Tech Trick: How to Save Your Battery While Playing Pokemon Go
Pokemon Go can be draining, both for your free time — SERIOUSLY, WHERE HAS ALL OUR FREE TIME GONE? — and for your phone’s battery life while you’re playing. But there are a few hacks to help you save battery and catch even more Pokemon. As for your time? We don’t know how to save that. If you find out, please let us know.
1. Turn on battery saver. The app already knows it kills your battery — in fact, there’s already a button inside the app to help you out. To activate the feature, tap your Poke Ball, then tap the settings gear in the upper right corner. Then, just check “Battery saver.” The app will automatically turn off the screen for you when it detects the phone is upside down (aka, in your pocket) and vibrate to notify you when something new happens.
2. Turn off AR. One of the coolest features of the app is the ability to see Pokemon running around in your everyday life with Augmented Reality (AR). But it’s also one of the most battery-consuming parts of the game — and it’s not that vital. You can turn it off just by toggling the AR switch in the upper right corner next time you encounter a Pokemon. Instead of draining your battery by constantly keeping your camera on, the app will now place a screen that looks more like a regular video game behind the Pokemon. You can play exactly the same, it just looks a bit different.
3. Pretend your phone is dying. You know the panic mode that hits when you see your phone only has 20 percent charge left? Turn those senses into high gear and spend your entire game play being conscious of battery life. That means turning your screen brightness waaaaayyy down and activating your phone’s Low Power Mode. On iPhones, this can be found in the Settings menu. Go to Battery, then toggle the switch and you’re good to go. Turn off the music, sound effects and vibrations in the app settings, and you should be ready to catch Pokemon all day.
Good luck out there, Master Trainers.
Are you still addicted to Pokemon Go? Let us know @BritandCo!