Tips and Tricks: Guide to Conserving BB Battery Life

BlackBerry smartphones used to be renowned for their long-lasting battery life, but as apps proliferate, they tend to be a drain on the power. But you can take several concrete and easy steps to squeeze more time from your battery – noticeably. Follow these tips, especially when travelling.

Everyday tips to conserve battery life Tip 1: Screen/keyboard settings

By tweaking your BlackBerry smartphone’s screen and keyboard settings you can get noticeably longer battery life without affecting functionality simply by:

Setting Backlight Brightness to 60% or less. Setting backlight timeout to 10 seconds. Turning off the Key Tone (the sound that is made when you push a key). Turning off the trackball/trackpad Audible Roll sounds. Follow these steps for handsets running BlackBerry 5 (OS) and earlier: 1. On the Home Screen or in a folder, click the Options icon. 2. Click Screen/Keyboard. 3. Set the Backlight Brightness field to 60 or less. 4. Set the Backlight Timeout field to 10 seconds. 5. Set the Key Tone field to Off. 6. Set the Audible Roll field to Mute. 7. Press the Menu key, then click Save. Steps for handsets running BlackBerry 6: Backlight 1. On the Home Screen or in a folder, click the Options icon. 2. Click Display, then click Screen Display. 3. Change the Backlight Brightness field to 60 or less. 4. Change the Backlight Timeout field to 10 Sec. 5. Press the Menu key, then click Save. Key Tone 1. On the Home Screen or in a folder, click the Options icon. 2. Click Typing and Input, then click Keyboard. 3. Clear the Key Tone check box. 4. Press the Menu key, then click Save. Audible Roll 1. On the Home Screen or in a folder, click the Options icon. 2. Click Typing and Input, then click Trackpad Sensitivity. 3. Clear the Audible Roll check box. 4. Press the Menu key, then click Save.

Tip 2: Turn off or lower notifications in sound profiles

How your BlackBerry smartphone notifies you when a new message arrives can also affect your battery life. For example, your battery will take a hit if your smartphone vibrates and rings loudly whenever new emails arrive. The following steps explain how to turn off or lower notifications in the Normal profile. Repeat these steps for your smartphone’s other sound profiles according to your preferences. Steps for BlackBerry 5 and earlier: 1. On the Home Screen, click the Sounds icon. 2. Click Edit Profiles, then click Normal. 3. Change the Volume for items under Messages, Instant Messages, and Reminders to 2, 1, or Silent. 4. On the same screen, set Vibration to Off. 5. Press the Menu key, then click Save. Steps for BlackBerry 6: 1. On the Home Screen, click the Sound and Alert Profiles icon. 2. Click Change Sounds and Alerts, then click Sounds for Selected Profile. 3. Change the Volume for items under Messages ‚ Notifiers, Instant Messages ‚ Notifiers, Events ‚ Reminders, and Other Applications – Notifiers to 2, 1, or Silent. 4. On the same screen, change the Vibration field to Off. 5. Press the Menu key, then click Save. Tip 3: Close unneeded apps that are running in the background Several core applications like the Browser and Messages always run in the background. But other apps that you open and forget to close‚Äîthe Camera, the music player, Google Maps, for example‚Äîcan affect your battery life. When you are finished with an app, close the app by pressing the Escape key, not the red End key (which merely sends it to the background). To check for and close apps running in the background, do the following: 1. Press and hold the Menu key. 2. Select the app that you want to close. 3. Press the Escape key . 4. Repeat steps 1‚3 for any additional applications. As noted above, some apps will always be running in the background. Tip 4: Turn off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS when not in use

Features like Bluetooth headsets, fast Wi-Fi connections, and GPS are great but when not actively in use they can drain your battery. Turning them off is easy and can save lots of battery life. Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-FiOn the Home Screen, click the Manage Connections icon. Clear the Wi-Fi check box. Clear the Bluetooth check box. Turn off GPS Steps for BlackBerry 5 and earlier: On the Home Screen or in a folder, click the Options icon. Click Advanced Options, then click GPS. Change the GPS Services field to Location Off. Press the Menu key, then click Save. Steps for BlackBerry 6: On the Home Screen or in a folder, click the Options icon. Click Device, then click Location Settings. Click GPS. Change the Location Services field to Location Off. Press the Menu key, then click Save. Note: Depending on your BlackBerry smartphone model and wireless service provider, the GPS controls might not be supported. When travelling When you travel, conserving battery life is especially important. After all, you need your BlackBerry smartphone as your lifeline to colleagues, friends, and family. So here are a few additional tips for travelling‚Äîor anytime you will not have regular access to your charger. Tip 5: Turn it off! This tip is simple and obvious: Turn off your BlackBerry smartphone to conserve battery life. It’s highly effective, especially on an airplane while you watch a movie or sleep. To turn off your BlackBerry smartphone, simply press and hold the Power key. Note: Always turn off your connection to the wireless network while you fly. Either turn off your smartphone, or turn off your connection to the wireless network by going to Manage Connections and clicking Turn All Connections Off. Tip 6: Set your BlackBerry smartphone to turn on and turn off automatically

This can be a great way to conserve battery life when you forget your charger at home. Set your smartphone, for example, to automatically turn off at 11 pm and then automatically turn back on at 6 am. That’s seven full hours without taxing the battery. You can still set an alarm as your BlackBerry smartphone will automatically turn on for an alarm. Steps for BlackBerry 5 and earlier: 1. On the Home Screen or in a folder, click the Options icon. 2. Click Auto On/Off. 3. Set the Weekday field to Enabled. 4. Specify the times when your BlackBerry smartphone should turn on and off on weekdays. 5. Set the Weekend field to Enabled. 6. Specify the times when your smartphone should turn on and off on weekends. 7. Press the Menu key, then click Save. Steps for BlackBerry 6: 1. On the Home Screen or in a folder, click the Options icon. 2. Click Device, then click Auto On/Off. 3. In the Weekday section, select the Enabled check box. 4. Specify the times when your BlackBerry smartphone should turn on and off on weekdays. 5. In the Weekend section, select the Enabled check box. 6. Specify the times when your smartphone should turn on and off on weekends. 7. Press the Menu key, then click Save.