When you travel half-way across the world and want to snap some pics of that monument you’ll probably never get to see again in your lifetime, the last thing you want is an ‘insufficent battery’ alert when you open up your camera.
If you’ve been there, Dawn Weir, head of Kulula work feels your pain. She said mobile devices have changed life and business so much that it can feel impossible to be without them.
“They give us instant access to information, colleagues, clients and loved ones. But taking always-on electronic communications with us while traveling can lead to some stressful moments, especially for business travellers.
Understanding why our devices act the way they do will help us deal with their limitations.”
Batteries tend to lose efficiency over time. That can lead to some frustration because your trusty – and fairly new – device may work perfectly in every other way, apart from its battery losing its mojo.
For example, the more often that you allow your device’s battery to drain completely or to drain to critically low levels, the more you’ll shorten your phone’s battery’s life.
Weir shares 5 ways we can slow that deterioration.
STEP 1: BE MINDFUL
avoid running your device’s battery flat, and recharge it before the battery level is too low. One way to do this is to carry a portable battery pack and charge it fully before hitting the road.
STEP 2: SLOW DOWN
Weir explains that while charging your phone in five minutes is useful when you’re in a hurry, it will harm your phone’s battery capacity over time. So only use the quick-charge when you really need to.
STEP 3: GO OFFLINE
Some mobile applications use a lot more juice than others. Watching video drains battery quickly, as does having the screen brightness turned up. Using mobile data also uses around a quarter more power than being connected to wifi. You might want to be online constantly, but take a deep breath and disconnect for a while if you’re concerned about losing battery-life before you can recharge.
STEP 4: SWIPE RIGHT
This has nothing to do with Tinder. It’s about shutting down apps and screens that you might forget you have open. If your browser, WhatsApp, Candy Crush, Facebook and Twitter are running in the background, they’ll have a cumulative effect on your device’s battery. Hit the “home” button on your device and shut off whichever apps you aren’t using. Deleting apps you no longer need should also help.
STEP 5: BE COOL
In hot conditions, your phone will charge faster, but that will also reduce the life of its battery. Some road warriors take their devices out of their protective cases so that the heat won’t build up while they charge. But don’t do anything radical like putting yours in a freezer if it feels too hot. Electronic devices don’t like sudden changes in temperature.
READ NEXT: Liezel van der Westhuizen shares her top travel tips
AUTHOR: IOL Supplied
