If you need to charge your phone quick, here’s how to make that happen.
Sometimes you check your phone just a few minutes before you’re heading out of the house and you realize that 8% isn’t going to last you through the day. Is there enough time before you leave the house to charge it up enough? Even if you have a few minutes before you leave, you may be able to get that extra battery percentage you need to survive the day.
1. Put your phone into Airplane Mode
When you put your phone into Airplane Mode, a lot of the connectivity functions on your phone are turned off - which is great if you’re taking a flight, but also great because these connections drain your battery. By using Airplane Mode, because there’s less of this happening, your phone will charge quicker. Just note that while this is turned on, you won’t be able to receive any calls.
2. Use your wall charger to charge up
By using your wall charger, your phone is able to charge up faster than what it would be able to from a standard USB port. This is because USB 2.0 ports limit the amount of power that flows through to your phone, and most wall chargers allow for a higher power than this.
3. Use a genuine (or name-brand) charger
Aftermarket chargers aren’t the greatest at charging up your phone in a hurry, unless you’re buying from a reputable source. The original charger that you got with your phone is the best to use for charging your device in a hurry. Depending on the aftermarket charger you get, you may also end up with a non-functioning charger (or worse, an electrical malfunction) when you need it the most, so it’s best to stick with the good stuff. This goes for both the USB cable itself and the wall USB plug.
4. Don’t touch your phone
It may be tempting to constantly check your phone while it’s on charge, but the best plan is to leave it alone so that you’re not lighting up the screen, wasting previous battery that you’ll need later on. If your phone’s on Airplane Mode, this is easier since you won’t be getting constant messages and alerts.
5. Turn your phone off
To get the maximum charging speed going, you can also turn off your device while it’s charging. The good news is that your phone is doing absolutely nothing to lose battery, but the tradeoff is that you won’t have access to your phone at all during this time. This only works on Android devices – plugging in a turned off iPhone just turns it back on right away.
Or, get a portable battery charger
Although this isn’t a way to charge your phone quicker, it is a way to make sure that your phone doesn’t die while you’re out. These portable battery chargers are relatively inexpensive and can easily get you through a night out.
They come in various sizes, so depending on what you need and how big you prefer it to be, you’ll have something for you. For longer backpacking adventures, a larger one may be suitable since you can get a few charges on your phone after recharging the battery once. However, for a simple night out, a smaller one that fits into your pocket will work perfectly fine.