching
Phones with Bluetooth capabilities are always searching for a signal when the Bluetooth feature is on. And since many items are Bluetooth enabled these days, it can be bouncing from device to device in rapid succession like a digital pinball. When you don’t need it, turn your Bluetooth feature off.
• Viewing at Length
If you watch a lot of YouTube or stream a lot of videos, TV shows, or movies, the download coupled with the power it takes to play the videos will suck your battery dry very quickly. Have you ever noticed your battery getting hot when you watch streaming content all day? This is the battery working in overdrive.
• Amateur Photographer
You may have owned a digital camera at some point in your life. Did you ever notice how big those batteries are, yet they need to be charged constantly? Now, look at the tiny battery in your device. If you love to take pictures or shoot videos with your device, it will take a toll on your battery life. Depending on the quality of the video or photos you may have longer or shorter to flex your amateur skills, so factor that in when creating your memories.
All of these can be altered with a couple of small changes. For instance, if you have an older phone, you can pretty much guarantee all of these and more will drain your battery life in short order. Older phones have a different style of battery than newer models. Part of this has to do with the overall life span but some have to do with safety. Older batteries sometimes would swell if overused and if they got too hot.
A newer phone is a good first step. Another way to change the game in battery life expectancy is to use Wi-Fi whenever available to download content or stream. The phone won’t have to work nearly as hard to put the information on your screen. And set your apps to sleep mode or limit notifications if they are in the background. Closing all apps completely with frequency is a better solution. How many apps do you need open at one time?
Does It Actually Help?
Only you can decide that. But, if you are waiting on an important call and are away from a charger, then suddenly notice you are at 21% of your battery life, you might start considering what you do and do not need to be running while you wait. Anyone who has had their phone die at a critical time can attest those some things are really not important in the grand scheme if you should miss that call or message.
Charge your phone based on how the manufacturer recommends, don’t leave it plugged in all the time, turn off Bluetooth if not in use, close apps when not immediately in use, and if you are going to a place with a terrible signal, you might as well turn your device off, or it will turn itself off with the stress of signal hunting. Simple things, but you have to make the decision what is more important: being always available or fearing a sudden dead battery.
