I Changed These 12 Settings On My Android Phone To Greatly Extend Its Battery Life

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Google Pixel 10
Kerry Wan/ZDNET

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I've spent ample portions of my life looking for ways to widen nan artillery life connected my Android phones. Admittedly, that sounds alternatively dramatic, but increasing up pinch only fund models meant I was perpetually tweaking instrumentality settings to compression each spot of juice retired of their batteries. 

Thanks to this micromanaging, I successfully pushed nan batteries connected each my past smartphones to their absolute limit. I don't want to hoard this knowledge to myself, truthful I've decided to stock it pinch everyone.

Also: The champion Android phones to bargain successful 2025

There are galore different methods for redeeming artillery life. However, location are 12 cardinal settings that you tin alteration correct now to spot improvements immediately. The pursuing database highlights nan astir effective, easiest, and quickest tweaks to amended instrumentality longevity sloppy of nan Android telephone you're rocking, whether it's nan latest model from Samsung or a fancy Google Pixel. Plus, you won't person to sacrifice nan high-quality acquisition of utilizing your phone.

Although nan powerfulness settings are practically nan aforesaid connected each Android telephone you tin buy, nan process for adjusting them tin alteration betwixt devices. Be judge to support this facet successful mind erstwhile pursuing nan steps I laic retired because nan attack mightiness beryllium somewhat different depending connected nan exemplary you're using.

1. Turn disconnected nan always-on display

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

One of nan biggest artillery drainers for immoderate smartphone is nan always-on display. Companies regularly show you that this show mounting only drains astir 1% to 2% an hour, but let's beryllium honorable -- it's ever measurement more. It whitethorn beryllium bully to glimpse astatine your telephone while it sits connected a array to cheque nan time, but it's astir apt not worthy sacrificing artillery life.

Also: How to mill reset your Android telephone without unlocking it first

How to: Open nan Settings app and find nan Lock Screen portion. You'll apt find this information successful nan main Settings database aliases nether "Display." From there, find nan action to "always show info" aliases a elemental toggle to alteration nan Always On Display. Either way, move nan action disconnected and cheque to make judge your surface goes wholly blank erstwhile you fastener it.

2. Enable Adaptive Battery

There's a useful characteristic built into Androids called Adaptive Battery, and it's disposable connected astir devices. Adaptive Battery tin automatically negociate your phone's capacity and ratio successful nan inheritance utilizing typical processes to widen your artillery life. For example, erstwhile you don't request maximum capacity for thing elemental for illustration scrolling done your inbox, nan mounting will throttle things down and prevention you immoderate juice.

How to: Go to Settings > Battery > Adaptive preferences and cheque to guarantee "Adaptive battery" is enabled. If it's not, flick it on.

3. Activate Battery Saver

Alongside Adaptive Battery, Battery Saver mode is different adjuvant characteristic that tin widen nan longevity of your smartphone betwixt charges. The characteristic makes sweeping changes crossed your device's software, for illustration limiting ocular effects, restricting apps successful nan background, and turning connected acheronian mode if it isn't already on. 

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Pixel phones return this effort further by having an Extreme Battery Saver, which deactivates much features and pauses astir apps. However, because this action greatly restricts an Android phone's performance, I urge only utilizing Extreme Battery Saver erstwhile it's perfectly necessary, specified arsenic erstwhile nan phone's complaint is successful nan azygous digits.

Most, if not all, Android phones person a Battery Saver function, though they whitethorn person different names. On Galaxy phones, for example, it's called Power Saving mode. Others whitethorn mention to it arsenic low-power mode. Be judge to sojourn your telephone manufacturer's support website for thief connected your model.

How to: On Pixel phones, spell to Settings > Battery > Battery Saver. You tin besides take a schedule for erstwhile nan characteristic will activate aliases move disconnected automatically. On Galaxy phones, spell to Settings > Battery and Device Care > Battery. Flip nan toggle move adjacent to Power Saving to activate nan feature.

4. Switch to acheronian mode

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra location screen

Xiaomi 15 Ultra.

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET

Over nan past fewer years, galore midrange and fund Android phones person followed their flagship brethren by adopting OLED displays. The exertion allows individual pixels to dim aliases wholly unopen disconnected erstwhile not successful use. This characteristic is acold much beneficial for artillery life than accepted LCD screens pinch 1 large backlight. By switching to your phone's acheronian theme, those pixels will beryllium dimmer acold much often and, successful turn, prevention immoderate juice.

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How to: Go to Settings > Display connected your Android phone. There, you'll find nan action to move betwixt a ray and acheronian taxable and to person acheronian mode move connected automatically astatine a definite clip of day. I urge keeping acheronian mode turned connected each nan clip to maximize artillery life.

5. Adjust your show brightness and slumber time

It's communal knowledge that cranking down your display's brightness tin thief prevention artillery usage, but it's worthy repeating. Modern phones person plentifulness of brightness, and it's sometimes unnecessary to person nan brightness level truthful precocious erstwhile you're only scrolling Instagram aliases checking your email. 

Also, it's important to shorten nan clip it takes for your telephone to spell to sleep. Users often group nan slumber timer to a infinitesimal aliases more, which tin drain your artillery erstwhile you aren't utilizing your phone, and group it down connected a array without locking it. Make these 2 adjustments, and you'll beryllium connected nan way to a amended artillery life.

How to: Swipe down erstwhile aliases doubly from nan apical of your phone's show to sojourn nan speedy settings menu. You'll spot a slider pinch a image of a sun aliases different root of ray adjacent to it. Drag nan slider to nan near to alteration your brightness. To trim nan clip it takes for your telephone to sleep, spell to Settings > Display and alteration "Screen timeout" to thing beneath a minute.

6. Remove unused accounts

Google Pixel 9a and 8a
Kerry Wan/ZDNET

We've each done this astatine immoderate point: you group up a caller relationship for a societal media app aliases email work (which you hide about) and past create different relationship that becomes your superior relationship for that work aliases platform. I've gone done this process galore times. 

If you group up accounts connected your phone, each nan aged accounts remain, perpetually refreshing and draining your artillery life successful nan background. I highly urge removing immoderate aged accounts from your smartphone sooner alternatively than later.

How to: Go to nan Settings app and find nan accounts conception (on Samsung phones, it's called "Accounts and backup," while Pixel phones usage "Passwords & accounts"). You'll find a database of each nan accounts synced to your phone. Tap connected 1 of them and scroll down to nan "Remove account" button. Tap it, and nan relationship will disappear.

7. Turn disconnected keyboard sounds and haptics

If you're utilizing your phone, chances are you're typing connected nan keyboard beautiful often, whether to station to societal media aliases respond to your friend's messages. If you person sound and haptic feedback enabled, your artillery whitethorn suffer because your telephone needs to make a bid of vibrations and noises each clip you pat a letter. Hearing and emotion nan keyboard arsenic you type is simply a bully experience, but it's not perfect if you want to eke retired immoderate other juice from a afloat charge.

Also: This keyboard lawsuit for my Android telephone is nan eventual productivity instrumentality - really it works

How to: Open nan Settings app and find "Language and input." This conception is wherever your keyboard settings live. Find nan conception wherever you get to take your default keyboard, past pat nan cogwheel icon adjacent to it to negociate settings. If you're a Gboard personification (like astir people), you'll past spell to Preferences > Keypress and disable "Sound connected Keypress" and "Haptic feedback connected Keypress."

8. Reduce your notifications

Prakhar Khanna utilizing nan Galaxy S25 Edge.
Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET

You mightiness not recognize it, but notifications tin beryllium 1 of nan biggest drainers of your phone's artillery life. Not only is your telephone buzzing and ringing each day, but nan apps themselves are perpetually refreshing successful nan background, looking for caller notifications to nonstop your way. Most apps person ways of limiting nan magnitude of notifications you get, but nan easiest measurement to move them disconnected is done your phone's Settings app.

Also: Why I for illustration this rugged Samsung telephone complete flagship models (and it looks conscionable arsenic good)

How to: Go to Settings > Notifications > "App notifications" to spot a database of each nan apps installed connected your phone. Next to each introduction are toggles that, erstwhile flipped, will disable each notifications for that peculiar app.

9. Turn disconnected "Hey Google" detection

If your telephone is perpetually listening for you to say, "Hey, Google," chances are your artillery is draining away. Your microphone is active, waiting to perceive you opportunity those 2 magic words that trigger nan integer assistant, and it takes a adjacent magnitude of power to tally that process each day. Disabling nan characteristic is simply a no-brainer for anyone who doesn't usage nan Assistant daily. And let's beryllium honest: really galore of america usage nan adjunct daily?

How to: Open nan Google app connected your telephone and pat your floor plan image successful nan top-right corner. Then, sojourn Settings > Google Assistant > Hey Google & Voice Match and flick disconnected "Hey Google." Now your telephone will only trigger nan Assistant if you clasp down nan powerfulness fastener aliases via different method.

10. Reduce your screen's refresh rate

Phone screens person gotten really good complete nan past fewer years, acknowledgment partially to nan faster refresh rates manufacturers person implemented. Whether it's 90Hz, 120Hz, aliases moreover faster, expanding nan times a surface refreshes helps make animations, scrolling societal media, and mundane interactions consciousness smoother and much responsive. Unfortunately, a precocious refresh complaint besides intends accrued artillery usage -- you mightiness sometimes beryllium amended disconnected disabling nan feature.

Also: I changed 8 settings connected my Pixel telephone to importantly amended nan artillery life

How to: Open nan Settings app and navigate to nan Display section. Here, you'll find nan settings to configure your refresh rate. Most smartphones telephone nan characteristic thing different; Google labels it "Smooth Display," while Samsung calls it "Motion smoothness." Find nan mounting associated pinch nan refresh complaint and revert to nan modular rate. Your surface will apt look a spot choppier arsenic a result, but that's wholly normal. It simply intends it's operating astatine 60Hz, nan velocity astatine which moreover nan best phones utilized to tally a fewer years ago.

11. Turn disconnected nan wireless features you aren't using

Motorola Moto G
Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

I've ne'er been a proponent of turning disconnected wireless features, specified arsenic Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, aliases location services, to prevention a phone's artillery life. So galore apps and services trust connected those connections that your Android acquisition tin diminish quickly. However, if you don't usage thing that needs Bluetooth aliases don't usage your telephone for GPS, it mightiness beryllium worthy disabling immoderate of these features to widen your artillery life.

Also: I changed 10 settings connected my Pixel telephone for an instant capacity boost

How to: On practically each Android phone, you tin swipe down erstwhile aliases doubly from nan apical to entree speedy settings. Here, you'll find icons for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, location, airplane mode, and more. Touch them erstwhile to move them off, and touch them again to move them backmost on. You tin besides power each these settings done nan Settings app, though Quick Settings is nan easiest measurement to entree them.

12. Use low-power mode

Low-power mode tin somewhat disagree from Android telephone to Android phone, but nan wide premise remains nan same. This mode disables immoderate features successful nan background, limits really often apps are refreshed, lowers your surface brightness, reduces nan refresh rate, and much to prevention artillery life successful a pinch.

How to: There are respective ways to alteration low-power mode connected your Android phone, but nan astir communal is swiping down doubly from nan apical of your surface to get to speedy settings and past tapping nan artillery shortcut. The shortcut should look for illustration a artillery pinch a positive motion aliases thing similar. You'll past get notified that low-power mode (or immoderate it's called connected your phone) has been enabled. You tin travel nan aforesaid steps to disable this mode.

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