Pokemon Go: How to use battery saver

Pokemon Go’s biggest problem is battery drain. In a world where smartphones are notorious for eating battery really quickly anyway, it’s a double-whammy of battery carnage.

Fear not, for in the recent update to the Pokemon Go app, the battery saver feature was re-enabled. Here’s everything you need to know about saving battery when playing Pokemon Go. 

How to find Pokemon Go battery saver

The battery saver feature sits in the settings menu. To access that menu, tap the Poke Ball on the main screen, and then “settings” in the top right-hand corner.

The Battery saver option is a simple tick box, so just tap to turn it on.

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What does Pokemon Go battery saver do?

It doesn’t do a huge amount in reality. The Pokemon Go battery saver is only there to cut out one of the biggest drains on the battery when you’re just walking. It does this by dimming the screen.

It’s worth noting that it doesn’t turn the display off, but dulls to a very dark state with the Pokemon Go logo – as you can see above. During the day you won’t see it, but at night, there’s still a slight glow. 

Importantly, the battery saver function only works when your phone is upside down. The idea is that you carry your phone upside down when walking, saving battery because the display isn’t then shining out at full brightness. It’s slick, fast, and definitely something you should use.

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How else can I save battery life in Pokemon Go?

You need to use your device to manage other battery drain. Even with Pokemon Go’s battery saver feature engaged, it’s still tracking location and you’ll still get vibration alerts. 

If you want even less battery drain, then look for the power saving features on your handset. This will let you lower the brightness of the display when it’s on, as well as reducing the power used by your hardware, like the processor.

That might mean your phone is a little slower, but it’s not burning through battery trying to be the fastest phone on the planet. The game will still run exactly as it should.

On Android, head into your battery or power settings and look for power saver or battery saver (each manufacturer uses different names).

On iPhone, head into settings > battery and turn on low-power mode.

Pokemon Go: External batteries

Of course the long-term answer for power players is to have an external battery for your phone, or a phone with a bigger battery. Phones like the Huawei Mate 8 have huge batteries, but for many of us, buying an external battery is an easy answer. There are loads to choose from, but in reality, getting a battery pack that’s bigger will mean you can play for longer, as well as being able to easily charge your phone several times.

• Best smartphone battery packs: Pokemon power and more