4 quick software tweaks to extend your phone’s battery life by 30 percent

Give your iPhone or Android a fighting chance to make it to bedtime on a single charge.

Modern smartphones don’t run out of juice mid-afternoon because their batteries are defective. They run out because dozens of invisible background services are constantly running full-throttle in your pocket. Apps are pinging GPS satellites, pulling fresh data over weak cellular connections, and redrawing high-resolution screens 120 times per second.

If your charger’s at home on the counter, alone and forgotten, you don’t need to put your phone in a drawer or live on Low Power Mode all day. Making a few surgical software adjustments can claw back about 30 percent of your battery life without turning your device into an offline paperweight. Here’s how.

Rein in Background App Refresh

Background App Refresh sounds helpful, but most apps don’t need it. Social media feeds, retail apps, and casual games use this permission to download ads and content silently while your phone sits idle.

On iOS: Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. Switch it from “Wi-Fi & Cellular” to “Wi-Fi........

© Fast Company