Are you using an old OnePlus smartphone and experiencing battery draining or performance issues? Well, you don’t need to worry about that as there are many things that you can do to fix this. Older devices such as the OnePlus 6, OnePlus 5, OnePlus 6T, and OnePlus 7 offer very small battery units. So, if your usage is very heavy, then you will likely experience battery drain issues. But, if your device doesn't last as long as it used to, then you can try the below-mentioned tips to get a better experience.
Some of these will also help improve the performance of your old OnePlus smartphone. This guide also includes tips on how you can save maximum battery when there is no power source or a power bank, and you need your smartphone to remain alive for a few hours. So, without any other ado, let's take a look at how you can improve your smartphone experience.
Factory reset
If you are someone who keeps a backup of all the data available on a smartphone, then the best way to boost your phone’s battery life and performance are by factory resetting it. Yes, you read it right. Since all your data is backed up to a cloud service, you don’t need to worry about losing your data. After resetting your phone, you will immediately notice a big difference. The apps will launch open at a faster rate, multi-tasking will be smoother, and you feel like you are using a completely new device.
However, do note that you will have to go through the hassle of downloading all the apps (and log-in process). This might be a little annoying you at first, but you will feel a lot better as you will get a better performing phone. Make sure you save the id and password of all the services before factory resetting your smartphone. Users are also advised to double-check if all the data is backed up online or not. It will be easier for those who back up data online.
If you don’t want to do this, then you can try the below-listed tips.
Keep your storage clean
If your storage is close to full, then you will likely experience performance issues as it slows down the system. Basically, your smartphone needs storage space to run apps or perform an action or save new files/app data. So, if your phone’s storage is full, your phone will feel sluggish. If you are someone who has a phone with a lot of apps, thousands of photos and videos (unnecessary), and app cache files, then you need to clean your smartphone right now to clear some storage space to get sluggish-free performance.
Don’t skip software updates
It is always better to download all the software updates that you get because each one of them helps fix some of the issues that your phone might have. Some of the updates also offer new features, which further improve your smartphone experience and make it easier for you to do something. These software updates do make a difference, which might not be visible to you.
Disable Ambient display/alternative solution, Screen time out
You can disable the Ambient display feature, which will help save battery up to a certain extent. In case you are unaware, this one basically shows time, music info, date and wakes up the screen every time you get a notification. These days, people have more than 30-40 apps on their phones, and some of them constantly send notifications, which drains the battery.
You can use the “Double Tap to Wake” feature to check notifications and messages on your smartphone. If you can’t miss the ambient display feature, then you can do one thing - disable “notification” of those apps that you don’t use a lot and keep it on for a limited set of apps. In addition to this, you should also turn off the Always-on Ambient option.
Users are also advised to choose the screen time out option as low as possible. This feature is visible in the display settings and is called “Sleep.” This might sound like a minor change, but everything counts and helps offer a better experience.
Adaptive brightness
It is better to use the adaptive brightness feature, which all smartphones offer. This helps automatically adjust the phone’s brightness levels depending on the lighting conditions. There are many people who use full or 80 per cent brightness all the time (indoors). This is not only harmful to the eyes but also drains the battery (up to a certain extent) as your device will need more power than usual.
Switch back to 60Hz refresh rate
While the older OnePlus phones offer a 60Hz refresh rate, the OnePlus 7 Pro and newer OnePlus phone users are advised to switch back to the standard refresh rate. This feature does offer slightly smoother transitions, but there are still a lot of apps that don’t support a high refresh rate. So, there is no point in using it all the time.
Wallpaper, Widgets
One should avoid using live wallpapers as these also consume battery by a certain margin, which you might not notice. If you want to save some battery, use static images as wallpaper, which are better than dynamic ones.
Use system-wide dark mode
If you still haven’t started using the system-wide dark mode, then you should do that immediately. This is again something that might sound is a small change, but it does help save some battery.
Keep an eye on battery usage statics, optimise apps
One should always keep an eye on the battery usage statics, which OnePlus users will find in Settings > battery. Here’s you will get to know what all apps are mostly draining all your battery, and you can accordingly take actions. If you spot any app that you don’t use very often, you can either force stop the app or uninstall it.
There is a “Battery optimisation” feature in the settings, which one can use to restrict app background activities of the apps that you don’t use very often. OnePlus sets “Intelligent control” to all the apps, which automatically adjusts "background power strategy." If you don’t want your smartphone to use this feature for a specific app, then you can also force stop an app. You can always turn on battery saver mode too, which helps save some battery but also restricts some of the functions.
Turn off features that are not in use, widgets
There are people who turn on features like Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi, Mobile data, Location, Nearby share, Hotspot and forget to turn them off when they are not in use. This also drains some battery. For example, at night, if you don’t turn off mobile data or Wi-Fi on your phone, then the apps that are active will continuously use the internet, which will drain the battery, and you will notice less battery in the morning.
Lastly, if you use a lot of widgets, then you should limit their usage because they continuously update information and display animations, which drains the battery up to some extent.
Bonus: Tips to save max battery when there is no power source
First, you should turn on the battery saver and limit your smartphone usage. You should directly visit the battery usage statics section and see which app is draining the maximum battery. You can then remove that app from the background and force stop it from App info.
Speaking of which, it is better to force stop those that are sending unnecessary notifications and are running in the background and are consuming some battery. You should just use two or (maximum) three basic apps that don’t consume much battery. For example, apps like WhatsApp doesn’t drain the battery. Avoid using Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Netflix, YouTube, camera, Chrome, and other apps.
One should also try to keep off Wi-Fi and mobile network if you are not using the internet. Users are also advised to turn off notifications of the apps that they don’t use much. Notifications should only be enabled for those apps that you use a lot and are important. Keep the brightness levels a little low, and don’t turn off-on the screen every 20 seconds.