Pokémon Go, a new mobile game from Nintendo, is finally available for people to download and play, but users are quickly discovering one of the game’s big draining problems.
Pokémon Go allows you to find and capture Pokémon in the real world through augmented reality technology, but it comes at a cost of your smartphone’s battery life. Fans soon found that out the hard way after finding out their battery percentage went down drastically from when they started to play the game.
Pokemon Go killed my phone battery in two hours. I can use my phone an entire day before it needs to be charged normally…
— Peachi (@Peachibon) July 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/murderous_andy/status/750702739177562112
Battery was at 8% by 1PM. Charged it up and it's already down to 42. Pokemon GO used Mega Drain – super effective. pic.twitter.com/nu8GS5Yv4g
— Paul (@ghostlycola) July 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/armeddragonlv3/status/750499935104229377
Never seen a game drain battery like Pokemon Go. Even my 6s loses 10% in 20 minutes – WITH the charger connected!
— Cameron Davis – mastodon.social/@CameronDavis (@Gazunta) July 6, 2016
More like Pokémon Use Up All The Battery And Stall My Phone! #PokemonGO
— brendan maclean (@macleanbrendan) July 6, 2016
The battery issues with Pokémon Go is something that Niantic, the game’s developer, is aware of and lists “Heavy battery use” on a page of its Known Issues.
“Some devices may experience battery drain while playing Pokémon GO for prolonged periods of time,” it reads. “We are working on a solution.”
Pokémon fans have worried about for the game’s effect on battery life months before it became an issue. Here are a few antidotes you can try to make your battery life last longer.
- Turn on Battery Saver Mode: An option available directly in Pokémon Go, hold the Poké Ball on your screen and select “Settings” on the top right of your screen. Turn on Battery Saver. However, some have reported that Battery Saver Mode isn’t super effective.
PokemonGo/ColetteBennett
- Lower your screen brightness: Manually turn it down in your phone’s settings so that your screen is using less battery.
- Turn off anything you’re not using. That might include closing other apps, turning off Bluetooth and Wifi, switching your phone to Airplane Mode, and muting the sound.
- Use an external charger: Want to play but can’t access your wall charger? Carry one with you, which will let you play longer with a power boost.
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Update 11:12am CT, July 7: This story has been updated to include tips on saving your battery life.
H/T Kotaku