Waze Draining Your Battery On Android? 5 Easy Fixes To Help

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Is Waze draining your battery on Android too quickly?

That sucks! One of the key parts of GPS navigation is a healthy battery percentage to guide you from point A to point B, regardless of the distance. But sometimes, Waze can have different plans for your energy efficiency.

I know having this happen is very annoying and can get you lost rather quickly, especially if your battery dies.

But don’t worry, you came here for answers, and that’s exactly what you’ll get. Below, I’ve gathered 5 easy fixes to help you keep your battery going for much longer.

When Waze keeps draining your battery on Android, you should try lowering your screen brightness, closing background apps, or using the platform offline. And if you want to save even more power, you can also enable Low Power Mode, and bring a charger with you.

Read on for safe travels!

#1 Lower Your Screen Brightness

The first thing I’d like you to try is lowering your screen brightness. Navigating with Waze is already very taxing on your phone’s processor and battery. If you add to that a super bright screen, it’s not surprising that Waze is draining the battery of your Android device.

Now, I’m not saying you should lower it to the point of having to squint when you’re trying to make sense of directions. But you’d be surprised by how low you can go without sacrificing visibility.

If you want to go even further, you can also enable sound directions, so you can lower the screen’s brightness to the minimum and just listen. This is not only a great workaround but also something I highly recommend, as it allows you to keep your eyes on the road.

We have a great piece on how to enable sound directions on your phone, so if you’re interested, do not hesitate to check it out!

#2 Close Background Apps

Modern smartphones are light years ahead of their predecessors. If like me, you grew up between the late 2000s and the early 2010s, you probably remember the first iPhones and Android products. They were clunky and slow compared to what we have today.

It’s a wonderful thing to see how far technology has come, but just like everything else in life, these advancements have their disadvantages. Having the processing power to take on several tasks at once is incredible, but it could also be the reason Waze is draining the battery on your Android devices.

If you’re in the habit of using several apps at once, there’s a good chance that eventually, you’ll end up with 20+ of them open at the same time. Typically, your devices will lower resource consumption on those that are not being used, but they’re still in the background, eating away at your battery slowly.

If you want the best power-performance ratio, try closing them.

Solution: Here’s how to close any apps you have running in the background:

  1. Unlock your Android device
  2. While holding it vertically, tap on the square symbol (or the three vertical lines depending on your Android version) located in either the lower-right or the lower-left corner of your screen. This will show all your currently open apps
  3. You’ll see an option that says “Clear All” or “Close All”. When you do, tap on it

This process should close all background apps, improving performance and battery duration.

#3 Use the Platform Offline

Another great way to save battery life is by using the platform offline. You probably already know this, but mobile data consumes a lot of power – much more than Wi-Fi. While it’s hard to give you an exact estimate, I’d say the number is somewhere along the lines of 15-20% more.

Since you don’t have Wi-Fi on the road, using mobile data might seem like your only option. However, loading your trip information at home will allow you to keep navigating without a network once you’re driving.

Now, although this is a great feature to have, it’s not without disadvantages. While using Waze offline, you won’t get the latest traffic, accident, and pothole updates, as these require a stable connection to be gathered.

At the end of the day, your decision should be based on what matters most to you. If you’re determined to stop Waze from draining the battery on your Android device, then this option is for you. But if you’d rather stay informed and get live updates for your trip, then it might be worth keeping mobile data on.

#4 Enable Low Power Mode

Moving on, let’s try one of the simplest, yet most effective solutions on this list – enabling Battery Saver Mode.

This feature has been around for quite a while now, but as you can imagine, it has been improved over the years. By activating it, your phone will tweak a couple of settings, so it can keep performance almost the same while making your battery last longer.

In some models, this is activated automatically when your battery percentage dips below 10-20%, but since we want to save more power, I’d recommend enabling this mode manually on a higher percentage.

Solution: To manually enable Battery Saver Mode, please follow the simple steps below:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Find and select “Battery”
  3. Find the “Battery Saver” option and enable it. This should stop Waze from draining the battery of your Android device so quickly

This is completely optional, but if you want, you can also schedule a time to deactivate this mode automatically in that same section.

#5 Bring a Charger With You

Always buy a good quality adapter to prevent issues

Last, but not least, let’s consider the possibility of bringing a charger along with you.

You’re probably thinking, “I already tried that, and Waze kept draining the battery of my Android device”, but what if I told you that you’re using the wrong connection?

I might be wrong, but I’ll go out on a limb and say that you’re likely using a USB cable connected to a USB port in your car. If so, it’s no wonder your device’s battery life keeps going down, as these ports do not have enough power to make up for what Waze needs, especially if you’re also listening to music.

Instead, I’d recommend buying an adapter that can go into the 12V socket in your car (the one that works as a cigarette lighter). This power outlet can tip the scales in your favor and provide enough electricity to stop your battery from draining, and even recharge it slightly while you navigate.

There are many great options out there for adapters like these, but please make sure to choose a quality product. I know how saving a couple of bucks might seem attractive, but remember – buy cheap, buy twice.

Conclusion

To have Waze keep draining the battery of your Android phone is not only annoying but also terrible for its health. Not to mention that having your phone die while you’re getting directions on the road can get you lost in the blink of an eye.

Luckily, I hope this piece has helped you see that there are many easy ways to prevent this. Whether it’s enabling Power Saver Mode, getting a 12V adapter to charge your phone, or simply lowering your screen brightness, I guarantee you’ll be happy with the results.

Thank you so much for sticking with me all the way to the end. If this article was useful to you, it’ll please you to know that we upload new content every week. While we put the finishing touches to our latest work, I encourage you to check out our other resources below to become a Tech Detective yourself!

I wish you nothing but the best.