Turn Off Your Smartphone Camera

March 2022 — Tip of the Month

I've seen it too many times. Someone turns on the camera app on their phone, takes a photo or video, then leaves the camera app open. It's the fastest way to drain your smartphone battery.

In 2013, I published a tip about letting your smartphone sleep whenever possible. In sleep mode, the display turns off, and your phone uses significantly less battery. When the camera app is open, not only is the display on, your phone is constantly processing video data. Even if you're not recording video or taking photos, the camera app processes several dozen frames per second. You can almost watch the battery charge drop with each minute.

While I haven't conducted a study on how much battery a smartphone uses while the camera app is open, it's safe to say it drains more than 10x more battery than when your phone is in sleep mode. So once you take a photo or video, click the sleep button before putting your phone away. You might be surprised how much longer your battery lasts.

- Per Christensson