Boost battery life on Windows Phone 8
-Whether you're new to Windows Phone 8 or have been rocking it since 2012, it is never a bad time to make sure you're getting as much battery life as possible.
Decreasing brightness and disabling Wi-Fi when you're not using it are a couple obvious tips, but there are also some other settings buried in the system and they could be seriously draining your battery.
All right, head to Settings and follow along.
Most of what we're doing is disabling unnecessary features, but if you actually use one, keep it enabled, obviously.
Okay, first, go to Wi-Fi and tap Advanced and uncheck these two boxes.
Now, your phone won't waste energy always looking for hot spots.
Now, back in Settings, click on Tap and Send and turn it off.
Okay, there are few more things you should tweak in the System Settings menu.
Go to e-mail and accounts, and
for each account, adjust the Download New Content option to the lowest frequency you're comfortable with.
If you can, choose manually, otherwise, go for hourly.
Now, head back and go to Backup.
Backing up your data is really important, but it will be less of a drain on your battery if you did it manually.
So, turn off each Backup option, and then, when you do wanna back up your data, enable it and hit Backup Now.
And finally, go to Phone Update and
uncheck Automatically Download Updates.
Now, your phone will still tell you if there's an update, but it won't download it automatically, which is the worst when you're trying to be careful about your battery life.
Okay, back in the Settings menu, swipe over to Applications.
Here, we'll take a few important things.
Under Background Tasks, you'll see apps have permission to run in the background.
Go through this list and block any apps you don't absolutely need.
Now, go to Games and turn off Connect with
Xbox and Sync game requests.
Again, if you use these features, leave them enabled.
Head back and go to Music plus Videos.
Here, turn off Connect with Xbox Music and this Cloud Collection feature, if you don't use it.
With these changes, you should see a significant increase in your phone's battery life, and if you want even more battery saving tips, check out the extended guide on CNET How-To.
And if you have a tip of your own, don't be shy, let me know on Twitter.
For CNET, I'm Sharon Vaknin.
Up Next
Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2
Up Next
Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2
How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro
How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro
How to Make a GPT in ChatGPT-4
How to Make a GPT in ChatGPT-4
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy Watch 6
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy Watch 6
Tech Shows
Latest News All latest news
Apple May Give FineWoven Accessories 1 More Season
Apple May Give FineWoven Accessories 1 More Season
US vs. TikTok: What Happens Next
US vs. TikTok: What Happens Next
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
What to Expect at Apple's May 7 iPad Event
What to Expect at Apple's May 7 iPad Event
Did a Week With the Apple Watch Make Me Use My iPhone Less?
Did a Week With the Apple Watch Make Me Use My iPhone Less?
How Google Tests the Cameras in Its Pixel Phones
How Google Tests the Cameras in Its Pixel Phones
Most Popular All most popular
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Latest Products All latest products
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
2025 Audi Q6, SQ6 E-Tron: Audi's Newest EV Is Its Most Compelling
2025 Audi Q6, SQ6 E-Tron: Audi's Newest EV Is Its Most Compelling
Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
Latest How To All how to videos
Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2
Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2
How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro