Strategies for keeping Smart Phone charged

[smraynor]

I've had a lot of luck with Maxboost. I lead tours in Europe and I have to have my phone working all day.

 

[alicat130]

I use a small external charger that I carry around. It's about the size of a lipstick, you just need a connector cord for it.
If you'll be with your family and not needing to use text or email, try putting it on airplane mode when you're walking around the park. You can easily toggle airplane mode on/off by pulling up from your lock or home screen. That way if you need to access MDE you can easily just turn it on for a minute. You're still able to use the camera, if that's important to you. I've found this improves my battery life a lot.

 

[lilsprstr]

I fear for this country when this statement becomes a marketing tool:

Great for travel or staying on the couch as long as possible

So true!

I have read some online articles about what can be done to sustain a longer battery life, so we'll see if that helps. I don't mind spending $10-20 on something that will help prolong my battery life while in the parks, but I'd rather not spend $30-50 on a device that ultimately I will not use on a regular basis. I appreciate all the input!

 

[lilsprstr]

We got Mophies for our phones before our last trip and they worked well...

In addition, halfway through our trip I figured out this tip - Instead of checking our schedule on our phones all day, I would take a picture of our schedule and made it the lock screen picture on my phone. Saved a bit of the battery life...

Great idea! Thanks for sharing!

 

[LaurenT]

One of the power packs can take care of your charging needs. There are charging stations in the MK too. One in new Fantasyland and one in the gift shop at the end of Space Mountain. I'm sure there are others but those come to mind. On my iPhone I use a Mophie case with a built in battery. It just about doubles the battery life. YMMV.

I also use a mophie.
But also keep your battery from running down too quickly by taking it off of three or four G, shutting down any apps you don't need and powering down your phone when you don't need it. You can also switch it to airplane mode when you don't need updated info and aren't expecting a call... this will keep it from searching for a signal all the time. If you have games, Facebook, twitter or other things sending you push notifications, turn those off too.

 

[Zooshoveller]

Your smart phone is always searching. Turn off wifi and Bluetooth, turn down or off sound, lower the brightness, turn of vibrate, turn off location services to apps your not using, close apps...

There's a lot of things you can do to save your battery.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

Turn off data roaming and bluetooth, and that should help. Don't turn off the wifi - especially if you're in the parks!!

BUT, it sounds to me as if there are definitely lots of things up and running the whole time. Do you shut down Facebook when you've finished with it, for example, or do you just click the round button to close it?

My colleague at work said her battery didn't last five minutes, so I checked it for her. She had nearly 2 dozen windows running in the backgound, be it internet things, photos, emails and all sorts!

The best way to check what you have up and running is to double click the button and that will 'minimise' your desktop. If you scroll across using a right/left movement with your finger, you'll be able to see what's open in the background. To close them, swipe them up and off the top of the screen and that'll close everything down. I close everything when I'm done, even emails!

 

[katt789]

No ideas on the chargers but some tips to help are:
-Keep it on airplane mode, dies slower, charges faster. You can still use facebook & i message through the wifi to communicate
-Turn you flash off, even when not using it
-Turn the brightness down (and make sure its not on auto brightness)
-Close your apps once you're done using them
-Search for plug ins in queues that aren't moving steadily, you'll almost always find one and be able to charge up for a bit
-When you check in for an adr ask the hostess to charge your phone, and they most likely will!

 

[xApril]

I am always on airplane mode unless I'm using it to check wait times or if I'm looking to text my boyfriend. Make sure you close out apps and put it on airplane mode before you go on rides or do something where you know you won't be using your phone. I have Sprint and Orlando has always stunk for service. It's constantly searching and is a huge battery drain for me so I keep it on airplane.

 

[misskerri]

I just bought 2 of these for our Galaxy Nexus phones, and they're compatible with iPhone, as well:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HA6ACW8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It charged my battery from 34% to completely charged in less than an hour last night, straight out of the box (I hadn't charged the charger; it came with some charge). It has stellar reviews, and so far, I'm impressed.

I was going to just buy us each a backup battery and a wall charger to plug into, but we plan on replacing these phones when the new Nexus 6 comes out in the play store, so I wanted to get something that would work with the new phones, as well.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I carry a New Trent external battery charger in my bag. I charge it overnight in the hotel room. With a full charge, it can keep four iPhone going all day. If one of us in running low, I just hook the phone up and keep it in my bag until it has a reasonable charge. We can keep going rather than having to find an outlet, and then sit there until we get a charge. We need to keep our phones charged because we frequently split up with our teen boys and need to be able to call or text to find each other.

 

[Snakes in a boot]

I know it's easier said than done, as I'm always attached to my phone, but try and spend time without looking at it every two seconds and enjoy the fact that you are at Walt Disney World!

 

[Nick07210]

I'd use a portable battery pack, and use ways to keep battery use down... such as turning bluetooth off, keeping it cold, ect...

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I bought this before our trip to the Oregon coast this last week since I figured I wouldn't have easy access to an outlet at the beach. It worked great. I have an iPhone 5c and it charged it from 0% to 100% in about an hour and still had enough juice to charge another 25%. Worked even better when I didn't let my phone completely die first.

It doesn't come with a cable that works with the iPhone but I just used the USB cord that came with my phone.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GRQ8AQM

 

[Radiorox]

Something that I personally do so that I don't have to log into MDE to check on FP+ is to take a screen shot of that day. This way I don't have to log into MDE and just check the picture I took of the screen. I do this for all of the days.

I turn off 4G and location. If you have Facebook, LOG OUT. Facebook has a knack for eating battery. Whatsapp is another program that while handy, doesn't log off and eats battery.

If you have emails, change the setting so that it isn't downloading new messages every 15 mins. Put a task killer on your phone that you can shut down all of the programs with a flick.

 

[staceyeileen]

I like the Jackery power packs. DH has the mini, and I have the bar. There's also the jackery giant with even extra power but also extra bulk/weight.

At Disney, we just take the jackery bar and we can use it to charge both of our phones.

 

[Alice Royal]

I know it's easier said than done, as I'm always attached to my phone, but try and spend time without looking at it every two seconds and enjoy the fact that you are at Walt Disney World!

There's always that one guy...if that works for you, great. If that doesn't work for me (I'm always in need of access in order to text friends if we split up or get to important emails if I have downtime), don't tell me what to do. Technology isn't just a mindless addiction for some people.

OP, external chargers are an option, as are the new charge port stations in the MK. Go with PPs' advice on keeping battery from draining. If you still experience bad charge life, talk to Apple/your phone company about it (if it's been less than a year you should have AppleCare to fix any issues, I believe). My iPhone also drains quickly in the parks because we do keep Wifi turned on.

 

[LoriABil]

Here's a great article for upping your battery life with the iPhone 5.

http://www.overthought.org/blog/2014/the-ultimate-guide-to-solving-ios-battery-drain

One thing he doesn't mention is (in Settings) go to Wallpapers and Brightness. Turn off Auto Brightness with the toggle and set it to a dimmer setting (you can always adjust this)

Also, click "Choose a new Wallpaper" and select a "Still" Wallpaper instead of "Dynamic" Dynamic wallpapers move, thus using battery!

There are lists more tips, but I think a Google search might work just as well. I would recheck your battery life after adjusting your settings, THEN decide if an external battery is right for you!

 

[lilsprstr]

Here's a great article for upping your battery life with the iPhone 5.

http://www.overthought.org/blog/2014/the-ultimate-guide-to-solving-ios-battery-drain

One thing he doesn't mention is (in Settings) go to Wallpapers and Brightness. Turn off Auto Brightness with the toggle and set it to a dimmer setting (you can always adjust this)

Also, click "Choose a new Wallpaper" and select a "Still" Wallpaper instead of "Dynamic" Dynamic wallpapers move, thus using battery!

There are lists more tips, but I think a Google search might work just as well. I would recheck your battery life after adjusting your settings, THEN decide if an external battery is right for you!

Thanks for the article! That was helpful!

 

[kidd_freeper]

While in the Magic Kingdom (and only the Magic Kingdom), use the charging stations:

Cell phone charging stations added to Magic Kingdom
New charging lockers for cell phones have been added for guests at the Magic Kingdom. Beginning April 25, the lockers will be available - inside the Fantasyland entrance of Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe and in the Tomorrowland Light and Power Company (the Space Mountain gift shop). The lockers are free for guests to use, but a credit card must be swiped to start the process. The card will not be charged, but it acts as the key. On a touch screen, choose from iPhone, Android and Blackberry. Connect your phone and close the door; a light on the door will turn green when the device is fully charged. To open the door again, you must swipe your credit card. Lockers are only big enough for one phone, devices like an iPad will not fit.

The service is free and will run through mid-summer.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/Theme_Parks_Attractions/Cell_phone_charging_stations_added_to_Magic_Kingdom.htm

I used this last month. Leave your phone for 45-60 minutes in one of these lockers to take a dead battery back to 100% while you enjoy the attractions. Warning: waiting lines begin to form around 6pm to use these...get there early.