How To Save Your Battery In "Pokemon Go"

There are few reasons for which you'd actually stop playing the seriously amazing mobile game, 'Pokemon Go," other than the one thing would literally force you to put your phone away: A drained battery. But there's good news on that front: Learning how to save your battery in "Pokemon Go" is actually pretty easy. So although users are saying that the one downside to the Nintendo/Niantic creation is the app's habit of using up all your batter power, there's still a chance you'll never stop playing it at all — not if these tricks and tips have their say.

As current users can attest, the creators of the augmented reality game have drawn upon the shared collective fantasy that has long united and excited Pokemon fans around the world: Imagine if the animated cartoon creatures actually lived in our world. And now, they do! "Pokemon Go" allows users to live out that dream. By accessing your phone's camera and GPS, the app lets you find and catch Pokemon in your area, in real space, in real time. The fact that this app — like many others that make liberal use of our smartphones' GPS capabilities — is a complete battery hog, is for most, a small price to pay in exchange for living alongside these little pocket monsters.

If you've well and truly fallen down the Pokemon rabbit hole, you might want to check out our tips on how to utilise and increase your CP, or even how to get Pikachu as your starter; for everyone else who may or may not have been living under a rock, you can check out our complete guide to "Pokemon Go." But before you do anything else, take a look at these six tips for getting the most out of your battery so you can train your Pokemon as long as possible:

1. Turn Off Augmented Reality

Although the augmented reality feature is one of the app's big draws, turning it off is also the first sensible way to protect your precious battery life. When you're in the game, all you have to do is a) encounter a Pokemon, and then b) toggle the AR switch in the upper right corner once you're trying to catch the little monster. Simple. (But a bit of a fun-sucker, admittedly).

2. Turn On Battery Saver

"Pokemon Go" also comes with a battery friendly feature. To turn it on, first tap the Pokeball on the main game screen; then tap "settings" in the upper right corner; and then, once you're in the settings menu, toggle on Battery Saver. When you flip your phone upside down, the screen will go black — but don't worry: The game will still be running. It will continue to notify you of nearby Pokemon just the same as always; the only difference is that you won't be able to watch your character move around the map while it happens.

3. Close The App When You're Not Using It

A no-brainer, but a fool-proof method nonetheless. Having apps running in the background is a big battery killer, especially if they keep your GPS on all the time. And besides: Do you really need to interupt your coffee meeting to catch a Pidgy? There's a time and a place for "Pokemon Go," but alas, that is not it.

4. Lower Screen Brightness

According to Lifehacker, the number one way battery is drained in "Pokemon Go" is through the screen. So, turn the brightness down to the absolute minimum level you can tolerate. Here's how to do it on an iPhone, and here's how to do it on an Android.

5. Turn Down The Volume And Sound

Yeah, the enjoyment factor might be significantly reduced, but as long as you can still see it, you can still catch 'em all, right? You can do this right in the app on the same screen that toggles Battery Saver mode on — just toggle off Music and Sound Effects — or you can do it in your phone's general settings menu.

6. Use The Power Saving Mode In Your Phone

The jury's still out on whether this method reduces the speed and processing power in "Pokemon Go," with some users reporting that using the power saving mode slowed things down quite a bit. You can always give it a go, though — it's worth a shot! On an iPhone, use Low Power Mode, and on an Android, use Battery Saver.

Images: Lucia Peters/Bustle (2); Giphy (4)