Taking Care Of Your Smartphone

Sunday February 19, 2017

Your smartphone is one of the most valuable devices in your life. It has been so dominant in our society that there are even some people who cannot live without their phones.

Many people use their smartphones for work, scheduling and entertainment. It’s not just a communication device any more. It can be everything and more.

However, with the rise in the number of smartphones, as well as the resources that go in to producing smartphones, we need to start taking better care of our phones so that we can still have these phones around in the future.

Stories of fragile phones and material shortages are not uncommon, yet people still seem to treat their phones for granted. We have more smartphones in Australia than people, so we need to act smart in order to get the most out of our phone.

It is good to know how to take care of your phones, for your wallet, for the environment, and for the convenience of the people who need to keep in touch with you.

Don’t Drop Your Phones In Water

It should be obvious that electronic devices and water do not go together.

Ever since the days where we saw people getting electrocuted in water whenever a toaster was dumped into the bathtub, we have been shown examples on the Internet, demonstrations on YouTube, as well as horror stories from real-life accounts.

That still doesn’t stop many individuals from bringing their phones to the bathroom, the pool or even the beach. A kitchen sink filled with water is also a place where phones can be ruined, yet many people still have their phones there.

When a phone is near water very often, the chances of it falling into water increase, and even the best phones aren’t completely waterproof. Submerged in water, especially water that’s not been purified, the circuitry will get wet and stop working.

Water damage isn’t easily fixed and it can often mean replacing parts of the phone, if not the entire phone itself. It also has nothing to do with the quality of the phone; electronics were designed to work in a completely dry setting.

You might be seeing phones that can withstand being submerged, but keep in mind that those tests weren’t also adapted for conditions such as the beach or rugged terrain. These are places where our phones also tend to be, and they’re not always the dry environments we hoped they would be.

Now I understand most people would think I’m trying to decide where your phones should be. Absolutely not. But I do think that if you want the best out of your phone, keeping it away from water or liquids is a great place to start.

Buy A Protective Case

Our smart phones are built to function and look good. The design looks fantastic, and all the features promised to us in the advertisements looks fantastic. It just fits the look of the phone.

So it comes as a big shock to many of us when we are told that a durable case can protect our phone, we should buy one and put it on.

The cases ruin the design and the sleek look. It doesn’t matter that we can customise the colours or the pictures. The phone still looks big and bulky. The sleek design we know and love? Gone and replaced with an ugly looking object.

Some people even say that they are extremely careful with their phones, and that they are not likely to drop them or put them in harm’s way. They are absolutely correct.

But despite the looks of a case and the supposed uselessness of them, a protective phone case comes in handy more often than people give them credit for.

No smartphone is so fragile that one small drop is going to smash everything. But daily life puts your phone through more activity than you might expect.

You might see scuffs around the phone and on the screen, some parts of your phone not working (like the headphone jack or the USB port), and you might have some issues with the power button that can hamper your ability to use it.

Imagine that sleek looking phone now having a shoddy appearance, all because it has now experienced the nicks and damage that come with having your phone in your everyday life.

You wouldn’t imagine it, but your everyday life, even if it only involves going from your home to the workplace, is put through much more stress and activity than simply going in and out from your pocket.

You’re putting it on surfaces, bumping into people with the phone in your pocket, having the occasional drop, and even passing it on to another person every once in a while. All the movement and bumps add up over time.

It’s similar to you walking outside in the cold weather. Sure, nothing seems to be happening other than you feeling cold, but your body is taking more damage from the weather than what you initially thought. You can see that from your dry lips and skin.

But if you put on a coat, gloves, and some lip balm, you will find that your body isn’t as battered, and you’re quite comfortable going outside more often.

That’s what a phone case is to a smart phone.

No, the design isn’t always great, and it’s not always fashionable. But it will save your phone from more situations than you think.

Also, with a case, your phone can withstand greater drops. You should still avoid them, but it’s helpful to know that a case means your phone isn’t as ruined as usual.

Apply A Screen Protector

The world of smart devices means we use our fingers and our thumbs a lot. The screen is constantly touched by you and other people, allowing for easier input and the feeling that we are really in the future.

Our technology has come a long way, from worrying about touching screens due to their fragility to realising that certain materials can withstand the pressure from our fingers.

However, despite the density of the screen, it is by no means invulnerable. The screen can still be scratched, smashed and ruined, as any iPhone owner can attest to.

Screen protectors are handy little plastic sheets that cover the screen of your phone, preventing simple scratches and nicks from damaging the screen.

It may be small, but each screen protector is built for durability.

You might say that you are very careful with your phone, and you’re not going to ever have the scratches on your screen, or the level of damage that some people have with cracked screens.

However, just as with the protective case, your smart phone screen takes more damage than you initially believe it will.

Simply carrying it around and pushing down on the screen puts your screen at risk for damage. You might even have long fingernails (or just have forgotten to cut them) that can accidentally leave marks on the screen.

If you’re ever at a social event with friends, all it takes is an accident to make a mark on your screen that can’t be removed.

When your screen is damaged, it’s not something that can go away. It demoralizes us, and we are even disappointed for a very long time when we realise that we can’t repair the screen.

You can easily avoid this by using a screen protector. It may be a lot of effort and cost money, but it’s the difference between a satisfied phone owner for years and a disappointed customer.

Take Care Of The Battery

No electronic device can run without power, and that’s one of the most important facts in our life.

So your phone’s battery is the key behind the success of the phone. It doesn’t matter how much technology is put into the phone. Without a battery (or a constant attachment to a power outlet), it’s useless.

Normally we charge our devices when they are low on power, and unplug the devices once they are fully charged. This is standard practice, but most people also don’t know that there is a lot more you can do to keep your battery lasting longer.

Making sure your battery is not getting too hot is an important thing to note. If the battery gets too hot, some of the parts inside the battery may not work as well, which can damage the battery and reduce the amount of power it can hold.

Leaving your battery charging even after it is at full power can also wear out your battery. Thankfully, some phone chargers will cut the connection from your phone once the battery is full, but it is helpful to manually unplug the phone every time.

Also not leaving your phone unattended for a very long time can help keep the battery safe, as some batteries degrade with a lack of use. It helps to use your phone, or recycle a phone that you know you won’t use for a very long time.

Charging your phone to full power from an empty battery will also wear your battery out faster than if you charge it when it is partially full.

Your battery is important to your mobile device, and it’s good to make sure that it stays as powerful as possible so your life doesn’t experience too many disruptions.

Manage Your Phone, And It Will Stay With You

We love our smart phones, and that fact isn’t going to change anytime soon.

But for the welfare of the environment around us, and the people we speak to, taking care of our smart phones is a wise thing to do.

It makes us treasure the phones we have now, it makes us less susceptible to buying phones that we don’t need, and saving the precious resources for when we really need them.

We hope you enjoyed this article! If you liked it, share it with your friends and family, and follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @mspblueshift and on LinkedIn! Call us at 1300 501 677 for a look at your IT today!

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Craig Boyle

MSP Blueshift supports a range of different businesses who depend on their technology to deliver goods and services to their clients. From architects to retail chains, we’re passionate about streamlining IT systems and processes to move business forward.

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