5 tips to keep your smartphone working well and lasting longer.

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After years of use, smartphones show signs of wear and tear, such as faster battery drain, reduced storage capacity, and increased scratches. While buying a new smartphone might seem like the best option, constantly upgrading your phone can drain your budget and put a strain on the environment.

Here are five simple ways users can ensure their smartphones function well and last as long as possible.

1. Update your software regularly.

Many people may find it annoying and ignore notifications requesting them to update their smartphone's software to the latest version. However, regularly updating to the latest software versions offers many benefits for your smartphone.

In addition to updating to the latest features, software updates offer a list of benefits aimed at improving user satisfaction and privacy, such as bug fixes, performance enhancements, improved security, and better application compatibility.

These latest software updates will fix security vulnerabilities in the operating system. Therefore, updating to the latest software versions is the best way to prevent cybercriminals from exploiting security flaws. When smartphones run on older software, passwords, banking information, photos, and contact information are more vulnerable to hacking.

2. Taking care of your smartphone battery.

Perhaps the most common reason smartphone users give for buying a new phone is that their current phone's battery capacity has significantly decreased. And while most modern smartphones use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, that doesn't mean they'll last forever.

Numerous factors can contribute to reduced smartphone battery life. These factors range from the size and number of downloaded apps to the number of photos stored on the phone or screen brightness.

Users can protect their smartphone battery life in several ways. Many of us might charge our phones to 100% overnight by leaving them plugged in while we sleep, but experts say there are smarter ways to do it.

Typically, smartphone batteries start to degrade after a certain number of charging cycles. Therefore, limiting frequent charging is a solution to help the battery last longer. However, to avoid frequent charging, we should keep our smartphones from running out of battery completely by reducing screen brightness, turning off location services and 3G/4G connectivity, and Bluetooth when not in use, as these features constantly run in the background and consume a significant amount of battery power.

Another thing to note when charging your phone is that you shouldn't charge it for too long during the day, especially in hot weather. The heat from the sun combined with the high temperature during charging can damage the battery and internal components of the smartphone. Instead, users can place their smartphones in shaded areas or on cool surfaces while charging to avoid this problem.

3. Use memory wisely.

After some use, your smartphone's memory will fill up, and the system will notify you that you're running low on space because it has stored a lot of images, videos, files, and downloaded applications.

To maintain sufficient memory for your smartphone, users should regularly delete apps, photos, videos, and downloaded files that they no longer use, or save them to another device.

Additionally, if you're using an iPhone, you might consider upgrading to iCloud+ to increase your storage capacity to 50 GB, 200 GB, or even up to 1 TB.

If you're using an Android smartphone, you might consider upgrading to Google One, a service Google developed to help paying users store more data in the cloud. The advantage of Google One is that it offers a lower price but provides more storage than Google Drive.

In addition to the default 15GB of storage, Google One users can expand their cloud storage to 100GB, 200GB, 2TB, 10TB, 20TB, and 30TB for more ample storage across services like Google Photos and Gmail.

4. Protect your smartphone's hardware.

Protecting your smartphone's hardware is crucial for its longevity. Therefore, users should choose a sturdy phone case and screen protector for their smartphone. This will be very helpful if the smartphone is accidentally dropped.

Most current smartphones have glass front screens and back covers. Glass is the material of choice for smartphone manufacturers because it is more compatible with wireless charging than aluminum.

Currently, there are two types of screen protectors: plastic and tempered glass. Plastic screen protectors are more durable and reusable, but they can smudge the screen due to scratches and fingerprints. Tempered glass screen protectors, on the other hand, offer better protection because they can absorb impact forces on the screen.

Phone cases help protect the back of your smartphone and the rear camera from damage. Some cases are waterproof, so users can confidently use their phones by the pool or sink. Besides protection, phone cases also add personality to your smartphone.

5. Avoid extreme temperatures.

On hot days, users should keep their smartphones away from heat sources such as direct sunlight. High temperatures from sunlight will cause smartphones to heat up quickly, even causing burns to the touch. This situation will be even worse if you are listening to music, making calls, or charging your phone while under high heat.

Therefore, if you're at home, you shouldn't place your smartphone near a window. If you're outside, you should use cloths to cover your phone. Similarly, experts advise users not to leave smartphones in cars or in enclosed rooms without air conditioning.

In addition, pockets are also considered a dangerous environment for smartphones because they are in direct contact with body heat. Therefore, users should keep their smartphones in handbags or wallets instead of shirt or trouser pockets to avoid overheating.

If you have to leave your smartphone outdoors in the heat, turn off location services, 3G/4G and Bluetooth connections, reduce screen brightness, and turn off all notifications.

Some smartphones have a boost mode to improve performance when playing games. However, this feature also consumes battery power and causes the device to heat up quickly. Therefore, it is advisable to turn them off and switch to the built-in battery saving mode to protect your smartphone during hot weather.