10 thrifty apps to save you cash
If you’re a penny-pincher, these handy apps are definitely for you.
Smartphones are great, right? They allow us to instantly connect with the outside world, they provide us with handheld entertainment and super handy applications.
One thing that always bugs us, however, is the limited battery. Doesn’t your heart sink when the low power symbol shows up? We then have to find a place to charge it up and sit there, restricted by wires and cables.
But don’t worry! We’ve rounded up some nifty tips on how to extend the life of your mobile.
Battery saving mode usually kicks in when our percentage hits around 20-30%. A cheeky trick is to hit the low power button when your phone is on 50% or higher. You’ll be thanking yourself later, we promise.
Bright screens are a key feature of modern phones, but boy do they suck the life out of our devices. If you reduce the brightness on your screen, you’ll not only be avoiding a dead phone, but also eye strain.
On most smartphones, you can find out which pesky apps are using up the most power. Usually, this information can be found by selecting Settings and then Battery. From here, you can see exactly what’s guzzling up the most power and take action.
Many of these apps may be consuming a lot of battery life because they’re running lots of small tasks on a continuous basis. Even if it’s just an email here and a notification there, it all adds up and can burn a lot of energy. Normally, you can prevent apps like Mail and Facebook from frequently downloading data.
Unless you need to be connected to the internet 24/7, it’s wise to switch off your Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G or 4G signals now and then. This is a major culprit when it comes to draining batteries and one that can be quickly fixed at the touch of a button or two.
On a similar note, many phones track and monitor your location via GPS and Wi-Fi. Be smart and change up the apps that can access this information. Often, you can still use apps without giving them all of these permissions, so it makes no sense to waste battery unnecessarily.
Does your phone light up every few minutes with a new notification? Extend your phone life and boost your productivity by toggling off unnecessary push notifications from apps such as Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.
Your screen timeout is basically how long your screen remains lit after last being tapped or used. By reducing this time from two minutes to thirty seconds, you can seriously save energy.
Vibrate is a very useful feature of modern devices. It allows you to know if someone is calling, even when it’s in a bag or your back pocket. Unfortunately, it also demands a lot of power. By switching to just a ringtone, or even switching your phone to silent, you can ensure your device stays on for longer.
Many applications update in order to use less battery power. If you ensure that all of your apps are up to date, you can be sure that they are using the least power possible.