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Here’s How to Make Your Cellphone Last Until the Power Comes Back On

Oct. 30, 2012 9:48am Liz Klimas

Many on the eastern seaboard probably kept their cellphones on the charger as much as possible yesterday to ensure it would be fully juiced in preparation for a power outage. With more than 7 million remaining in a blackout after Hurricane Sandy swept through with high winds and massive flooding, keeping cellphones alive in the hours to days it might take for service to return is not impossible if you make some small behavior changes.

The website Quartz has some tips for stretching your battery power:

Use your laptop: You can charge your cellphone through your laptop battery (provided that’s fully juiced too), if you have a cord to connect the two.

Tips to Keep Your Cellphone Charged in a Power Outage

(Photo: Shutterstock.com)

Turn off Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other radios can drain your battery. You can find these off switches in the “settings” section of most phones.
Turn it off completely: As painful as it may sound, if you’re not using it, turn it off. This will help ensure you have the mobile phone for what it was originally created for in the first place: emergencies.
Send texts: When communication is vital, sending a quick text message could take less power than a full on phone conversation.
Charge it in your car: If you or a friend has a car with a cellphone charger that hopefully fits your specific model, then you’re in luck. Turning on the car and plugging in the device could give you an extra boost to get you through.

Also, as much as you might want to snap photos of the damage around you from the storm, consider whipping out your old point -and-shoot camera and using that instead. Having dozens of apps open and running will drain batteries as well. Shut down apps that you don’t need.

Be sure to check out Quartz’s full article for more details on making your cellphone last here.

Featured image via Shutterstock.com.

(H/T: Buzzfeed Twitter)

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Comments (31)

goal zero
Posted on November 4, 2012 at 1:00pm
You can keep your cell phone charge with solar! Goal Zero makes chargers that will keep your cellphone charged, even in a massive power outage like the one on the east coast right now. http://www.goalzero.com/blog we are currently distributing such products in areas effected by the power outage. Stay prepared & stay safe!

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BlessedONE333
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 10:57am
did they forget that if there is no power to the transmitters – then no messages go out anyway? lol

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- bonesiii
  Posted on November 2, 2012 at 2:54am
  It’s generally hoped that power for cell towers is handled top priority. ;)
  
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ktmrider1
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 8:13pm
duhh me no not how turn off obama phone to save battery. me no care obama will give nother one when battery dead

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scrudge
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 4:32pm
Ah Yes…. easy to do…. take the dam thing out of your ear and shut it off….. i see the future— babys being born with cell phones grownimg out of their eares

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Jenasus
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 1:31pm
Build a fire and send smoke signals to invite your friends over to smoke the peace pipe.

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dave88
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 1:27pm
They left out the most important thing. If you have an iphone throw it in the river and get an android phone and a couple spare batteries. You will not only have a superior phone it will make this not a problem.

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- twbranch
  Posted on October 30, 2012 at 2:48pm
  Funny! I own an iPhone and my work phone is android. I feel just the opposite. My samsung is junk when it comes to holding a charge. The iPhone is just needs some housekeeping to keep it going longer and the android needs programs downloaded to make last.
  
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dwf1
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 1:20pm
This reminds me of a song, “I Got a Hole in My Bucket”.

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melving
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 12:03pm
Buy a gasoline guzzling generator

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nick e l
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 12:02pm
are you really serious… STAY OFF THE PHONE, PAD OR WHATEVER RIDICULOUS SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLET YOU HAVE!…Use the phone for emergencies.. I have NO sympathy for anyone who is this stupid! Throw some chlorine in the gene pool!
Semper Fi

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- White Devil
  Posted on October 30, 2012 at 3:51pm
  A-freakin’-men! There is no reason for anyone to need to be that attached to their phone. If they are, then maybe they should have stayed home for Sandy to eat them up.
  These kind of people would never survive an EMP.
  
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DZ-015
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 11:43am
Many cars have a built in power inverter with a 110 V outlet, so you can use your regular charger for your cell phone.

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Dismayed Veteran
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 11:19am
Before I start using my year supply of food, water and other essentials, I want my Obama free stuff first. (sarcasim)

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judyaz
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 11:03am
Didn’t the widespread power outage stop the cell phone towers from transmitting? If not, that’s amazing planning. How would you communicate if cell phones didn’t work? How about amateur radio?In several Texas hurricanes, the cell phone towers were down. The only power people had was the actual land line telephone service. No electricity (thus no lights, air conditioning, cooking), no safe drinking water, no cable or satellite TV, no streets were cleared of debris to drive, no gas stations or stores. All that worked was the regular phone, so I was able to call and at least learn my family survived. It was a long, hot wait for them lasting many days, drinking bottled water they’d stored up in 5-gallon containers and eating cold canned food (which they were thankful to have).

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- abacimikados
  Posted on October 30, 2012 at 12:48pm
  Cellphone and wifi sites only last as long as the electricity; if the power goes out and the backup generator or battery backup fails do to lack of fuel or battery capacity, then there is no cellphone/smartphone or obamaphone service.
  In addition if the cellphone sites are overloaded beyond capacity, then there is no service, i.e; 9-11-01.
  Communications are taken for granted until needed. Amateur radio (ham radio) is the only true backup and even then you need power.
  
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 10:31am
I’ve not had to use this yet, other than to test it. I have an Eton Red Cross with a built in hand crank dynamo. Not only will that charge the wireless phone like battery, it can be switched to a cell phone mode and has a standard outlet, and a USB for charging a phone. Living out here in a rural area it helps to have a portable radio like this.

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- aragona
  Posted on October 30, 2012 at 10:37am
  I think I have one of these too and it is a huge disappointment. I wouldn’t count on this product being of much help at all.
  
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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on October 30, 2012 at 10:38am
  I let myself get interrupted above. That should be Eton Red Cross portable radio above.
  
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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on October 30, 2012 at 10:43am
  ARAGONA, I got my son one of these years ago then a few months later I got one for myself. Didn’t buy it for the cell phone adapter though. Have used it on a camping trip where the dynamo kept the radio going so we could listen to a college football game. I did test the phone charger once when I let my battery die. It did charge it enough to use it, but naturally I did not sit and crank until it was completely charged though.
  
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Gary_K
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 10:24am
See… http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2225217/Superstorm-Sandy-New-York-CELL-PHONE-coverage-users-battle-signal-failures.html

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AxelPhantom
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 10:05am
Or for $25 and a little preparation you could get this….http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Solar-Charger-Built–Windshield/dp/B00449U3K0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351605820&sr=8-1&keywords=solar+phone+charger

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- Gary_K
  Posted on October 30, 2012 at 10:13am
  Stop trying to be prepared, it makes you look like a terrorist. / sarc off
  
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Gary_K
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 10:03am
http://www.newsy.com/videos/cell-phone-companies-brace-for-hurricane-communication

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Gary_K
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 9:59am
Good luck getting a cell phone call through.

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Tigress1
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 9:56am
Obamaphones will last one more week.

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- forthepeople
  Posted on October 30, 2012 at 10:09am
  Sadly ,they are going to have a hard time taking away these phones now.
  
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aggiebrewer
Posted on October 30, 2012 at 9:51am
good grief. If you cant come up with these “tips” yourself then the lack of a phone in a survival situation is the least of your worries. You might not even outlast your phone batteries.

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- Gary_K
  Posted on October 30, 2012 at 10:01am
  It is incredible what people who don’t have a clue can come up with.
  
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- forthepeople
  Posted on October 30, 2012 at 10:04am
  They all seem to talk down to US ? …… from the weatherman telling US to wear a coat its cold to these kind warning US about leaving the refrigerator door open to long. The common denominator is the moron for which everything is gauged and we just go along and accept it ?
  Press 1 to speak english
  press 2 to speak spanish
  press 3 for someone attempting to speak english !
  I rest my case
  
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- apexmoon
  Posted on October 30, 2012 at 1:59pm
  My thoughts too. I do most of these tips on a daily basis as it is just to conserve battery power. The whole “just turn it off” tip is really condescending. you think I couldn’t have figured that out myself? Then again, people these days…..
  
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