7 Tips for Preserving Your Phone Battery During a Storm

Technically Well is supported by our readers. When you purchase an item through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read more in our disclosures.

As another winter storm affects many parts of the country today, widespread power outages can occur.  During these times, your phone may be your only connection to the outside world.  Here are some tips for keeping it charged.

  1. Enable Low Power Mode. First, you’ll want to enable “Low Power Mode” or “Battery Saver” if your phone has the feature (here’s the instructions for enabling Low Power Mode for iPhone users).
  2. Dim your screen. Go into your phone’s display settings and see if your phone is usable at the lowest setting, even if it means cupping your hand over the screen to see it.  The backlight can be one of the biggest drains on your battery.
  3. Turn off GPS.  If you’re staying put until the storm lets up, you could consider turning of the GPS (also referred to as “location services”) in your phone’s settings.  Many weather apps will let you enter your zip code in order to retrieve your forecast instead of requiring the use of the power-hungry GPS chip.
  4. Reduce notifications.  During an emergency, you probably don’t need your phone to light up (and drain) every time SnapChat sends you a “your friend is typing” notification. Disable unnecessary notifications to prevent your screen from lighting up every few seconds.  Many phones allow you to change the notifications to “sound only” which helps preserve battery power that would otherwise be used to light up your screen. Many phones will not light up the screen for each notification if you place it face down on a surface.
  5. Keep it plugged in.  If you haven’t lost power yet, keep your phone plugged into the charger (connected to a surge protector, of course).  That way, if your power does go out, your battery will start out at 100%.
  6. Utilize your other devices.  Instead of draining the battery of your primary phone by streaming music or shows, utilize any other devices you may have to stay entertained. You don’t want to be stuck in a situation where you can’t make a phone call because you drained the battery binging a show. WiFi-only devices will likely be cut off from the outside world if your main internet connection goes out with the power.  However, if you can store some offline movies, games or e-books ahead of time, a tablet or old phone can still entertain you without an internet connection while your preserve the battery in your primary phone.  Another little known fact: some laptops continue to power the USB ports while the laptop is “sleeping”.  Charge up your laptop’s battery, let is sleep, and use the laptop as a giant power bank.
  7. Grab some external batteries and chargers.  Many different power banks are available that allow you to connect virtually any device that can charge via USB. Emergency radios are also good to have on hand as can not only act as a power bank, but they can also function as a radio, a flashlight, and a siren.
    Here are some power banks and radios to consider:
$16.19
$17.99
in stock
5 new from $16.19
2 used from $13.59
as of March 24, 2024 2:38 am
Amazon.com
$29.95
in stock
12 new from $27.00
3 used from $19.99
as of March 24, 2024 2:38 am
Amazon.com
$109.00
in stock
2 new from $109.00
as of March 24, 2024 2:38 am
Amazon.com

Tags:

Technically Well
Logo
Compare items
  • Total (0)
Compare
0