Battery Saving Tips: HTC One (M8)

Like other superphones in its class, the HTC One (M8) tends to attract road warriors and overall heavy users who really put the device through its paces. Which is why it’s important to ensure that the battery doesn’t deplete before the workday is over.

There are plenty of tips and tricks to help conserve a smartphone’s battery life, the most notable being to turn off services like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when they aren’t being used.

But did you know the HTC One (M8) has a number of features built into the device to specifically help extend its battery life? Here’s an outline of how to utilize some of the battery-saving features of the HTC One (M8), along with some additional tips to help you prolong battery life:

Sleep Mode. This option will, at low peak times, automatically turn off the phone’s data after 15 minutes of inactivity (don’t worry, it will recognize if something is downloading in the background, or if music is actively streaming even if the screen is dark.) Once you turn the screen back on, it resumes normal operation mode. Go to Settings > Power > Sleep Mode to enable this mode. Select Sleep Time to set a specific time when the data connection will shut off, such as every night at 10 p.m. when you go to bed.

Power saver mode. To activate this mode, which will shut off the mobile connection when the phone hasn’t been used for 15 minutes, swipe down from the status bar with two fingers and select Power Saver in the Quick Settings. The connection won’t be off totally; it will simply connect and disconnect continuously to save battery. You can also select specific features to shut down in this mode versus all.

Set a quicker idle time. Your phone’s screen will go to sleep after a certain period of inactivity to maximize battery life. You can make this happen quicker by going to Settings > Display & gestures > Screen timeout, then choosing a shorter timeframe.

Turn off background sync. Many apps continuously sync data in the background to keep you up-to-date. But you might not need this to happen with every app. You can adjust the sync schedule by going to Settings > Accounts & sync and disabling what’s not needed. Keep in mind that some app widgets sync more than others. So if a widget isn’t one you use daily, remove it from your home screen by going to the Google Play Store, selecting Settings and deselecting Add icon to Home screen so this isn’t automatically done with every new app download.

Don’t auto-update apps. Visit the Play Store to manually update your apps instead of letting them update automatically. While it’s convenient to make this an automatic process, it can also significantly eat into your battery. Go to Settings in the Play Store > Auto-update apps and deselect the option.

The bottom line
There’s plenty that can be done to extend a smartphone’s battery life, and the HTC One (M8) comes with a handful of features that, if you get into the habit of using, can really make a difference in how long the phone lasts day-to-day.

How long does your smartphone typically last before it needs recharging? Tell us in the comments below.