Mobile Phone Tips

Top Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Mobile Phone

From maximising your battery life to stretching your data allowance, here are our top tips for getting the most out of your phone.

Today’s smartphones are super-sophisticated and chock-full of handy features. Here are our tips and tricks to make sure you’re getting the most out of your phone.

1. Keep your battery happy

While most modern smartphones are designed to provide several hours of performance under normal use, there are many factors that can cause your battery to drain faster than it needs to.

Here are some ways to help your battery go the extra mile for you:

• Keep it cool. Extreme heat is a known battery zapper. For the best performance and longevity, never subject your phone to high temperatures and remove the cover when charging to prevent it from generating excess heat.
• Turn off GPS. Location services such as Google Maps are notorious for draining batteries quickly. Turn off GPS-based applications whenever you’re not using them.
• Adjust your email’s fetch settings. Unless you have an urgent need for up-to-the-minute notifications, set your phone to only update your inbox every 30 minutes or more.
• Update apps. Turn off automatic app updates and instead update them manually when needed.
• Kill push notifications. Every ding, buzz or flash drains your battery a little, so consider limiting notifications to help save on battery life throughout the day.
• Keep software updated. Software updates often contain new energy-saving technologies, so don’t ignore those reminders.
• Store it half-charged. If you’re not going to be using your phone for a while, store it with a battery charge level of 50% to help increase longevity.

2. Be data savvy

Watching videos and downloading files can quickly eat up your monthly data allowance. Use Wi-Fi instead of 3G/4G to save on data when surfing the web, watching videos or downloading apps on your phone.

Here are the general steps to connect to the internet on a mobile device:

• Set up your Wi-Fi network. When you’re in range of a Wi-Fi network, go into your phone’s settings and set up your Wi-Fi connection under the ‘Wi-Fi’ option. If it’s a secure network, you will need the login ID and password for the network to authenticate.
• Set your apps to use Wi-Fi. Next, go into your phone’s mobile settings, find your list of apps, and set them to use Wi-Fi instead of mobile. You can switch back to mobile at any time.

Once you’ve set up your Wi-Fi connection and changed your app settings, they will automatically use the Wi-Fi network whenever it’s in range. However, you may have to switch back to using mobile data when you’re no longer in the Wi-Fi network area.

Check your phone’s documentation for more details.

3. Get your privacy settings right

Between prying eyes and third party apps all trying to access your data, making sure you have the right privacy settings on your smart phone can be a challenge.

Here are some tips:

• Get password secure. One of the easiest ways to protect your privacy is to set your screen lock password. Choose a strong 6-digit passcode that’s easy for you to remember but would be hard for someone else to guess.
• Say no to location services. Turn off your phone’s location services setting, or only turn them on for the apps you frequently use.
• Stop apps in their tracks. Don’t let outside third party apps, such as Twitter or Facebook, access the personal data on your phone. If you’ve already granted access, you may have to reinstall the app or ask the service provider to change the settings.
• Turn off message previews. Most phones will display a preview of your messages on your lock screen. Turn this setting off if you’re concerned about others seeing snippets of your private communications.
• Block it out. Consider installing a content blocker on your phone to block unwanted ads and prevent marketers from tracking your behaviour online.

4. Phone insurance – yay or nay?

If you worry about dropping or losing your phone, taking out mobile phone insurance can offer peace of mind.

A mobile phone policy may cover:

• A new replacement phone if yours gets lost or stolen.
• Free repairs if your phone suffers accidental damage or electronic breakdown – plus a loaner phone while yours is at the shop.
• A limited amount of cover for unauthorised usage charges.

Keep in mind that this extra cover does come at a price and you may be required to pay an excess if you make a claim.

In some cases, it may be cheaper to include cover for your phone under your home’s contents policy. Always check the terms and conditions to see exactly what you’ll be covered for.

To make sure you have the right phone and plan for your needs, compare offers from our participating mobile provider today.