Save Battery Life: Manual Refresh on Smartphones & Tablets

Extending Battery Life on Mobile Devices

Are you looking for ways to improve the longevity of your tablet or smartphone’s battery? A key strategy involves preventing automatic data synchronization in the background.

The process of automatically checking for updates, such as new emails, is a significant contributor to battery drain. This function, often referred to as “Fetch,” consumes power even when the device is not actively in use.

Optimizing Battery Performance with Background Data Control

Disabling background data refresh can dramatically extend your device’s operational time between charges. This is especially beneficial for devices that aren't used constantly.

Consider a tablet that is used infrequently. By curtailing background activity, you can ensure a substantially slower rate of battery depletion when the device is stored.

Key takeaway: Managing background app refresh and data fetching is a simple yet effective method for maximizing battery life on your mobile devices.

For example, an iPad, or any similar tablet, will retain its charge for a longer duration when background processes are minimized.

Extending Battery Life Through Reduced Background Activity

The power consumption of your mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones, is minimized when they remain idle. However, modern mobile devices frequently transition from a sleep state to an active state.

Specifically, devices configured to utilize a "fetch" account setting will periodically activate to scan for updates to email, contacts, and calendar information. This process occurs regardless of whether new data is present, still consuming battery resources.

The Impact of Frequent Background Checks

Regularly checking for updates, even when none exist, contributes to increased battery drain. This is particularly noticeable with accounts set to fetch data automatically.

For users experiencing short battery life on their smartphones, or those desiring prolonged usability of tablets between charges, reducing this background activity is a beneficial strategy.

Optimizing Battery Performance

Limiting the frequency with which your device checks for new information can significantly extend its operational time. This is especially relevant for devices left unattended for extended periods.

By adjusting these settings, you can ensure your tablet or smartphone retains a higher charge level when you need it most, preventing unexpected power depletion.

Extending Battery Life on iOS Devices

The iOS operating system, found on iPads and iPhones, routinely checks for updated information. When utilizing email services like Gmail on your iOS device, it consistently attempts to retrieve new data from the server. This frequent data fetching can significantly deplete your battery.

To modify these settings, navigate to the Settings app, select Mail, then Contacts, and Calendars. Subsequently, tap on the "Fetch New Data" option. For accounts employing Fetch, setting this option to "Manually" will conserve battery power.

With manual fetching enabled, your emails, contacts, calendars, and other data will only be updated when you actively open the corresponding app and initiate a manual check.

Optimizing Data Fetching

Consider disabling "Push" notifications for accounts where it isn't essential. While Push is designed to be power-efficient, the constant delivery of emails and data to your device represents wasted energy if immediate access isn't required.

Related: How to See Which Apps Are Draining Your Battery on an iPhone or iPad

Since the release of iOS 7, applications have possessed the capability to automatically check for new data, even when not in active use. This feature, known as "Background App Refresh," allows apps to consume battery power while operating in the background.

To adjust this setting, access the Settings app, tap General, and then select Background App Refresh. You can disable this feature for individual apps you don't require to refresh automatically, or disable it system-wide. Apps will still update when you launch them.

Managing Background Activity

This is particularly beneficial for tablets used infrequently. Limiting background activity can lead to substantial battery savings.

Related: How to Manage Notifications on iPhone and iPad

Disabling unnecessary notifications is another effective strategy. Notifications actively engage your device by illuminating the screen, producing sound, and potentially vibrating.

All of these actions consume power, and can be avoided by customizing your notification settings. The Notifications screen within the Settings app provides granular control over these alerts.

Managing Background Data on Android Tablets and Smartphones

Android operating systems offer comparable functionality, though the settings are located in different areas. For devices running Android 5, access the Settings menu, select Accounts, then tap the menu icon. Disabling "Auto-sync data" will prevent automatic synchronization with Google accounts, and other connected accounts, in the background.

Consequently, immediate email notifications from Gmail will be suspended; however, the Gmail application can still be opened manually to check for new messages.

Android 4 Settings

On Android 4, navigate to the Settings screen, then tap Data usage, followed by the menu button. From there, uncheck "Auto-sync Data" to disable automatic background syncing. The precise location of this setting may vary depending on the specific phone model.

Unlike iOS, Android lacks a centralized location for viewing and disabling background permissions for applications. If an app is identified as consuming excessive battery power while running in the background, it must either be uninstalled or its settings adjusted.

These adjustments should prevent unnecessary background activity, particularly when the device is not connected to a power source.

Monitoring Battery Usage

Android provides tools to examine battery statistics and identify applications that are draining the most power. Access these details by opening the Settings app and selecting Battery. Once identified, the settings of apps refreshing in the background can be modified to limit this behavior.

Related: How to Manage, Customize, and Block Notifications in Android Lollipop and Marshmallow

Controlling Notifications

Similar to iOS, disabling unnecessary notifications can contribute to battery conservation. Reducing the frequency with which the device's screen activates and produces sound – especially for devices not constantly carried – will extend battery life.

On Android 5, notification settings are consolidated in one location: Settings, then Sound & notification, and finally App notifications. Further customization of notification types may be available within individual applications.

For Android 4, notification settings are managed individually within each application. However, notifications for problematic apps can still be disabled by long-pressing a notification and selecting "App info," or by navigating to the Apps screen in Settings.

The principles outlined above apply universally to mobile devices, regardless of whether they run Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android. These devices typically operate in a low-power, near-off state for extended periods.

They periodically awaken to retrieve data and perform tasks. Maximizing battery life involves maintaining this low-power state as much as possible, thereby minimizing the frequency of these wake-up cycles.

Even with the screen off, the device may activate to check for updates and execute background processes.

Image Credit: Cameron Norman on Flickr