It happens to all of us: you are running around all day, sending messages and opening apps on your phone, and long before you are home you get the dreaded warning that your battery is low.
But before you panic, we have some secrets to keep that phone running hours longer, and even to keep it from ever reaching that low battery level.
Phone use increases in September
Back to school and back to work means we'll be on our phones a lot more than in the summer.
So if you get a low-power warning on your iPhone -- or similar alert on your android --Lifehacker.com says don't just dismiss it.
By going to "Low Power Mode" or "Battery Saver," you automatically disable updates and mail syncing, and instantly help the remianing 20 percent last longer.
Save power even earlier
But don't wait until the 20 percent mark. Even before you get that warning, though, Lifehacker suggests disabling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and reducing screen brightness to prevent your phone from even getting to 20%.
There are two things that can really kill your battery when it starts to get low.
One is "fetching," your phone's constant grabbing of new emails and refreshing its apps. The other is "location services," which constantly connects to GPS satellites to find your location.
Lifehacker suggests you turn off fetch and location services once your phone gets down to 25 percent. You'll be glad you did.
One more thing you can do once you get down to that 25 percent level: If you are able to use WiFi, turn off data.
Low battery? How to charge it fast
Finally, if your battery is down at 10 percent, or worse, at zero, check out these great tips from Simplemost on how to charge your phone in just 5 minutes.
Never ignore a low battery warning on your phone. It will drop precipitously if you do nothing.
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