low phone battery?

The quickest and most effective way to extend your mobile phone battery life when its low is to …

✈️ SWITCH ON AIRPLANE MODE

Airplane mode stops your phone from endlessly hunting for a signal, one of the biggest drains on your battery. You won’t be able to call or text until you flip it back off, but it can save enough battery to get you to your next charging port. Airplane mode essentially pauses your phone’s “talking” with the outside world: no calls, no texts, no data and very little battery use, until you turn it off.

// LOW POWER MODE ON

Low Power Mode helps extend battery life by reducing power consumption. It limits background activity, lowers display brightness, reduces visual effects, and disables features like 5G, automatic downloads, and background app refresh. Essential energy isn’t wasted on things you don’t need right this minute.

iPhone: Settings → Battery → toggle Low Power Mode
Android: Settings → Battery → enable Battery Saver (or pull down from the top and tap the battery icon)

// ADJUST SCREEN BRIGHTNESS

To reduce power usage, lower your screen brightness and enable dark mode. Reducing brightness is one of the most effective ways to save power, while dark mode provides additional savings, especially at higher brightness levels.

iPhone: Swipe down from top-right → adjust brightness slider; Settings → Display & Brightness → toggle Dark Mode
Android: Swipe down from top → brightness slider; Settings → Display → toggle Dark Theme

// SHUT DOWN APPS

Apps running in the background use power, especially if they are actively performing tasks like checking for notifications or syncing data. Social media apps, for example, constantly check for updates. Closing them can help extend battery life.

iPhone: Swipe up from bottom (or double-tap Home button) → swipe away apps
Android: Tap square/recents button → swipe apps off screen

// TURN OFF LOCATION SERVICES AND BLUETOOTH

If your GPS is constantly checking whether you’re in Sydney or Spain, it’s sipping away at your battery. Same with Bluetooth, quietly hunting for headphones or speakers. Unless you’re actually using them, flick them off.

iPhone: Swipe down from top-right → tap Location or Bluetooth icons; or go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services
Android: Swipe down from top → toggle Location and Bluetooth off