Do you often find your Android smartphone’s battery running out faster than usual? Although there could be many reasons why your phone’s battery drains quickly, some Google applications are known to be battery-hoggers. In this article, we’ll discuss six Google applications that cause wasted Android smartphone battery and how you can prevent them from draining your phone’s battery.
Gmail
Gmail is one of the most popular email applications for Android smartphones. However, it’s also one of the applications that can drain the battery quickly. The reason why Gmail causes wasted battery is due to the way it syncs your email and contacts automatically. While this feature can be beneficial, it can also be a battery drainer.
The solution to this problem is to configure your Gmail synchronization settings to manual instead of automatically syncing your emails and contacts in real-time. To do this, follow these steps:
- Open the Gmail app on your Android smartphone.
- Click on the three horizontal lines located in the upper-left corner of the screen.
- Select “Settings.”
- Click on your email account.
- Scroll down to “Data usage.”
- Select “Sync Gmail.”
- Choose “Manual” instead of “Automatic.”
Google Maps
Google Maps is another popular application that can cause your Android smartphone’s battery to drain quickly, especially if you use it for long periods of time or in locations where the GPS signal is weak. The reason behind this issue is that the GPS and location services drain your phone’s battery.
If you need to use Google Maps for navigation, it’s recommended to use it with the screen turned off, or by lowering the screen brightness to extend battery life. Additionally, you can also try the following steps to help save your battery:
- Turn off GPS when not in use.
- Clear cache and data regularly.
- Use Wi-Fi instead of mobile data when possible.
Google Play Store
The Google Play Store is an application that we frequently use to download and install applications, games, and other content on our Android smartphones. However, it can also cause wasted battery life as it continuously updates the applications installed on our devices, even those we may not regularly use.
To reduce battery drain caused by the Google Play Store, it’s recommended to change the settings to limit background data usage. Follow these steps to configure your Google Play Store settings:
- Open your Android smartphone’s settings.
- Select “Apps and notifications.”
- Click on “Google Play Store.”
- Click on “Data usage.”
- Choose “App download preference.”
- Select “Over Wi-Fi only.”
- Choose “Auto-update apps.”
- Select “Don’t auto-update apps.”
Google Chrome
Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers for Android smartphones. However, it’s also a battery hogger due to the way it uses the internet, especially when multiple tabs are open, and videos are being played. These features can cause your Android smartphone’s battery to run out of power quickly.
To reduce the battery use of Google Chrome on your Android device, it’s recommended to close all tabs that are not in use and to turn off the data saver mode. Here are the steps to follow:
- Open the Google Chrome application on your Android smartphone.
- Click on the three vertical dots located in the upper-right corner of the screen.
- Select “Settings.”
- Click on “Data Saver.”
- Turn off Data Saver Mode.
- Choose a light-colored theme instead of a dark theme.
- Close any tabs that are not in use.
Google Assistant
Google Assistant is a popular personal assistant feature that is built into most Androids. However, it can also cause wasted battery life due to the way it continuously listens for your voice commands. While this feature can be useful, it’s also a battery drainer.
To prevent Google Assistant from draining your Android smartphone’s battery, it’s recommended to limit its use or disable it altogether. Here are the steps to follow:
- Open the Google Assistant application on your Android smartphone.
- Click on the three horizontal lines located in the upper-left corner of the screen.
- Select “Settings.”
- Select “Phone.”
- Disable “Ok Google” if you don’t use it.
- Reduce the voice unlock settings.
- Disable Google Assistant altogether if not in use.
Google Photos
Google Photos is a popular application used for storing, sharing, and editing photos and videos on Android smartphones. However, it can also cause wasted battery life due to the way it backs up your photos and videos automatically to the cloud. This feature can cause battery drain, especially if you take many photos and videos.
To prevent Google Photos from draining your Android smartphone’s battery, it’s recommended to adjust the backup settings to manual. Here are the steps to follow:
- Open the Google Photos application on your Android smartphone.
- Click on the three horizontal lines in the upper-left corner of the screen.
- Select “Settings.”
- Select “Back up & sync.”
- Change the “Back up & sync” settings to manual.
- Select the folders to be backed up manually.
- Clear the cache and data regularly to free up storage space.
Conclusion
In conclusion, several Google applications can cause wasted battery life, resulting in the need to recharge your Android smartphone frequently. By following the simple tips mentioned above and optimizing the settings of these applications, you can extend your phone’s battery life and use it without any inconvenience. Remember that you don’t need to disable these applications outright, but you can adjust their settings to optimize their battery consumption and increase the longevity of your Android smartphone’s battery.
We hope you found this information helpful. See you again in another interesting article.
