Pokémon Go is taking the world by storm, but if you’ve spent the past few days chasing virtual creatures around your neighborhood, you’ve probably noticed that it also destroys your battery life. Here are a few tips to keep to help you squeeze every last drop of power from your Pokémon-catching smartphone of choice.
1) Turn on the Pokémon Go battery saver
Mike Wehner
It seems Pokémon Go developer Niantic realized that battery life was going to be an issue, so it included a handy little battery-saving feature right in the app itself. Tap the Pokéball icon on the main screen and then select the Settings gear icon in the upper right. Now, toggle “Battery Saver” on. This will dim the screen whenever you’re carrying your phone in your pocket, but it will still allow you to feel vibrations whenever a new Pokémon pops up on your map.
2) Dim your screen
Mike Wehner
It should come as no surprise that keeping your screen open with the Pokémon Go app is a huge waste of battery life, but since you need the app to be active in order to catch new beasts, it’s still a necessity. Mitigate this drawback by keeping your screen as dim as possible, while still being able to see the screen. If the glare of your surroundings is too much, consider investing in a matte (not glossy) screen protector, which will kill the glare and let you see a dim screen even better in full sunlight.
Read more from the Daily Dot:
- Pokémon Go: A beginner’s guide for getting started
- A beginner’s guide to Pokémon Go battles
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3) Download your local Google Maps data locally
Mike Wehner
One interesting tip that is making the rounds has to do with how Pokémon Go uses data from Google Maps in order to keep your in-game surroundings up-to-date. To make things a bit easier for your phone, you can download your Google Maps data locally, which will prevent the Pokémon Go app from having to access the internet every time you move to a new area. To do this, open Google Maps, tap the Settings drop-down menu, select Offline Areas and then hit the plus sign. Now click Download and your mapping info will be saved, potentially minimizing both power and data drain for your future hunts.
4) Put your phone in low-power mode
Mike Wehner
Both iOS and Android devices come with battery-saving Low Power modes, so make the most of them when you’re out hunting for Pokémon. On iOS, head into your Settings, then tap Battery and toggle Low Power Mode on. Similarly, on Android, go into your settings, tap Battery, and then Battery Saver. Both of these modes can be activated even when your phone is at full power, and they won’t affect the performance of the Pokémon Go app, so go ahead and turn it on even if you have plenty of juice left. You’ll be glad you did.
If you’re one of the millions who is currently obsessed with Pokémon Go, there’s lots more to know: