Saving smartphone battery: Simple but little-known tips
In an age where smartphone notifications can pop up hundreds of times a day, a seemingly small action like turning your device face down on a table can save a significant amount of battery.
Many people don’t realize it, but every time a phone receives a notification and the screen lights up, it consumes energy. For smartphone users who regularly participate in group chats, turn on notifications from multiple social networking apps, emails, or messages, this can happen dozens, even hundreds of times a day.
According to a 2023 study, some teens can receive up to hundreds of notifications a day. And while a single notification may not be a big deal, the cumulative effect of hundreds of screen-on-screen alerts can quickly drain your phone's battery.
As CNET points out, something as simple as placing your phone face down on a table can make or break whether your device makes it to the end of the day. When your device is placed face down, the screen won’t light up when you receive a notification, thanks to a combination of the phone’s built-in proximity sensor and ambient light sensor.
These sensors work much like the mechanism that turns off your phone screen when you hold it up to your ear to take a call. When it detects a nearby object (in this case, a tabletop), the proximity sensor will tell the screen to turn off to save power and avoid unwanted touch activation.
This is especially useful in a work environment or during a family meal, when you don't want to be distracted by a bright screen or constant notification sounds. Even if the phone still vibrates or makes a sound, not turning on the screen saves a significant amount of battery, especially for devices with large, bright screens.
In addition to the battery benefits, this little trick also indirectly helps you increase your concentration. In the digital age, where notifications are a constant source of distraction, placing your phone face down on the table is also a way to temporarily “turn off” the digital world so you can work more effectively or enjoy offline time.
Some technology experts even recommend that users should proactively turn off unnecessary notifications, combined with turning the phone face down when needing to concentrate or rest to extend battery life and improve mental health.
In short, with just a simple action like placing your phone face down on the table, you can minimize unnecessary screen light, help save battery and limit distractions during the day.
In a world of technology where everything moves fast and is constantly connected, small changes in your device usage habits can make a big difference, both to your phone battery and your quality of life./.
