Mobile phones have become, well, kind of insane, honestly. Do you remember when they only made calls? Now they are like little, portable computers to have in our pockets. They do everything, too many things sometimes, and they do not always do it in a logical manner. You are always swiping and tapping, and trying to remember where the thing you just used last went after the last system update! But there are actually a lot of little tips, 15 to be exact, that you can use to lessen your frustration outside of surfing the net on your phone that we learned about, and by the way, wait till you learn them because you will have that ‘oh wow , that is how it was supposed to work’ moment!
1. Speed Up The Charging Process
Time No need to have broken thumbs unplugging or uncharging your phone. If you need your phone to charge in a shorter amount of time, switch the phone to airplane mode before plugging in.
2. Protect Your Phone
For a beach day or just out and about for the day near water, place your phone in a Ziploc bag. Seriously, it works. You can still access the phone via the touchscreen through the plastic, and it does keep some of the sand, splashes of water, and other wetness out. It may not be high tech, it may not be high end, but it better than dropping your phone in the ocean and pretending that you don’t care while you scream inside. But what if your phone does get wet? The first thing to know is why you should never put your phone in rice—it’s a common myth that can actually make things worse.
3. DIY Phone Holder
Don’t have a mount? No worries, if you are using your phone for directions and nothing fancy is in the car to hold it in place, then just use a rubber band – whatever rubber band! If you want to hold it in place through the air vent – just pull the rubber band under and through to hold the phone secure. Janky, I know, but it will work in a pinch. Better to not fumble over it in your lap trying to watch the road (to not miss a turn).
4. Boost Your Signal
If you are in an area with poor reception, turn your phone back on after switching it to airplane mode. It will then try to find the strongest signal in the area for connection. By the way, there are some surprisingly effective ways to boost your cell phone signal.
5. Clean Your Phone
We touch our phones ALL the time – like way more than we think – and they have basically become germ hotels. The easiest way to clean it is to spray a little on a microfiber cloth and wipe it down – screen, case, buttons and all. But, you know, don’t overdo it. My husband? He is a major over-cleaner. He uses rubbing alcohol wipes to clean his phone so often I am convinced he is going to strip it down to the wires! It bothers him not at all. But, moderation is the key?
6. Preserve Your Battery
A hidden culprit in why your battery might be always draining faster than it should, is the brightness. It literally sucks down power. Just lower it a little – does not matter how low, we are just trying to lower it – does not need to be at best brightness all the time. You might just be amazed at how much longer your phone will last when you aren’t trying to be blinded by the screen.
7. Exit Out Of Apps
This is the weird thing people will forget: close your apps. Like, actually swipe out of them when you’re done. Leaving a bunch of things open, in the background – maps, Instagram, whatevs – it’s a sneaky little battery killer. Even if you are done using those apps, they are still stealing some of your battery like little gremlins in the background. Just exit out of them. Every little bit helps.
8. Use “Find My Phone”
Make sure you download the app “Find My Phone”. If you happen to lose your phone, you will be able to track its location on another smartphone.
9. Amplify Your Alarm
If you tend to sleep through your alarm, put your phone in an empty cup before you go to bed. The cup will amplify the sound of your alarm.
10. Delete Messages
It is important to delete text messages after a certain period of time. They take up a bunch of storage you could be using for pictures or apps.
11. Screenshot Directions
Navigation apps are fantastic — until your battery dies, and you lose signal while you are in the middle of nowhere. No kidding, one of the quickest things you could do before you go is just screenshot the directions. Like, the entire route. It won’t drain your battery, it won’t use up your data, and you don’t have to panic when your GPS freezes right before you need to exit. It’s low-tech and yet somehow it works.
12. Find Your Parking Space
If you’re parking at a crowded venue or pulling into airport parking, snap a pic. You’ll have an easier time finding your car down the road. Trust me, it’s great tip out here. My friend couldn’t find her car for an hour in a parking lot. No exaggeration. She was so frustrated. I easily take pictures of where I park. It’s just a thing I do, even it if does get a skeptical grin from my husband.
13. Set Emergency Settings
Most smart phones have emergency settings that can be opened up by hospital staff, etc. even if your phone is locked. This will let them know who you are, if you have any medical conditions, and who they should contact. Learn more in this guide on medical settings for your smartphone.
14. Improve Video Audio
If you’ve shot a video and the video sounds like crap (too windy, or weird back ground noise), you can simply place your finger gently over the mic while you shoot. Just resting your finger on there, not pushing down at all. This will eliminate a lot of that background noise, and allow what you are trying to shoot sound clearer. No effort, doesn’t make any sense, but super useful.
15. Save On Data
If you’ve been following your phone bill slowly creeping up because you’re using all your data every month (yeah, same), one easy solution is checking your settings and looking at all of your apps privacy settings. Many apps are syphoning data in the background when you aren’t even using it. Especially if the apps are tracking your location. Do you really need each and every app to know where you are 24/7? At the very least, make sure you switch them off when you aren’t using them. You’d be surprised to see how fast it all adds up!
