Cell phone batteries are depleted by various variables, such as the time the screens are on, processes that run in the background, excessive heat or the continuous use of functions such as calls. The applications also vampirize this component and, in fact, some are much more harmful than others. It all depends on the level of demand of each of the tools that swarm our phones.
A recent study by the firm pCloud, which offers cloud storage services, revealed which apps consume the most battery. The top 20 might impress you: in that group are famous apps like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Tinder and Snapchat.
These are the 20 apps that consume the most battery on your cell phone
To determine which apps consume the most energy, those responsible for the report examined variables such as the following: whether they ask for access to GPS location or the camera, and whether they offer a dark mode. “By combining the results of these factors, we calculated which of the 100 most popular apps are the most demanding and crowned them the phone killers,” they noted.
In the following image we see the group of the first 20. Among the most popular in our country, the following stand out: Uber, Skype and Facebook, which are in the top five. Then we find others that are also frequently used, such as Airbnb, Instagram, Tinder, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Zoom, YouTube, Telegram and LinkedIn.
The worst among the battery killers is the Fitbit app, a tool for tracking health and physical activity variables that works in harmony with wearable devices. According to the source, that tool allows multiple functions to run in the background, including access to the camera, location, Wi-Fi and microphone.
In addition to the rigor of the study – we do not put our hands in the fire regarding the methodology used to create the ranking – it is a good practice to know which are the behaviors of the apps that are detrimental to the integrity of the battery. One of the aspects that were considered in the report is the availability, or not, of a dark mode. It is an option that more and more mobile tools offer. Basically, this mode darkens the interfaces by opting for blacks and grays instead of whites. In this way, beneficial energy savings are achieved, separating the screens from one of the greatest demands: showing bright environments.
It’s also important to watch the activity in the background. These are those tasks that applications perform while the user does something else and that, according to the review on the Phone Arena site, “are killing your phone.” Well, that seems like a lot, but the truth is that this activity is a factor that directly influences battery consumption.
Fundamental tips to save battery on your cell phone and forget about plugs for a while
Based on reviews previously published on this portal, we review good practices to take care of your cell phone battery and the bad habits that you should avoid to take care of that component.
To begin with, and in line with what was mentioned regarding the dark mode of apps, if you want to save energy, a good idea is to avoid excessive brightness on the screen. It is not always necessary to resort to dark mode. In many cases, it is good news for the battery to lower the brightness, both on iOS and Android. Keep in mind that the screen is the component that requires the most energy! At this point, another tip: set shorter display blocking times, so that it turns off sooner and consumes less.
Another good habit is to turn off unused connectivity features. For example, GPS and Bluetooth functions. At this point, it is also possible to take advantage of the “saving mode” of the phones, which automatically reduces many consumption and allows you to reach the end of the day with a good percentage of the battery.
In line with the conclusions of the study that we review here, another good idea is to eliminate the most expensive applications, especially if you do not use them frequently. An intermediate option is to turn off notifications and, from the settings menu, prohibit access to components such as the camera or GPS.
Just as important as good habits are bad practices that should be avoided to take care of your smartphone’s battery.
The first: it is not good to carry the charge to 100% and let it drop below 20%. Although current phones have functions to keep them in that range – the ideal is to charge up to 80% – it is advisable to be careful since, by ignoring this advice, more charging cycles are consumed and the useful life of the component is exhausted. .
Another bad idea is to use your cell phone while it is charging. This affects the quality of the process and causes additional effort on the device.
Some “no!” additional. It is not advisable to open many applications at the same time; It is not good to let the battery overheat as this affects its health; and you should not use chargers that are not approved.
Although the cell phone battery continues to be the Achilles heel of smartphones, the variables that we have reviewed here allow us to take care of the component, use the plug fewer times a day and increase its useful life.
