With powerful mobile phones that allow us to surf the web, check our email, and play Angry Birds for hours on end, it’s no surprise that their battery life is limited. Smartphones have so much to offer, that sometimes we forget that they are merely machines running on battery juice. While the battery life on your Android phone may never be exactly how you would ideally like it, there are several steps you can take to better preserve its juice. Before you run out and buy a pricy car charger or download a tedious and space consuming app that claims to “kill tasks” and save battery life, try these three tricks that you can do immediately on your Android to help save battery life.

Turn Off Bluetooth Function

One of the easiest and most common ways to waste battery life on your cell phone is by leaving features and programs on that are not being used. While this may sound trite, be sure to turn off any programs and features your phone offers if you are not using them. This can really up your phone’s battery life. One of the most common battery suckers is the Bluetooth function on your phone. Many people either fail to realize that their Bluetooth function is actually activated or fail to realize just how much battery the function uses. If you are not using your phone’s Bluetooth capabilities, switch it to the off position. Most Android phones have the Bluetooth on and off switch on a widget on your home screen. If Bluetooth is left on and you are not using it, your phone will waste its battery life trying to locate Bluetooth signals. To better preserve your phone’s juice, turn this function off when it is not immediately needed.

Use Airplane Mode When Possible

There are many times throughout the day where your phone should either be off or is put on silent and you are not using it. Oftentimes, people will place their phone on silent during the work hours and not look at it for more than just the time. Other times, when you go to a doctor’s appointment or a meeting we will turn our phones off for that short period of time. However, what many smartphone users fail to realize is that turning on and off your phone regularly can actually waste more of your battery juice than you think. Rather than turning your phone off for the short period that you are not using it or putting it on silent when all you are using if for is a watch, try utilizing the Airplane Mode function. When your phone is on Airplane Mode it cannot receive or transmit any sort of data. This means that it cannot receive calls or texts and you cannot make them. This will significantly save battery life when used in the right way.

Figure Out What is Actually Eating Your Battery

As with most things, one of the easiest ways to resolve an issue is to know what is causing the issue. In the case of your phone’s battery, this is most certainly true. Most Android devices on the market today have a built in way to see what features your phone is using its battery on. Many Android users don’t know that this invaluable feature exists. Learn what aspects of your phone use is the most draining for the battery by going to your phone’s Setting, the About Phone section, and then tapping the Battery Use tab. This page will give you the percentage of your battery that is expended on your phone being idle, cell standby, the display, media, and more. By evaluating where most of the battery power is going, you can then work to remedy the problem and altering your use of your phone.

Author Bio

This guest post is contributed by Patricia Garza, who writes about gadget, technology, design, social media, e-learning related articles at online university rankings.