Shopping for a new smartphone, whether a flagship, old model, or secondhand phone, is a significant purchase. With the rampant use of technology today, carrying a phone can greatly help your daily endeavors such as making and receiving phone calls, browsing the Internet, and enjoying entertainment.
Did you recently get a new smartphone? A typical smartphone should last about two to four years, even five, if you’re extra careful and gentle with it. Knowing the rising prices of gadgets today, taking care of your new phone is beneficial if you want to save money in the long run.
Read here for guaranteed tips to keep your phone in excellent condition:
1. Invest In A Case And Screen Protector
Physical damage is one of the leading causes of smartphone repair. Even with a protective case, people still have the tendency to drop and damage their phones, so imagine the damage your phone could have incurred without a phone case and screen protector.
The right phone case should protect your phone from bumps and drops, especially if the phone is mostly made of glass. Also, a screen protector safeguards your screen from accidental damage, considering screen replacements are quite costly.
Aside from protection, installing a screen protector offers the following benefits:
- UV damage protection
- Glare reduction
- Dust and finger mark prevention
- Enhanced privacy
2. Keep Away From Liquid And Heat Exposure
Next to physical damage, damage from liquid and extreme temperatures are the top reasons for smartphone defects. Water and moisture can cause corrosion inside various parts of your phone, so keep your phone away from places with water and humidity like swimming pools, bathrooms, and under the rain. Moreover, don’t touch your phone with wet hands.
Heat doesn’t work out well with electronics, either. It slows down your phone’s processes and overworks itself to cool down the device. Leaving your phone in direct sunlight and heat can lead to battery drain, data loss, and battery leakage.
3. Practice Good Battery Usage Habits
Good battery life is the window to a healthy, well-functioning smartphone. Portability is one of the benefits of buying a smartphone, but having a battery that doesn’t last a few hours would render the device useless. Maintaining excellent battery life is something that an owner must diligently work on, so follow these tips to keep your battery in good health:
- Avoid draining your battery
- Charge your phone once the battery level drops to 20%
- Don’t use your device while charging to prevent overheating
- Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when unutilized
- Lower your brightness as much as possible
- Prevent using non-compatible charging cables
Phone batteries have a limited lifespan. If your gadget is still functioning well but the battery drains faster than before and doesn’t complete full recharge cycles anymore, consider getting a battery replacement.
4. Handle The Hardware With Care
Now that you’ve gone this far to take care of your phone, even your small and simple habits matter. Regardless of putting the most durable case or charging it diligently, your phone’s life could shorten if you don’t handle it properly during usage. For example, practice a better grip to avoid dropping your phone. Also, be careful when plugging and unplugging a headset or charger in their respective ports to prevent scratching the material.
Cleaning your device from time to time is also paramount to your smartphone experience. Use a microfiber cloth and diluted isopropyl alcohol to get rid of dirt, smudges, and fingerprints from your device. Also, ensure your hands are always clean when touching your phone.
5. Update The Phone’s OS
A phone’s operating system is the heart of the mobile user experience. As the OS is responsible for integrating the functions of the device’s hardware and software, it’s essential to keep it updated. Most users get hyped with OS updates mainly due to functional and aesthetic updates, but the most important reason to update your operating system is to enhance smartphone security.
To get the latest OS updates, both on Android and iOS, follow these steps:
- Connect your device to a speedy, reliable Wi-Fi network.
- Open Settings > About Phone.
- Find the option with ‘Check for Updates or a similar button.
- Click ‘Install’ where your phone will download updates and reboot.
Along with security patches, other benefits of sporting the latest OS version include improved battery life, performance boost, and bug fixes.
6. Declutter From Time To Time
Because of its portability and convenience, your phone is your most reliable companion. It stores basically every file and data you need such as apps, contact information, photos, videos, and even company or school files. But have you ever asked yourself when the last time you cleaned and organized your phone was?
Conducting a digital declutter on your phone can boost its overall performance and functionality. Your phone uses its memory to process tasks, so leaving various apps running in the background can consume its memory, which could have been allotted to new tasks. Also, photos, videos, voice recordings, and files you probably don’t need to take up space on your device’s storage.
Here are some tips for cleaning up your device and improving organization:
- Hide apps that you don’t use frequently
- Uninstall apps that you don’t use
- Make folders for each type of app (e.g. social, entertainment, productivity, etc.)
- Delete duplicate and unnecessary files
- Turn off unnecessary notifications
If you’re a heavy user, it’s important to plan your smartphone purchase well. Memory-intensive tasks such as gaming and video editing will easily wear your phone out if it has low memory. For storage, you can consider inserting an SD card or buying cloud storage if you’re planning to keep a lot of files accessible.
Bottom Line
Some people take the best care of their gadgets when they’re relatively new and even treat them like their own children. However, their diligent habits to practice mobile phone care and maintenance get lesser as time passes. Don’t be like that type of owner! Make sure to incorporate these tips throughout your phone’s lifetime, and you’ll see a world of difference in your device’s appearance and performance.
