Ways to stay connected when bad weather strikes

There's a storm coming, and you feel like you're prepared: You've stocked up on food and water, and you've got flashlights and batteries. But what about your phone? It's the best way to get important updates and stay in touch with loved ones.At Asurion, we help you get the most out of your tech. Here's our guide on how to prepare your smartphone before bad weather strikes.

What to do before the storm

Preparation is key, especially when it comes to staying connected before a storm. Here are a few things to do while the sun's still shining:

Charge your smartphones 

Give yourself a head start by charging your devices before that first thunderclap. If there's a power outage, you'll be glad to have as much juice as possible. In a hurry to charge your device? Check out our guide to charging your smartphone battery faster.

Set up severe weather alerts 

When bad weather is on the way, severe weather alerts from your iPhone®, Android™, or smart speaker, like the Amazon Echo®, can be vital. If you'd like to get automatic local weather warnings, check out our guide to how to set up severe weather alerts on your phone.

Buy a portable charger

It's always a good idea to have an extra battery backup, just in case. Most have enough power to charge your phone multiple times—but make sure to charge this device before the storm hits. If you're looking for a power source that can charge a couple of phones two to three times and last a few days, you'll want a charger with a capacity of 22,000 milliamp hours or more.

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How to boost your smartphone battery life

When a storm hits, especially if your home loses power, you'll want to take immediate steps to make sure your smartphone stays charged as long as possible. Here are a few ways to help your phone's battery last longer.

1. Turn on your phone's low power mode. This is a quick fix to slow down fast-draining batteries.
2. Dim your screen. Reducing your screen's brightness, even just a little, can save a lot of power.
3. Adjust your social app settings. After you mark yourself as “safe," turn off your social apps' background refresh and push notification settings.
4. Change your push notification settings. Too many push notifications from apps you don't need can drain your battery. Visit Settings > Notifications > App notifications, and only allow notifications from those apps that are most important to you (like severe weather alerts).
5. Take a look at how you're sharing your location. Go to your device's settings to find which apps are allowed to access your location. Turn off any that aren't critical.

For more tips on boosting your battery life by device, check out our tips on how to improve iPhone battery life or 5 ways to minimize Android battery drain.