As much as you love (and love to hate) that social media app on your phone (you know the one), there’s an even better reason to get rid of it than simply the fact that it’s consuming your time and attention: it’s an absolute battery destroyer.
In fact, some of most common and widely used apps that you probably have on your phone right this minute are among the biggest culprits when it comes to phone battery loss. If you’ve ever wondered why scrolling Facebook for 10 minutes leaves you with 15 percent less battery power, Tech expert Yash Giri, owner/blogger at Technographx, breaks it down for you. These are the battery-zapping iPhone apps that you should delete or, at the very least, modify to help boost your phone’s battery power.
Facebook is notorious for its impact on battery life due for various reasons, Giri points out:
** Frequent background activity: Even when you’re not actively using the app, it continues to run processes and fetch data, consuming valuable battery power.
** Location services: Facebook utilizes GPS functionality extensively, contributing to increased battery drain.
** Solution: “Limit background app refresh for Facebook in your iPhone settings, disable location services if not needed, and consider using Facebook through a web browser instead of the app to reduce its battery usage,” Giri suggests.
Snapchat
“Snapchat’s unique features make it an engaging platform but also a battery hog,” Giri says. Some of the features include:
** Persistent use of camera: Snapchat constantly accesses the camera, which drains battery power.
** Background activity: It actively keeps the app running in the background, increasing battery consumption.
** Solution: “Minimize usage of Snapchat’s camera-heavy features, such as augmented reality filters, and limit background app refresh for Snapchat in your iPhone settings,” Giri says.
Google Maps
While immensely useful for navigation, Giri notes that Google Maps can impact battery life due to the following factors:
** Constant GPS usage: The app continuously relies on GPS signals to provide accurate location services, consuming significant battery power.
** Background activity: Google Maps remains active in the background, updating your location and draining battery resources.
** Solution: “Use Google Maps in combination with other battery-saving techniques, like reducing screen brightness, using offline maps when possible, and closing the app when not in use,” Giri says.
YouTube
Watching videos on YouTube can be a battery-draining activity due to the following reasons, Giri points out:
** Streaming data: Constantly streaming video content requires substantial power, especially when using cellular data.
** Screen-on time: Extended periods of screen-on time while watching videos contribute to battery drain.
** Solution: “Optimize YouTube's battery usage by downloading videos for offline viewing when on Wi-Fi, reducing screen brightness, and limiting usage to when your device is connected to a power source,” Giri says.
WhatsApp:
WhatsApp is a super-popular messaging app used around there world, but it can affect battery life through the following means, according to Giri:
** Background activity: It remains active in the background to receive messages, resulting in increased battery usage.
** Frequent network activity: WhatsApp continuously synchronizes data, such as message updates, consuming battery power.
** Solution: If you don’t want to delete WhatsApp, Giri suggests adjusting WhatsApp's settings to minimize background app refresh, disabling auto-downloading of media files, and restricting notifications to conserve battery life.
“By implementing the suggested solutions, users can reduce the battery drain caused by these apps while still enjoying their functionalities,” Giri says. “Remember that optimizing battery life is a balancing act between app usage and implementing energy-saving settings.”
