Hacks to save your phone battery at festivals

You’re almost ready for festival season. You’ve got your tickets and camping kit at the ready and have been Googling ‘festival tips’ to get the most out of your weekend. One of the top tips we’ve seen is to leave your precious phone safely at home.

If you can’t quite stomach being completely off-grid for the weekend, a cheap ‘festival phone’ might be the ideal option. It won’t break your heart or bank balance if it ends up in the mud.

But if you can’t bear to be separated from your smartphone, we feel you. From checking band times to finding that mate that always goes AWOL, your phone can be a saviour at a festival.

All that stuff can drain your battery though and a festival is the last place you want that to happen. So, here’s some ways to help keep your phone safe and battery charged this festival season.

Due an upgrade or fancy a treat? Newer phones like the Samsung Galaxy S10 and Huawei P30 have bigger, more powerful batteries than ever before. That means you’ll have enough battery to fill your Insta story and to call your mates when you lose each other in the crowd.

Strapped for cash after forking out for a festival ticket? Then a new phone probably isn’t on the horizon. It’s not all about new phones though, here’ some battery life saving tips to help your phone survive festival season.

The Samsung Galaxy S10+ and iPhone XS Max have introduced us to screens that are bigger and brighter than ever. So, it should come as no surprise that turning down your screen brightness can squeeze out some extra battery life.

Not completely, just for apps you won’t be using while you’re living your best festival life. This will save you a huge chunk of battery life.

Here’s how you can switch off mobile data on iPhone and Android.

Like turning off mobile data, switching off automatic app updates for the stuff you’re not using can help save power. You can then put the juice you’ve saved to better use updating your Insta story, for example.

Need more info? Here’s how to switch off automatic updates on iPhone, and how to do it on Android.

A portable charger means you’ve got extra power on hand when you need it. We’d recommend picking one that will give your phone at least a full charge. You can check this by dividing the chargers mAh rating by your phone’s battery capacity.

You can pick up a portable charger on accessories.three.co.uk.

If you’d rather something more lightweight, you need a battery charging case. They’re easy to use and don’t take up much space. Perfect if you can’t be bothered messing around with cables and chargers.

Losing your phone can be a nightmare, especially if you’re at a festival. Stay 1 step ahead and back up your phone before you go. So, if the worst happens, and you don’t get a chance to use Find my Phone, your info will be safe.

Changing your background and lock screen to a picture of your name and contact info is a good idea too. That way, if someone finds your lost phone, they can try and get it back to you.

A good protective phone case can help keep your precious phone safe from mud, and even stamping feet. And most heavy-duty cases will keep your phone safe, even if it gets submerged in liquid. Not having to worry about muddy puddles sounds pretty good, right?

Festivals can mean disaster for phones, from getting stomped on to accidentally taking a dip in a pint. Do yourself and your bank balance a favour and make sure you’ve got insurance. If you bought a phone or tablet with insurance from us between 7 August 2017 and 6 March 2020,  you’ll have Three Rescue. Your phone will be covered for accidental damage, with cracked screens and liquid damage included. It also protects you if you’re abroad in one of our Go Roam destinations, or if a family member borrows your phone and wrecks it. Good to know.