POKEMON GO has taken over lives, but it’s also taken over the battery life on smartphones.
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The app has Australians around the world running around chasing and capturing Pokemon, but there are times, when you can hear the distressing cries of Pokefans who have lost rare monsters or battles, because their phones have run out of battery.
Pokemon GO takes a big toll on your phone’s battery life since the app requires the screen, GPS and data to run constantly while in use.
Finder.com.au tech and telco editor Alex Kidman said games typically were battery hogs and Pokemon GO was no excuse.
“It operates on the screen which is nearly the biggest use of battery, really impacting the phone’s battery life,” Mr Kidman said.
But, Pokefans, have no fear, there are ways to reduce the amount of battery used and play for longer.
App settings
The app has a battery-saving feature which can be switched on when you’re power is getting low or if you’re expecting to be out playing for a while. To turn it on, simply go into the phone settings and select battery saver. The screen can then be dimmed while the phone is upside down.
“The idea being that you can have the phone in your pocket while still getting notifications,” Mr Kidman said.
Phone settings
While you can’t do much with the GPS data, Mr Kidman said you can dim the screen brightness, disable other background apps and reduce or turn off the phone’s volume.
“Dimming the screen brightness is really effective,” he said.
But, Mr Kidman has warned not to get too excited about the lower power mode feature available on some smartphones.
“The low power mode feature on phones seems to cause some technical issues,” he said.
“It’s experimental and varies phone to phone.”
But, there is hope
If all else fails, you can get an external battery pack to save the day.
They range in size, with the smaller ones holding less power and the bigger, bulky ones, keeping your phone going for a lot longer, with some doubling the battery life of your device.
You can buy them online or at gadget stores such as JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman.
Which phones have better battery life?
According to Mr Kidman, the bigger the phone the better.
“Basically any phone above six inches will usually have longer battery life,” he said.
“Phablets (in between a phone and a tablet) have the best battery life because of size.”
Finder.com.au has tested every major smartphone released in Australia in the past 18 months. Here's how they stack up according to the phone’s battery duration, measured in hours, minutes and seconds:
- Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: 11:55:00
- Huawei Mate 8: 11:14:40
- Samsung Galaxy J2: 10:05:20
- Samsung Galaxy S7: 10:01:20
- Samsung Galaxy Note 5: 9:18:00
- Huawei P9: 8:26:30
- Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+: 8:24:10
- LG Stylus DAB+: 8:11:40
- Apple iPhone 6S Plus: 7:48:10
- LG G5: 7:36:10
If all else fails
Uninstall the app.