DD's new phone keeps running out of Battery; can we 'fix' it?

[KatyMac]

It's a brand new HTC

She thinks it's the apps that are running (not ones she has downloaded ones already on the phone) when she closes them they open a few minutes later

The battery doesn't last a day - I'm accusing facebook, am I being fair?

[Imnotaslimjim]

Did she "condition" the battery when she first got it? She needs to run it flat then charge for a full 16 hours. Let it run down again and charge for 16 hours again. If that doesn't work, I would consider a new battery

[CruelAndUnusualParenting]

What do the reviews say about battery life for that model?

Turn off GPS and wifi and only turn them on when you need them. I believe GPS in particular uses quite a lot of power.

[fengirl1]

Turning off Bluetooth will also help

[VivaLeBeaver]

If she's using it a lot then not lasting a day might be normal use. If I have everything turned on on my phone and am checking fb, MN lots through the day, emails, etc, use the GPS to direct me somewhere, etc it will be nearly dead by aout 6pm.

[binger]

When I got my new phone a couple of weeks ago it didn't last a day as I was constantly playing around with it. It lasts longer now though as novelty has worn off. Maybe she just uses it constantly.

[KatyMac]

She can turn off bluetooth I guess

Turning off gps mightn't be a bad idea

The running out & charging is happening pretty often (maybe not the 16hrs bit)

I'll find out what model it is

Great suggestions thanks

[SoupDragon]

I think you have to see Smartphones as being a small computer and get into the habit of charging them every day.

Things like WiFi also drain the battery. Also, make sure emails aren't being automatically checked too often.

[alienbanana]

She can turn off GPS, 3G and bluetooth unless she actually needs to use it, that will help. Get her to download 'Advanced Task Killer' - it will close down any apps that are running in the background.

Some of the HTC's have a power saver option, so if it has that turn it on.

Mine just barely lasts the day if I've been using MN/FB a lot. Unfortunately its not that unusual for smart phones.

Go into Settings, Power and Usage and it will tell you where it's using the most power (just done it on mine and the top two are Browser and FB - no suprise ) but it's just told me that it's using twitter and that's taking up some of the battery power - I don't even have twitter! So I've made sure that is turned off.

[KatyMac]

The highest usage is screen (apparently) at 20%

Charge every night - I'll nag her

[SoupDragon]

Turn the brightness of the screen down - I think that helps.

[alienbanana]

Do you know which model it is?
(Settings, About, Phone Identify)

[EdwiniasRevenge]

When she is finished with an app use the back button. That closes the app. If she uses the home button the app will stay running in the background.

[alienbanana]

For the screen go to

Settings, Phone: Display, Gestures & Buttons, and click Brightness

Check the other settings as well. Mine is set to sleep after 2 mins, so that will help save power as well.

[Branleuse]

free apps use a lot of battery as they have so many adverts.
smart phones dont have great battery in general as they DO so much.
dp switches off his wifi, gps and mobile data unless hes actually using the internet at the time.
if shes actually playing with her phone all the time, the battery could easily need charging a couple of times in a day

[KatyMac]

OK it's a Desire C (apparently - she is off in London today; I'll let her read this all tonight when she gets in)

I'll also check some of this myself as mine only lasts a day & a half (but play with it so expect that

[KatyMac]

Thanks everyone - she'll have a go later when she gets in

& I also found this

[niceguy2]

I'm going to guess your DD is quite a heavy user of her phone. This is probably going to be the main reason why hers lasts less than a day and yours 1.5 days.

My phone has a big battery yet doesn't last a normal day. That's usually cos I'm fiddling, checking FB, MN, surfing, watching movies, whatever.

The fact the display is the largest user at 20% tells me that there's no rogue app using all the battery.

Your daughter's best bet is to buy a spare battery and separate charger. I usually have one battery on charge whilst using the other. eBay sell spare batteries for peanuts.

You can spend the next x weeks tweaking, tinkering and tuning the phone to get an extra 10 minutes of battery life. Or buy a second battery for a£5. Your choice.

[KatyMac]

Do you know....I think you could be right!

[KatyMac]

DD says the Screen is 70% not 20%........but she likes your advise NiceGuy

[Imnotaslimjim]

You can get chargers for just the battery, so if she needs it, she can have one in the phone and one on charge. DH's wasn't very much money

[KatyMac]

Thanks

[differentnameforthis]

Be careful with Advanced Task Killer, because it will close down programmes that help the phone run.

[PedroYoniLikesCrisps]

Using task killer apps will actually reduce battery life. If you are using one at the moment, get rid of it. You'll probably find an instant improvement.