Most Android phones use a 5000 mAh battery or more. However, a high-capacity battery does not solve the problem of the battery life of the phone. The reason for this is the high power consumption of applications and the use of energy-consuming phone modes. In this article, we have collected useful recommendations on how to extend the battery life on Android 12 and 13. Using the recommendations presented in the article will help you charge your phone less often without performance degradation.
Disable Always On Display
Always On Display mode displays brief information on the phone screen such as the date and time, missed notifications, and so on. Therefore, you don’t need to unlock the screen to view notifications or the current time. At the same time in Always On Display mode the phone screen is always active and consumes power. Of course, the power consumption is less than in normal use of the phone. In any case, the battery will gradually drain while the phone is in idle mode. Therefore, it is better to turn off Always On Display mode, because most of the time the phone is in your pocket or bag.
How to disable Always On Display in Samsung Phones
Procedure:
- Open the phone settings.
- Scroll the page and select the Lock Screen menu.
- Tap the Always On Display switch to disable the mode.
- Optionally, you can customize how Always On Display works. For example, select “Show 10 seconds” mode. In this case, the screen will illuminate for 10 seconds when you tap your finger on the screen. This option consumes less power. Therefore, it is better to turn Always On Display off for the best effect.
How to turn off Always On Display on Motorola phones
On Motorola phones, the “Always On Display” mode is called “Peek Display”“. This proprietary mode is set up in the Moto Actions app with gestures and actions.
Procedure:
1. Open the Moto Actions app.

2. Scroll to the display section. Select the Shortcut Display menu.

3. Disable the gesture operation.

Some low-end Motorola phones running Android 13 do not have the Moto Actions app. All gestures and actions are located in the phone menu. If this is the case, follow the steps below to disable “Shortcuts” mode:
- Open your phone settings.
- Select the “Display” menu.
- Scroll down the page and open the “Peek Display” menu.
- Disable the gesture.
How to disable Always On Display in Xiaomi Phones
Procedure:
- Open the system settings.
- Scroll the page and select the Always On Display and Lock Screen menu.
- Move the switch to the inactive state in the Always On Display field.
Set the screen refresh rate to 60 Hz
The standard screen refresh rate for most phones and tablets is 60 Hz. In 90 Hz, 120 Hz or 180 Hz mode, the information on the screen is updated more frequently by 1.5, 2 and 3 times respectively. Therefore, high screen refresh rate leads to increased battery consumption.
How to change the screen refresh rate in Samsung phones
Procedure:
- Open the phone settings.
- Select the Display menu.
- In the next menu, select the ” Motion smoothness” menu.
- In the new menu, set the default operating mode.
- Press the “Apply” button to save your changes.
How to change the screen refresh rate in Motorola phones
Procedure:
1. Open the System Preferences section.

2. Select the Display menu.

3. Scroll down the page and select the “Display refresh rate” menu.

4. From the new menu, select 60 Hz mode.

How to change the screen refresh rate in Xiaomi phones
Procedure:
- Open the phone settings.
- Select the Display menu.
- Scroll the page and select the “refresh rate” menu.
- Select a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz.
Set the screen resolution to HD+
Some Android phones allow you to select the screen resolution. The higher the screen resolution, the clearer the information is. At the same time, the load on the graphics gas pedal and processor increases. Therefore, reducing the resolution will save battery power by reducing the load on the phone’s hardware. At the same time, the overall performance of the system will increase.
Procedure:
- Open the phone settings.
- Select the “Display” menu.
- In the next menu, locate and open the “Display resolution” menu.
- Set the resolution to HD+. Save the applied actions if necessary.
Turn on the dark theme
A dark theme effectively saves battery power in phones with OLED screens. Because in OLED screens, each pixel receives an individual power supply. The darker the image, the less power each pixel needs to draw. And if the image is black, then no power is supplied to the pixel. Therefore, for the best energy savings, you should turn on a dark theme, as well as use a dark design and wallpaper.
How to turn on a dark theme in Samsung phones
Procedure:
- Open the system settings of your phone.
- Select “Display” menu.
- In the next menu, select the dark theme.
- Optionally, you can customize the operation of the dark mode. To do this, select “Dark Mode Settings” below.
How to turn on a dark theme in Motorola phones
Procedure:
1. Open the System Preferences section.

2. Select the “Display” menu.

3. Turn on “Dark Theme”.


Optionally, you can customize the operation of the dark theme. To do this, open the dark theme menu and set the operating schedule.

How to turn on a dark theme in Xiaomi phones
Procedure:
- Open the phone settings.
- Select the “Display” menu.
- In the new menu, select “Dark Mode”.
- In the next menu, activate the dark mode operation. Optionally, set the mode to be activated on a schedule.
Enable Power Saving Mode
Power saver mode automatically sets all resource-intensive tasks to power saving mode. In particular, it limits background apps and location checks. Some notifications may be delayed. Therefore, the power saving mode is not suitable for all users. For this reason, the developers have added a setting to automatically turn on the power saving mode when a certain percentage of the battery charge is reached.
How to turn on the power saving mode in Samsung phones
Procedure:
1. Open the system settings.
2. Select the Battery and Device Care menu.
3. In the next menu, select Battery.
4. Next, select the “Power Saving” menu.
5. Activate the Power Saving mode operation.
Optionally, configure the power saving mode operation. You can limit the maximum CPU speed to 70%, disable Always On Display, reduce the screen brightness by 10%, and limit background application activity.
How to turn on power saving mode in Motorola phones
Procedure:
1. Go to the system settings.

2. Select the “Battery” menu.

3. Then go to the “Battery saver” menu.

4. Enable Battery saving mode operation. Optionally, set a schedule for automatically activating Battery Saving Mode.

How to enable power saving mode in Xiaomi phones
Procedure:
- Open your phone’s settings.
- Scroll the page and select the “Battery” menu.
- In the “Battery” menu, you can select normal battery saving mode and high battery saving mode. When you select each mode, you will see an estimated battery life for your phone and a list of restrictions.
- Select your preferred power saving mode.
- Press OK to apply the selected mode.
Use Adaptive Battery Mode
Adaptive Battery mode limits the power consumption of infrequently used apps. After enabling the feature, the system will learn the frequency of app usage for some time. If an app is used infrequently or not for a long time, then Adaptive Battery mode will more severely limit the power consumption of such apps.
Procedure:
1. Open your phone settings.

2. Open the Battery menu.

3. Select the item “Adaptive Battery”.

4. Activate the mode.

Hibernate unused apps
In Android 12, developers have added a hibernation mode for apps. If an app is not used for a long time, then the system revokes the granted permissions to run, clears the cache and disables any activity. In hibernation mode, the app doesn’t actually run and doesn’t consume battery power. The app will remain in hibernation until the user manually starts the app.
How to enable hibernation mode in Samsung phones
Procedure:
- Open the phone settings.
- Select the Battery and Care menu.
- Open the Battery menu.
- Select “Background usage limits”.
- Activate sleep mode operation.
How to enable hibernation mode on Motorola phones
There is no global application hibernation setting on Motorola phones. The hibernation feature is active by default for all apps. Therefore, you only need to activate the hibernation feature manually if the feature has been disabled.
Procedure:
- Open the phone settings.
- Select Apps.
- Use the Unused Applications menu to view applications you haven’t used in more than three months. If necessary, you can remove apps from your phone.
- Touch “Show All Apps” to view all apps.
- Select the app where you want to enable hibernation mode.
- Scroll the page and activate the “Delete permissions and free up space” option.

Set an app to run in the background
Android 12 introduces the setting of app operation in the background. By default, all apps are set to optimized mode with balanced performance and power saving. If an app is actively running in the background and consumes too much battery power, then you can force the background activity to be limited. In restricted mode, the application does not actually use battery power. That’s why it’s a good idea to use the runtime limitation feature for poorly optimized applications.
Procedure:
- Open the system settings of your phone.
- Select the “Applications” menu.
- Press the “Show all applications” button.
- Select an application.
- Open the “Battery” option.
In the Battery Usage Management field, set the operating mode:
- Unrestricted. Do not limit the work of the application.
- Optimized. Balance performance and power saving.
- Restricted. Complete limitation of the application’s work and maximum energy saving.

Conclusion
This article details how to extend battery life in Android 12 and 13. An effective solution to extend battery life is to disable energy-consuming features: reduce screen refresh rate, set a dark design for OLED screen, reduce screen resolution, enable power saving mode, etc. Almost all of the recommendations presented in the article don’t degrade the phone’s performance. And in some cases, for example, reducing the screen resolution helps boost performance a bit by reducing the load on the processor and graphics gas pedal. In Android 12 and 13, the system monitors and limits poorly optimized apps. And if necessary, the user can limit the performance of poorly optimized apps themselves.
And what methods do you know of to extend battery life in Android 12 and 13? Share your experiences in the comments below the article.
FAQ
How can I improve battery life on Android 12?
To improve battery life, you need to turn off power-consuming features on your phone. Such features include: high screen refresh rate, light design in OLED screens, high picture resolution, unlimited background apps, etc.
Why Android 12 is faster?
The developers have made some optimizations in Android 12. Therefore, the system performance in certain tasks has increased up to 22%.
Will Android 12 have better battery life?
The battery life on Android 12 phones has been improved. In particular, the developers have added a new application background lock mode. The system monitors applications with high power consumption and forcibly limits the background work. In Android 13, developers have refined the mode and added stricter limits for non-optimized applications.
How do I force 120hz on Android 13?
It is necessary to open the screen settings. Select the screen refresh rate menu. Then set the screen frequency to 120 Hz, if your phone’s screen supports this refresh rate. Note that a 120 Hz screen will consume more power than a 90 Hz or 60 Hz screen.
Does charging to 85 extend battery life?
Charging at 85-90% will have a positive effect on battery life.
How do I keep my battery 100% healthy?
It is not possible to keep a battery 100% healthy. Because chemical reactions are going on inside the battery. Because of this, the battery will gradually wear out, even if it is not working. Therefore, it is only possible to extend the life of a battery. To do this, it is important not to discharge the battery to 0%. It is better to use a battery charge in the 40-90% range. Do not charge or use the battery in low or high temperatures. Do not use fast charging technology or wireless charging. It is also important to use a quality or original charger.
How can I extend my battery life on Android 13? Â
In order to increase battery life, you should use less features that are overly energy consuming: high screen resolution, high screen refresh rate, unlimited background applications, etc.
Is Android 12 draining my battery?
In standby mode, the system uses some power to run some functions and services. However, developers have optimized the performance of Android 12 and reduced overall power consumption compared to previous versions of Android.
How many hours should an Android battery last?
The total runtime is affected by the operating mode and the applications running. Battery capacity and life also affects runtime. If the battery is worn out, the phone works less, and may disconnect at high load or at 50% of the charge. The average operating time of the phone is 8-10 hours in active, mixed usage mode.