subject: 5 Tips to Extend your iPod's Battery Life [print this page] When I was paying for my iPod, I asked the person at the Apple Store how long the battery typically lasts. While I already knew the answer, I wanted to see if he would give me the official "up to 12 hours" answer, or if he would throw in what any iPod owner already knows. That is, we all know iPods often lose battery power in half that time. Most people get around 6 to 8 hours of real use before having to recharge. After about a year of daily use, I have had my iPod Touch long enough to offer some advice on ways to extend battery life. Here are 5 tips that will save your battery but will not affect the usability or operation of your iPod.
Kill the Wi-Fi If you are using your iPod while jogging or while washing your car, Wi-Fi is useless. Go into your settings and turn it off. Maintaining a connection to the internet drains battery life and does nothing to improve the functionality of your iPod unless you are actually browsing the internet or using an application which requires an internet connection.
Use the Pause Button When you take your ear-buds out to take a phone call or to pay for something at a grocery store, pause whatever it is you are listening to. It's easy. Until Apple starts manufacturing ear-buds with proximity sensors that know when you remove them from your ears, pausing your iPod will be a manual process. This process, however, will extend battery life by more than 30%.
Turn on the Auto-Brightness Feature Your iPod is smart enough to adjust the brightness of your iPod screen according to your surroundings. Auto-brightness will dim your iPod if you walk into a poorly lit area, and will increase brightness if are you in a bright area. The backlight of an iPod consumes an immense amount of battery life. It does not need to be at its brightest at all times. If you activate the auto-brightness feature, you will not notice any difference is usability. You will see your battery life extended, however.
Keep it Cool Your iPod's battery is somewhat heat sensitive. Keep your device as close to room temperature as possible. Do not leave it in a hot car or sitting on a table in direct sunlight by the pool. Battery life will decrease as the battery gets hotter, and this does not reverse itself once it cools off. If you already have made this mistake, contact an iPod touch repair company to install a new battery. It's a cheap fix.
Use your iPod This is the easiest thing to do. Apple uses a lithium battery for iPods. These batteries are great and offer a lot of power for their size. However, if they are not charged or used, they tend to lose their ability to hold a charge. Apple suggests that you use and charge your iPod at least once a month to keep the lithium battery working optimally. For most of us, this is no problem.
Try using these 5 tips and you will notice that you get more daily use out of your iPod. And, best of all, you will not have to sacrifice functionality.
