T-Mobile reveals six tips for keeping your phone healthy during the winter
T-Mobile has released a list of six things you should do to keep your phone healthy during the cold and flu season. It's not that your phone will get sick but that it might contain germs and bacteria that will get you sick. T-Mobile says that if you follow these tips, you can keep your device as fresh as the day you unboxed it. And following these tips will also protect against the premature demise of your phone due to issues with the internal workings of the handset.
Keep your phone out of the bathroom
The first tip is one that everyone will probably say that they already follow but many don't. T-Mobile's first tip is to keep your phone healthy during the winter is not to use it in the bathroom. This seems like an obvious thing to do but many smartphone users can't handle being away from their phones even when sitting on the toilet. Perhaps you should use your toilet time for deep reflective thoughts instead of scrolling through "X" looking for people to troll.
Keep your phone out of the bathroom or something like this might occur. | Image credit-Ole.pl
T-Mobile also reminds you to wash your hands after every visit. The CDC suggests using soap and water for 20 seconds which is about the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday to you" twice. If you have an Apple Watch, you can get a timer that will automatically turn on with the sound of running water and let you know when you've washed your hands enough. Left over from the Covid days, you can set this feature directly on your watch. Go to Settings > Handwashing and enable the Handwashing Timer toggle which will count down 20 seconds every time it hears the sink running.
The second tip from T-Mobile is to clean your device regularly. After all, a phone screen has more bacteria on it than a toilet seat! Since each manufacturer has their own rules for cleaning their devices, visit the website of the company that manufactured yours to make sure that you are using the correct cleaning supplies that won't harm the phone. Also, unplug the device before cleaning it. Do not spray cleaners directly on your phone and avoid using aerosol sprays and cleaners that contain bleach or abrasives that might damage your device.
Here are some words for smartphone users to live by: "A healthy device starts with a well-maintained battery." T-Mobile includes this saying with its third tip to maintain a healthy phone this winter: conserve your battery. The carrier suggests that you keep your phone away from direct sunlight since heat can degrade your battery. To reduce the drain on your phone's battery, adjust the brightness of the display, turn off notifications that aren't necessary, and use power-saving modes on your device.
On the iPhone, go to Settings > Battery and toggle on Low Power Mode. This reduces background activity like downloads and mail fetch while the setting is on. On Android, go to Settings > Battery Saver. Tap on Standard Battery Saver and enable the Use Battery Saver toggle. This limits visual and background activity and turns on Dark theme. Make sure that you've installed the most up-to-date software since some contain energy-saving features. Also, keep in mind that off-brand chargers and batteries might not be safe.
Don't fill your phone with pictures, videos, and apps
Next, prevent your phone from using all of the storage on the device. Too many apps and photos stored on your phone can slow it down, cause apps to crash, and battery life to decrease. Every once in a while you should go through your photos, apps, and files (including streaming songs and videos) and delete duplicates or ones that you don't want. Doing this can keep your phone zippy and your battery fully powered.
The fifth tip is to keep bad actors away. No, T-Mobile doesn't mean that you should avoid watching the television shows where reviewers said that the acting was bad. The carrier means to watch out for scammers, hackers, and bad actors from loading malware on your device. Download T-Mobile subscribers can install the Scan Shield app to prevent getting tricked by scam calls and phishing expeditions. As soon as an update arrives on your phone install it since it could include a fix or a patch for a software flaw that could prevent it from being exploited.
The sixth and last tip is to make sure that both you and your phone get rest. You can adjust your screen on some phones to make it colder by removing the blue light that prevents your body from creating melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. Other features, such as "Do not disturb," keep your phone from waking you up with notification pings and phone calls.
Follow these six tips and you might be able to keep your phone in good shape through the cruel, cold winter months.
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