After years of anticipation, Pokémon fans have finally got themselves the game they've always deserved and desired. Niantic's Pokémon Go is finally out for both Android and iOS, and is a dream come true, with almost limitless potential.
Yet, there's one major issue. An elephant in the room, if you will.
Raichu demonstrating what Pokémon Go will do to your battery
The game is a battery hog.
Well, to be fair, it's a battery drainer as it's as addictive as it gets, but the mechanics are also taking their great toll on your battery. After all, the app is an augmented reality one, it is going pretty heavily on your system's resources. It's extensively using your GPS so as to augment the world around and make it a suitable area for Pokémoning.
Additionally, our camera is also being used for long periods of time when you're catching Pokémon around you with your virtual Poké Ball.
Finally, receiving notifications about nearby This, combined with the addicting gameplay will run down your battery in a jiffy.
Hopefully, there are a few ways to circumvent this. Check them out right below.
While we are not sure how much juice it will save you, you'd better enable the game's built-in battery saver and keep it that way. In a series of totally non-scientific field tests, a couple of the Pokémon Go here in the office claimed that keeping the battery saver on helped them lose 40% less juice than keeping the nifty option off. We suppose that enabling this option is toning down the constant use of your phone's GPS and triangulates your location with the help of you cellular data connection.
Either this, or it is a placebo effect!
Pokémon Go - how to enable the battery saver on Android and iOS
2. Lower your brightness
We hate to suggest this for a game that you'll be mainly playing in the outside world, probably under direct sunlight, but lowering your brightness will save you lots of juice. The tradeoff is obvious, isn't it — you will have a harder time discerning the objects on your display and possibly missing a nearby-located gym or a Pokémon. Personally, we wouldn't bother with the brightness setting if we have over 30% of juice left in our phones and will only decrease it once the battery level goes critically low. But that's just us.
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3. Disable any phone features that are not related to the game
Listening to a hot new album on Apple Music, Spotify, or Google Play Music? That's nice, honey. Now, press that Pause button and resume your Pokémon endeavors!
If you are really serious about the game, make sure that you disable or stop all features or apps that could be draining your vital battery juice. GPS and display are the two things that you need to keep up and running, so everything that can potentially hinder their power supply should be getting the ax.
4. Get a power bank
That's actually the very best piece of advice we can give you. Just get yourself any power bank and plug it in once your battery begins to go south.
We have some brand recommendations, too — down below are a few good, large-capacity ones and a couple of lightweight ones. Just make sure you don't stumble upon a fake.
Just like in Nintendo's Pokémon games, where you can buy yourself a bike and travel around faster, bicycling in real life will get you in the vicinity of new Pokémon quicker.
Just make sure you've put your phone in a secure pocket or a bag, but leave the game running so that it can notify you if you come nearby a new Pokémon. Getting on a car is another way of moving around quicker, but come on - did Ash have a car? Did he?
As an added bonus, cycling is good for your cardiovascular health! YEAH!
6. Try to stay away from large buildings
We won't recite technicalities, but GPS works better and uses less power when you're out in the open and not in urban areas. GPS errors are less likely to occur out in the open as signal reception is not hindered by skyscrapers and large buildings.
Finally, here are some screenshots of Niantic's new addictive title to top it off.
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Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.
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