Smartphones have made our lives more efficient, but there must be a downside to all the good things smartphones bring to us: charging them. As we know, 5.13 billion people will charge their phones today alone. What if there is a way to speed up the mundane activities of charging your phone battery?
Image credits: Flickr.com
Do not bother with wireless charging.
Wireless charging is a relatively new way of charging your phone. While wireless charging may seem cool and futuristic, it is not an efficient charging system. When using a wireless charger, it takes twice as long to charge your phone as traditional methods fully.
Simply put, when using a cable, the power usually goes directly to your phone, but wirelessly, that power is lost in the form of heat. Charging your phone with a cable is more energy-efficient and faster.
Invest in a fast charger.
Fast charging works by slowing down your phone to a normal charging rate after quickly juicing up a certain percentage. Standard USB 2.0 has a 2.5W power output, while the latest high-speed chargers have 18W to 100W power output.
More power output depicts that your phone will reach full charge in less time. However, a fast-charging cable only works with a phone designed to handle fast charging, so make sure your phone is compatible before investing in a cable.
Enable power-saving mode.
As human beings, our hearts beat without us having any strong thoughts. Our phones are pretty much the same because they do all kinds of background work while we use them. This is why you can tap the power-saving mode for a few minutes from your charging time.
Different phones have different energy-saving settings. However, the gist of it is this: the power saving mode will reduce things like screen brightness, CPU performance, and data usage, and therefore, it may take more energy to charge your phone instead of running it.
Manage apps and downloads.
Some applications on your phone may still be running in the background without your knowledge. However, this does not demonstrate that you should be forced to close all your applications in the multitasking menu. These applications can use more power to close. In addition, go to your battery settings, where you can find a list of apps that use the most batteries and close or limit them.
It is wise to check to see if any apps are downloading updates. Unnecessary updates and operating batteries are not used, as managing your app activity helps your phone charge faster.
Clean your charging port.
Have you ever thought to look in your charging port? Over time, dust, lint, and dirt on your charging port can accumulate and cause your phone not to charge fast. This is because it does not carry dust, lint, and dirty conductors and transfers less power from the cable to your phone battery.
You can clean your charging port with compressed air. Although toothpaste can work, it’s not worth the risk because sticking sharp objects into your charging port can cause serious damage. It is better to avoid the formation of dust and lint first.
You can do this by purchasing a charging port cover.
Do not allow your phone to overheat.
Your phone has a thermal control system. This regulates the temperature of your phone. It also acts as a protection to prevent your phone from overheating. If you leave your phone in the sun or keep the cover on while charging, your phone will work harder to reduce the heat and therefore charge slower.
To keep your phone cool, there are many things you can do. This includes keeping aside your phone out of direct sunlight, deactivating it during charging. And also, it is better to charging it in a cool room or placing it next to a fan.
Get a new battery.
The chemistry of lithium batteries deteriorates over time. So, if your phone is still charging slowly after following all the tricks in this list, it may be time to update. On some phones, you can check battery health. Otherwise, you can download apps that test your battery capacity and health. In some cases, you can replace your battery and keep your phone. Especially, most modern smartphones do not have removable batteries. And also, slow charging is often a sign that your phone is nearing the end of its life.
Bonus: The latest technology allows a smartphone to be fully charged in less than 30 seconds.
StoreDot is an Israeli company that has developed a new battery that charges fast. They use nanotechnology, organic compounds, and artificial intelligence to create batteries that can charge a dead phone in 30 seconds. Moreover, the technology is non-toxic, environmentally safe, and will not reduce battery life.
Although not yet available to the public, StoreDot creates exciting prospects for the future of fast charging and power consumption.
Let us know your phone battery charging speed in the comment section.