Here’s an easy way to keep your phone screen looking fresh and inviting: install a live wallpaper. Live wallpapers are animated and typically interactive backgrounds that provide ever-changing screens to keep your phone dynamic.

A longtime Android feature, live wallpapers can change once in awhile or every time you power on the screen. Because Android has become more efficient over the years, these eye-catching backgrounds don’t chug your phone’s battery.

These six gorgeous live wallpaper apps for Android are my current, curated favorites.

Dream Night (Pro)

This dark and dreamy wallpaper displays a nighttime field with a moon, clouds, animals and trees. Oh, and then there’s the occasional shooting star or swarm of fireflies to give the scene some life.

There are plenty of settings to play with in Dream Night Pro, all of which depend on how busy or random you like to have your background. For instance, you can set the moon to change its shaped based on the battery level. How often do you want to see deer come into frame? How fast do you want them to run?

One of the cooler features is the parallax setting, which lets you define how much depth there is to the scene. If you have multiple screens of shortcuts and widgets, you’ll enjoy swiping from one to another. There’s something soothing and cinematic with the way the various layers move.

There’s quite a bit of customization for not much money, as the app costs $1.08 (that’s AU$1.52or £0.86). A free version gives you a taste of the overall look and feel. It’s enough to see the level of polish and detail for free, but I suspect you’ll spring for the paid app.

Circulux LWP

This one from Gauli, one of my favorite live wallpaper developers, features 19 different designs with endless color combinations and movements.

These are some fantastic, always-spinning and evolving circle-like backgrounds. Different every time you look, it’s a great set-it-and-forget wallpaper app that keeps your interest.

Although the app comes with some default settings with colors and layouts put together, the real fun comes in the tinkering. You can drill down and choose from a variety of options that freshen up the screen in new and inviting ways. The preset color palettes are sharp and look great on any size device.

Like to keep things muted or minimal? Circulux lets you dial down the number of colors, intensity and rotation speeds.

The free version provides some basic features and settings, but you’ll want to drop a couple of bucks ($1.95, AU$2.75 or £1.67) to get the full experience. The only option I would like to see is a “random” button that completely shakes things up.

Minima Pro Live Wallpaper

Created with Google’s Material Design principles in mind, Minima sets your background with layers of flat colors and shapes. Imagine cutting out a bunch of construction paper shapes and arranging them in patterns and you’ll understand the effect.

With more than a dozen themes in the free version, it’s a great way to get a feel for how the wallpapers work. You can set how much depth or movement there is between layers, and you can use the parallax effects to put things in motion by simply moving your device.

Once you have a sense for the app, I recommend unlocking its full potential in the Pro settings. Not only do you jump to more than 70 themes, but you can also create your own to return to later. It’s also here that you can have a lot of fun merely by tapping the “random” button.

If you love the flat aesthetic, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more fitting live wallpaper.

Space Colony

Perhaps one of the most detailed Live Wallpapers I’ve seen so far, Space Colony ($1.95, AU$2.75 or £1.19) is heavy on polish and customization.

The city looks every bit like the Star Wars planet Coruscant and features buildings that light up, flying space ships, a glowing aura and more. How busy do you want your future skyline? It’s up to you as you tweak the layout to your heart’s content, with settings for nearly every aspect imaginable.

Space Colony also takes advantage of the Daydream screen. Why stare at your news feeds or a clock when you can escape to a more civilized and futuristic society?

To say there are plenty of options to play with would be an understatement, and no screenshot can do this wallpaper app justice. There are innumerable settings to choose from — including ships, city aura, location, camera movements and building lights.

While there’s no free version, I suggest checking out some of developer Maxelus.net’s other Live Wallpapers to download as a sort of preview to this one. You should be able to get a sense of the level of detail and customization from the portfolio and feel comfortable with your purchase price.

Muzei

As one of the most flexible live wallpaper apps for Android, this one is heavy on customization. To be clear, Muzei isn’t itself so much of a wallpaper, but it more of a client that works with other extensions, or sources of background images.

Thanks to a developer-friendly API, Muzei offers support for wallpapers from just about any corner of the Web. Be it Flickr, Nasa, Tumblr, 500px or somewhere else, somebody has created an extension to pull in these images.

Once you have your image sources set up, Muzei lets you define how often you’d like for them to rotate. This alone breathes new life into other wallpaper apps that only offer static images.

If you’ve got a bunch of accounts you like to follow on Instagram, you may enjoy having a new background image every few hours. Or you could show off your own filtered cat photos.

Awesome Land Pro

Similar to Dream Night, this wallpaper offers up a scenic, nearly static image. With nearly one dozen “themes” to choose from, the backgrounds feature a gorgeous color palette.

You can toggle various settings, including how often the image changes, whether there are occasional birds, or if there are floating particles. If you don’t want to be distracted by too many animations, you’ll still end up with a sharp and inviting layout.

I like to set Awesome Land Pro to sync to my phone’s clock and change throughout the day. I also prefer to view random particles as they resemble fireflies or ashes from a fire.

There is a free version of Awesome Land available to test out so you can get a sense for the overall experience. Should you want to step up to the paid version you’ll be looking at a few dollars ($2.65, AU$3.73 or £2.11).

What about you?

Of course, there are countless other live wallpapers for Android. Which do you use, and are there any paid apps you find particularly impressive? Please share your thoughts and favorites in the comments below.

This story originally published April 23, 2015 and updated March 22, 2016.

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US Cellular on Thursday introduced a limited-time promotion that rewards customers for defecting from another service provider. Starting today, customers can earn up to $300 for porting their phone number from another carrier.

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US Cellular faces stiff competition from a number of larger wireless providers. Each of the bigger players has its own incentives designed to steal away customers. Typically, most carriers will pay off early termination fees or reward new customer for porting their phone number to the new carrier. US Cellular’s new promotion, while somewhat similar, is still unique.

In short, US Cellular will give customers a $300 credit for porting their phone number and turning in their old phone. Indeed, the carrier will even pay for devices that have a cracked display. The credit comes in the form of a $100 promo card at point of sale, followed by a $200 card mailed 6-8 weeks later.

In addition to the limited-time deal, US Cellular is also offering a buyout for those who have to break a contract with another company.

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AT&T and T-Mobile are currently offering limited-time, buy one, get one promotions centered around the Samsung Galaxy S7.

With seemingly all eyes on Samsung’s flagship smartphone for 2016, the Galaxy S7 is readily available from both tier-one and prepaid carriers. So, in order to lure new customers (or keep existing ones), service providers turn to deals and discounts. If you’re in the market for the current “all-around phone to beat,” now’s the time to buy.

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AT&T was first to announce its promotion, which is more or less an update to the one started last month. Both new and current customers can snag the buy one, get one deal, however there’s a few hoops to jump through, first.

For starters, both phones (Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge) must be purchased via an AT&T Next installment plan with the second line being new and on a Next 24 plan (30 payments). Moreover, the two phones must be added to a qualified plan; customers will pay sales tax on the two phones at the time of purchase.

As for the free aspect, AT&T will credit up to $695 over the span of 30 months. Subscribers who leave AT&T before the full amount is credited will be responsible for the remaining balance.

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T-Mobile’s approach is more simplified. Customers who purchase two Galaxy S7’s on an equipment installation plan will get the full retail price of the second device back in the form of a prepaid debit card. Also worth noting, T-Mobile is extending the deal to the Galaxy S7 Edge.

In addition to the buy one, get one free promo, T-Mobile is offering several other incentives. Customers who buy the Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge before March 18 will receive one year of Netflix as well as a Samsung Gear VR headset with a six-game bundle.

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OnePlus has made it even more appealing to consider purchasing one of its unlocked Android-powered smartphones. The Chinese handset maker today announced it will accept payment installments for products priced $99 and higher.

With global customers becoming increasingly more comfortable with purchasing unlocked phones directly from vendors, OnePlus offers an interesting alternative to phones like Google’s Nexus line. And, now that it has done away with the invite-only system, the OnePlus family of devices is more readily available.

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Today sees the phone manufacturer offering US consumers three installment options for phones such as the OnePlus 2. Buyers can spread the cost out over 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month periods using PayPal Credit at checkout. Whereas OnePlus phone prices typically cost less than big-name flagships, it still required customers to fork over a couple hundred dollars (or more) up front. By allowing for installments, buyers can enjoy the peace of mind in low-cost payments that are carrier agnostic. This allows users to hop from one GSM carrier to another without losing the phone or wasting money.

Interestingly enough, OnePlus didn’t mention the 19.99 percent interest rate that’s tacked onto the payments. In looking at the terms and conditions, it appears the fee comes from PayPal’s side and not OnePlus. In other words, the phone maker isn’t making any extra money off users who take advantage of the installments. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that you could end up paying slightly more for your phone in the end.

The OnePlus 2, which costs $349, breaks down to $22.60 per month over 18 months. However, when it’s all said and done, you’re looking at nearly $58 in interest over the period.

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Boost Mobile, in an effort to pull customers away from other wireless carriers, today announced a limited-time promotion. Effective immediately, Boost is offering discounted rate plans and free phones to subscribers who port their number from competing service providers.

The promotion underscores a growing interest in and demand for prepaid wireless providers, which are often more affordable and don’t require credit checks. The Boost deal is similar to one that its parent company, Sprint, has offered for a few months.

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According to Boost, customers who port their phone number from AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon can save up to 50 percent when compared to competitors’ plans. Boost Mobile provides 10GB of high-speed data per line, per month starting at $60 for two lines. A three line plan runs $85 per month; four lines is $100 per month.

In addition to the promotional rate, Boost will give new customers up to four free phones when porting in and activating on a family plan. Subscribers can choose from the Alcatel OneTouch Elevate, Motorola Moto E, LG Tribute, LG Tribute 2, and ZTE Speed. Alternatively, Boost will discount other models by $50 each.

Both the discounted plan and free phone promos will run until April 5.

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Choosing the right carrier plan is one of the most important — and daunting — decisions you’ll make as a phone owner, especially when you’re picking a shared plan for your whole family.

While every family is different, for the sake of this article’s calculations, we’ll settle on a family of four comprised on two adults and two kids. I’m also calculating the plan price alone. If you’re buying any new phones, you’ll need to factor in handset costs — these vary.

Use this carrier breakdown as a starting point and adjust to fit your family’s needs.

Editors’ note: This story was originally published November 30, 2015, and is updated periodically. It was most recently updated February 19 at 2:19 p.m. PT.

Major carriers

Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint: These are the country’s largest carriers. They offer a range of shared data buckets with unlimited talk and text messaging, without contractual obligations.

Verizon

• Total monthly bill (12GB): $160
• Overage penalty: $15 per GB
• Access fee is more expensive when phone is subsidized with a two-year contract
• No data rollover — use it or lose it

AT&T

• Total monthly bill (15GB): $160
• Overage penalty: $15 per GB
• Unused data “rolls over” to the next billing cycle

T-Mobile

• Total monthly bill (24GB): $140
• Data Stash program provides 10GB of extra “free” data at start
• Unused data can be rolled over to use in next 12 months
• Unlimited access to select music and video streaming services

Sprint

• Total monthly bill (12GB) : $140
• No overage fees; data throttled to 2G speeds after allotment used up
• No data rollover — use it or lose it

Prepaid carriers

The prepaid carriers don’t have dedicated family plans with shared data buckets, so you have to calculate the cost of a family plan yourself — by adding up the total cost of four separate lines of service. That isn’t ideal, I know. There’s one caveat you should know about the cost calculations for a family of four: because of a built-in incentive, Boost Mobile gets cheaper over time for loyal customers who pay on time.

Cricket Wireless

• Total monthly bill (10GB): $100
• Each line shares 2.5GB
• Uses AT&T network
• Unlimited international texting to 38 countries
• Includes international talk and text to and from Mexico and Canada
• Free access to high-speed data while traveling in Mexico and Canada

MetroPCS

• Total monthly bill (12GB): $140
• Each line receives 3GB
• Uses T-Mobile network
• Crossing data threshold results in slowed speeds for rest of bill cycle
• Unlimited access to select music and video streaming services

Boost Mobile

• Total monthly bill (20GB): $120
• Each line receives up to 5GB
• Uses Sprint network
• Offers add-on international calling and text
• Unlimited access to select streaming music services

Virgin Mobile

• Total monthly bill (14GB): $155
• Uses Sprint network
• Offers international calling and text
• Add-on data packages for $5/GB
• Unlimited access to select streaming music services

Which carrier has the best family deal?

Plans change all the time, which makes tracking family plan benefits particularly tough. As of today, you’ll get more data for your money if you go with one of the four major carriers, specifically T-Mobile. On the prepaid front, Boost Mobile gives families of four the best long-term deal if they pay on time for over a year and a half. Otherwise, Virgin Mobile is the least expensive, though it’s still not as good as T-Mobile.

That said, price isn’t everything. You’ll also need to consider the carrier’s coverage strength for your area.

If you buy an unlocked phone, which is not tied to a specific carrier, you will have an added degree of flexibility to take your family to a new plan on a rival network, without having to replace your hardware.

More tips

• Use the carrier’s data calculator on their website to forecast how much data you your family might need.
• Buying new phones on installment plans increases your monthly bill.
• Some carriers will give you a deal for porting your number or trading in an old phone.
• Sometimes, a deal pairs a specific phone model with a specific rate plan.
• Major holidays are a good time to look for limited-time promotions.
• Phone manufacturers sometimes toss in extras, like a few free months with an app or service.
• Before you switch to a new carrier, ask friends, neighbors and colleagues how they like their coverage at home and work.

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Verizon has revived a promotion that gives its subscribers 2GB of free high speed data per month, “for life.” Available immediately, the deal is offered to both new and existing customers on Verizon’s XL and XXL plans.

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Verizon, which no longer offers an unlimited data plan, doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to reintroduce one either. But, that doesn’t mean it won’t give some of its heaviest users a little breathing room.

The XL and XXL plans provide 12GB and 18GB of shareable data per month, respectively. As part of the limited-time promo, Verizon is giving each phone line an additional 2GB per month. A family of four, for instance, would receive 8GB of extra data per month on top of the standard allotment.

The bonus data is available to each phone line on plans that have up to 10 lines. Moreover, the data can be shared across other devices, including existing tablets or mobile hotspots. It cannot, however, be awarded to new tablets or hotspots.

Verizon says customers must stay on the XL or XXL plans in order to keep the bonus monthly data active.

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Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge could have a 38 percent larger battery compared to the Galaxy S6 Edge, according to specs revealed in FCC filing (click FCC ID Label and Location).

The filing, which every phone vendor has to submit before its products can sell in the US, points to a 3,600mAh battery for the S7 Edge, which is expected to have a 5.5-inch screen. In contrast, last year’s smaller S6 Edge sported a 2,600mAh battery to power the 5.1-inch screen.

Once the cream of the phone crop, Samsung is hoping for a hit with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Although the Galaxy S6 Edge was generally well received for its curved metal and glass design, Samsung has lost ground in the global arms race. Buyers are gravitating to more budgeted devices, and brands like Huawei, ZTE, and Xiaomi are benefitting from the shift.

Samsung did not reply to a request for comment.

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Remember that battery capacity doesn’t always translate to longer battery life: the efficiency of the processor makes a huge difference in how long the battery lasts between a charge. It’s also tough to forecast what sort of additional impact Android 6.0’s Doze feature, which hibernated phone processes when the phone has been idle for hours, will have on the S7 Edge’s battery life.

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Either way, we’re only a few weeks away from the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge’s launch. In the meantime, check out our running list of anticipated features in the year’s first flagship phones.

Samsung is expected to introduce the Galaxy S7 at its Unpacked event on February 21 in Barcelona, Spain. CNET will be covering the event live.

[Via Sammobile]

The post Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge battery could jump by 38 percent over the S6 Edge first appeared on Joggingvideo.com.

Checking in on a family member in 2016 is much easier than ever, and perhaps less invasive, too. We don’t have to call or text to see that Sally hasn’t left the house or that Dad is driving and should be home by 7.

We have apps that can passively keep an eye on friends and family members’ whereabouts, and that’s a huge relief. No more worry when someone forgets to call or is held up. A quick glance at your tracking app tells you all you need to know — and then you can relax.

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If tracking the people you love sounds shady, or you’re worried about spying, don’t worry. These Android and iPhone apps are safe and I’ve used all the ones I recommend below. Contacts have to agree to be tracked, and the apps come with very clear instructions for use.

As you read through each selection, bear in mind that this is not an exact science and that GPS signals determine how precisely locations can be calculated. What’s more, none of these will work with the phone turned off.

Glympse

Designed around the simple notion of at-a-glance-tracking, Glympse lets you decide who you want to see your GPS location, and select how long they can track you.

Although location sharing ends once the time interval is up, it’s possible to manually stop the transmission at any time. Along those lines, it’s also possible to tack on extra tracking time.

Glympse is perfect to turn on when you’re headed home from work and want to let your spouse know where you are. It’s also great for friends to keep temporary tabs on one another when you’re planning to meet up at a park or public event.

Glympse also lets you share real-time locations, estimated arrival times, and travel speeds through email, text or social networks. I especially like the calendar integration, which shares location and your ETA with everyone.

Glympse is free for both Android and iPhone.

Life360 Family Locator

This free app lets family members track one another in real time. One great feature automatically lets family members know when someone has entered a predefined location, like home or school. You can choose two such spots. So when the kids come home after school, Life 360’s app automatically checks them in and sends an alert to show they’ve made it.

The app also includes a full location history, which is nice for an overview of recent activity. The built-in “panic” option sends out an emergency beacon to designated emails, text and phones with your exact location of your GPS coordinates. The app can also be used to message family members.

While the app and service are free to use, a premium version sells for $5 per month (which covers the whole family) or $50 per year. That pro version comes with unlimited check-in places, roadside assistance, the ability to locate non-smartphones, and protection against stolen phones. Life360 offers a 30 day free trial to its premium features.

Download the free version of Life360 Family Locator for Android and iPhone.

Find My Friends

This app, which is also made by the Life360 guys, gives you a central place for sharing your location and messaging. Headed out of town for a few days of downtime? Plan and coordinate your trip with others before getting in the car. Likewise, the app can be used to quickly broadcast your location in an emergency situation.

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Like other apps of its kind, this one uses Google Maps at its heart, so it’s a breeze to learn and understand. Along these lines, the map automatically lists places such as police stations, fire departments and hospitals, among other.

For $5 a month, the premium version of Find My Friends adds unlimited check-in locations, an expanded location history, roadside assistance and support for non-smartphones. All users are invited to try the 30-day free trial.

Find My Friends is free for Android. (Not to be confused with Apple’s own Find My Friends app for iOS.)

Google+

It might be tucked away in the corner, but Google’s social networking service, Google+, offers the ability to share location. The design is reminiscent of the old Google Latitude and integrates, naturally, with Google Maps.

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To share your location with others, send a request to that contact through the Google+ app. Once the person accepts, you’ll be able to see each other through the app. It’s worth noting that a friend doesn’t have to share their location with you in order for you to send yours.

Google+ still relies on the concept of grouping contacts together in “circles.” If you find yourself tracking tons of friends and family members, it’s easy to filter your map by circle, say karaoke buddies. Conversely, you can toggle exactly who you share your “where” with, too.

Google+ is available for free for Android and iPhone.

Carrier-branded apps

Each of the four major US wireless providers also offers its own particular Android app or service for keeping an eye on loved ones. All four feature a number of free services and individual options tailored to the user; paid features come at a monthly premium. If you’re a subscriber to one of these carriers, then you may find one of these apps suits your needs.

The carrier apps:

• Verizon Family Locator ($9.99/month per account for up to 10 phones): Features locations, address, a detailed map, turn-by-turn directions, arrival and departure updates, integrated text messaging.
• AT&T FamilyMap ($9.99/month to locate up to two family members, $14.99 per month to locate up to five family members): Features ability to locate from smartphone or PC, find lost or stolen phones, maps with designated safe spots, schedules, notification options. Includes 30-day free trial.
• Sprint Family Locator ($5.99/month to locate up to four phones): Features ability to locate lost or stolen phones, automatic check-ins, text alerts, option to check from Web site, real-time locations. Includes 15-day free trial.
• T-Mobile FamilyWhere ($9.99/month to locate up to 10 phones): Features automatic location checks, real-locations, text alerts, ability to work with non-smartphones, schedules. Includes 30-day free trial.

What about you?

Which apps do you prefer to use for such a purpose? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

This story was originally published June 26, 2013, and was updated February 5, 2016.

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If you’ve ever caught yourself scanning a room for outlets, or worrying about how long you can eke out a charge on your phone, then this collection of battery-saving Android apps is for you.

These apps are helpful even if you’ve got a built-in battery-saving feature to help you in a dire situation, and even if you have Android 6.0 Marshmallow software with Doze, Google’s built-in feature to pause resource-draining processes when you’re not actively using your handset.

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While both are terrific, you can do even more to keep your phone going longer between charges.

Here are five of my favorite battery-boosting apps. While they share similar features, I especially highlight what sets them apart from the rest.

Editors’ note: This story was originally published April 29, 2013 and updated most recently on February 8, 2016.

Greenify

Greenify helps extend battery life by automating the hibernation process rather than stopping the app. The benefit to this over app-killer programs: your phone uses less battery waking up a sleeping app than it does to restart an app you had stopped, or killed.

With Greenify, users can hand pick which lower priority apps should take a nap. Heads up, though — you won’t want to hibernate apps such as the alarm clock or messaging apps if you plan to use them every day, like I do.

For those of you who are already enjoying the benefits of Android 6.0, Greenify goes a step further with experimental features that piggyback on top of the Doze functionality. For example, Aggressive Doze starts your phone hibernating within a few minutes after you stop using it, rather than many hours (like when you’re asleep). Shallow Hibernation (for power users) suspends background functions without actually stopping the tasks.

There is a pro version, but unless you’re well-versed in system operations, it’s best to stick with the free version.

Standout features: Set-and-forget approach to hibernating apps rather than forcibly stopping the process as app-killer software does.

Go Battery Saver & Power Widget

This polished and intuitive app offers varying degrees of battery saving. A simple tap lets you toggle preset modes for general, super and extreme power savings. A heavy gamer, for instance, may want more aggressive savings with Extreme Mode. You can also create your own custom mode.

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Go Battery Saver & Power Widget keeps an eye on your apps to determine which have the most impact on battery. By assigning a score to your battery, the app determines which features you may want to enable or disable to extend its life.

Tapping the optimize button, in essence, cleans up unnecessary, resource-sucking processes and can buy you back an extra hour or more. The app also gives you two home screen widgets that you can use as shortcuts, with the option to buy skins.

Standout features: Handy widgets, multiple user modes, modern and intuitive interface, excellent development support and history of updates.

Avast Battery Saver

Developed by well-known mobile security firm Avast, this battery app is highly accurate at predicting when users will need to plug in the phone for charging.

Although it may not offer as many unique features as others on this list, I appreciate its all-in-one hub for power-saving settings (some phone software spread these features out in settings submenus).

Avast provides a quick and easy way to manage options like Wi-Fi, display brightness, sync and vibration. These might not sound like battery hogs on their own, but each plays a small role in how much life you get from a single charge.

The four preset profiles (Home, Work, Night and Super-Saving Emergency Mode) can be tailored to your liking; switch between profiles manually or set up profiles that automatically turn on when you hop onto your home or work’s Wi-Fi network.

Standout features: Automatic profile switching based on Wi-Fi, handy all-in-one overview, accurate battery reading.

DU Battery Saver & Phone Charger

This good-looking app provides a streamlined appearance with just the right amount of settings and shortcuts.

It greets you with a number of preset profiles, say, for work and home. As with others, you can create your own custom mode.

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The app also lets users dig in and see which apps are more battery hungry, or which can be suspended without impacting performance.

Although the free client provides enough features to satisfy most people, the paid version ($3, or about £2 and AU$4.25) promises up to 70 percent more battery savings through advanced features like auto-clearing unnecessary background apps and services, and updating device settings.

Standout features: Gorgeous aesthetics, additional user-defined modes, option to add premium features a la carte without paying, multiple home screen widgets, lock screen integration.

Green Battery Saver & Manager

Formerly known as Battery Aid, this free app provides a few additional options to help squeeze out extra hours. Notably, it automatically turns off your phone’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and data connections when not in use, and for a set amount of time. Additionally, it can also be used to toggle the settings for synchronizing the phone to your accounts for email, photos, music, books and so on. If your phone isn’t continuously trying to sync your entire account, you won’t use up your battery stores as fast.

The free version of the app offers shortcuts to your standard phone options such as display brightness screen timeout and car dock settings. Sure, you could dig around in your handset’s settings to find them as well, but Green Battery keeps them in one place.

There are a couple of other features you can unlock for a few dollars ($4 USD, or about £2.80 and AU$5.70), including battery statistics. Going premium also removes ads and signs you up for future updates as well.

Separately, the developers have a Google+ account and a beta community it uses to test new features, too. If you’re the type who likes to get a sneak preview of upcoming options, be sure to sign up.

Standout features: Uses Google’s look and feel; an all-in-one place for common device settings; simple and straightforward.

Other tips and best practices

Chances are good that you can also extend battery life by manually adjusting a few settings on your device. Switching to airplane mode or turning off features like Bluetooth, NFC and GPS can squeeze a few minutes or more out of the battery.

Is your phone set to automatically adjust brightness? Are your social media apps constantly pinging for updates? You may surprised at how much control you have over the apps and services on your smartphone.

It’s not uncommon for an app developer to introduce a new feature or make an adjustment that impacts the battery. Along those lines, I always recommend updating apps to the latest versions. Sometimes these little bug fixes can pay off in big ways.

Your favorites?

Which Android applications do you use to extend the battery life of your Android device — is it one of the five highlighted here, or do you prefer a different client? I would love to hear your feedback in the comments below.

The post Five ways to boost your Android phone’s battery life right now first appeared on Joggingvideo.com.