Pokémon Go kills your battery. I think we all know that by now but it is because of the fact that the game uses your data, GPS, your phone’s camera, and obviously the screen. A ton of people have noticed a significant battery drain while they catch those sneaky little monsters (here’s something new: the recent update has made it much more difficult to catch Pokémons 😑). Many people are now carrying backup batteries (also known as power-banks or portable chargers) so they extend their playing time. Pokémon Go has sparked an increase in backup battery sales (they have doubled, to be specific). 1.2 million portable batteries have been sold between July 10th and July 23rd (Pokémon Go was released on July 6th)!
This is not really a good thing for smartphone owners as it will ruin the battery’s life cycle if a consumer keeps draining and recharging their phone again and again. Pokémon Go drains battery life, so you will naturally have to charge your device a couple of times throughout the day to keep it juiced up. This will shorten the lifetime of your phone’s battery (over a period of time), which means you will have to find a way to get it replaced (smartphones with replaceable batteries for the win!).
So how can you possibly save battery while playing Pokémon Go even though it is known for draining your smartphone’s battery? Here are a few tips that can help you save a couple of percent!
Lower Your Screen’s Brightness
This first tip is pretty obvious, but many don’t pay attention. Check your phone’s brightness before you head out. Try to find a sweet spot so you can actually see your screen under the bright sun without wasting your battery.
Find A Good Power-bank (This is so ironic)
Just a few paragraphs ago, we were talking about how power-banks can ruin your phone’s battery cycle. This is definitely true as I mentioned before, but it will not ruin your battery if used in moderation. Your phone’s battery capacity gets worse anyways, if you use it constantly. There is no way to escape this, but using a power-bank will not ruin your phone’s battery significantly to be completely honest.
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Turn Off AR Mode
AR mode in Pokémon Go uses your phone’s camera to display a Pokémon in your surroundings. AR (augmented reality) will drain your battery for sure because your camera will turn on every time a Pokémon appears. Turning AR off (option is available on the top right when you’re trying to capture a Pokémon) will not only save battery but it will also make it easier to catch a Pokémon as there will be a still image behind your Pokémon instead of an actual environment.
Turn On Battery Saver Option In The Settings
Pokémon Go has an in-built battery saver that will dim the screen while you are incubating eggs. For those of you who live under a rock (or Onix), you need to keep your phone awake when you’re incubating eggs because your phone has to track how many kilometers you have walked. This is another step that will definitely save some of your phone’s power.
A Couple Of Other Small Steps
You can turn off the vibration feature that causes your phone to vibrate when a Pokémon appears on screen through the settings in the app, but this just means that you will have to be more careful as you may miss a Pokémon if you are not looking at your screen while walking.
Another little tip is that you should use the “Battery Saving” option under the “Location” setting if you are an Android user, but this can interfere with the game.
Those are all the things I have done to reduce the battery drain caused by Pokémon Go. If you guys have any other tips, then be sure to leave them in the comments!
