7 Ways to Make Your Cell Phone Battery Last Longer

We use our cell phones for everything these days—for emailing and texting, finding directions and shopping, playing games, setting calendar dates and alarm clocks, photos and videos and music and...oh yeah, talking to people.

Yet all these great things we can do with our phones take up a lot of battery power which means more frequent use of electricity to charge it up. It is important to know how to make that battery last as long as possible. Here are seven ways you can get the most from each charge.

1. Use Energy-Saving Settings
   Just like our computers, our phones have energy-saving settings that we need to use. They include how long the backlight stays on, the screen brightness, and vibration levels. You may find you don't have to have the backlight on at all, which would save a lot of battery power.


2. Skip the Animated Wallpaper
   
   Yes, it looks cool, but it also sucks up a lot of juice. After the novelty wears off, you don't really notice it anyway, so you might as well save the battery power and pick a pretty picture instead.


3. Turn Stuff Off, Including Your Phone
   
   Programs that make your phone work when you don't need it to are a big battery drain. When you aren't using them, turn off Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi, push e-mail, and anything that searches for updates like stock reports, weather, news and sports feeds. Most importantly, turn your phone off when you're roaming. Searching for a signal requires a lot of battery power.


4. Use a Simple Ringtone
   
   Musical ringtones and vibrate features take up more battery power than simple ringtones. Thankfully, default tones aren't too annoying nowadays, so pick one you like and save some juice.


5. Use a Corded Headset
   
   Corded headsets require less battery power than a Bluetooth headset. Plus, you don't look like you're talking to yourself while walking down the street. Fewer stares, more battery power. They might also decrease cancer risks.


6. Use Photo Features Sparingly
   
   Having a camera built into your phone is great for capturing those priceless moments, but using the flash and editing features takes up more battery power. Try to use them as little as possible.


7. Clean the Battery Contacts and Charge Properly
   
   Simple battery maintenance helps your battery perform at its best and waste less juice. Cleaning dust from the contacts every so often will help keep it humming along. Also, charging a battery correctly is important for making it hold a charge. Newer cell phones usually have Lithium Ion batteries which, contrary to old school charging know-how, don't like it when you use up the juice before recharging. Check out what kind of battery you have and charge it according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

There are many more detailed ways to save battery power. Check out more suggestions at IT Business. Learn the ins and outs of cell phones to make yours last.

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