Last week, the news was dominated by the new airport security rule regarding dead phone / tablet battery. The new rule states that all air passengers flying into or out of British and US airports must ensure their phones and tablets are charged so that security staff can rest assured the devices aren’t disguised bombs.
The new rule forces travellers to turn on their gadgets or risk losing them at the gate. It’s said that American officials are concerned about new al-Qaeda efforts to produce a bomb that will go undetected through airport security. By turning on an electronic device, security staff will be confident that it is a working device and that batteries are used to operate it.
In light of this new rule, and with many people heading off on holiday, it’s becoming increasingly important to charge your phone. So how can you best preserve your gadget’s battery?
• Turn the screen brightness down
The difference between full brightness and the dimmest setting can add on hours extra battery life.
• Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
This will stop your phone from looking for networks to join.
• Switch off mobile data
Instead, you can manually check email and social networks in order to reduce battery drain and data consumption.
• Close Apps
Make sure you properly close all the Apps that are open, or they will continue to run in the background and use of mobile data and power.
• Turn off vibrate
Little might you know, that the vibrate function uses much more power than a ringtone does. A ringtone only has to make a tiny membrane in your phone’s speaker vibrate enough to produce sound, whereas the vibration method swings a small weight around to make your whole phone shake.
• Keep it cool
Heat is your battery’s worse enemy. Try to keep it as cool as possible – don’t leave it in the direct sunlight if you can help it.
• Turn off GPS
Apps that utilise the GPS system to track your location eat up much more battery juice than others. GPS determines your exact location by sending and receiving signals to and from satellites. Some Apps that are left running in the background will continue to use GPS to send and receive signals. Disable location services and switch off GPS tracking to avoid getting caught out.
*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.
