WhatsApp is not the most energy-consuming app on your smartphone, but it is one of the most. It is usually the platform we use to keep in touch with our loved ones, even when there is physical distance between us. Therefore, if you use it a lot, it is possible that it appears as one of the apps on your smartphone that consumes the most battery. If you want to remedy this, it is as easy as going into settings and making a few small changes.
Around 2 billion users access WhatsApp every month, according to the latest data shared on Statista. Of that huge number of people, many turn to Meta’s instant messaging app on a daily basis. Especially if we have family, friends or other loved ones far away and we keep in touch with them on a regular basis.
If you go into your phone’s settings and go to the battery section, WhatsApp is probably among the main apps that consume the most energy, along with others like TikTok or Instagram. This happened to me this summer, since I haven’t been home that much and I used to log into the app a lot to chat with some of my contacts. That’s why I made some changes to the platform’s settings and now I consume much less and my phone’s battery life is back to what it was.
Disable automatic download
When you have WhatsApp media downloads enabled, it consumes battery power every time someone sends you a photo or video. It’s best to have the app load what you’re sent all at once and when you decide. This way, you can make sure that when you go to download it, you have enough battery power.
Also, if the automatic download is done using mobile data, it will consume more energy than if you do it connected to WiFi. Therefore, by disabling this function you will ensure that you have a WiFi connection whenever you are going to save the photos, videos and other documents that are sent to you.
To turn off automatic downloading, go into the app and then Settings. Then click on Storage & data. All you have to do is uncheck all the media files under Download over mobile data, on Wi-Fi, and while roaming.
Don’t save unnecessary files
As we have already mentioned above, other apps that consume the most battery are TikTok and Instagram. I don’t know if you have ever wondered why they consume so much battery, but at ADSLZone we will answer: it is because of the images and videos. The mobile phone does its best to charge it so that we can see it.
For this reason, it is best to delete multimedia files that are not of interest to you from time to time. This way, WhatsApp will not have to load everything when you go to look for a message in a conversation or go to the Files, Links and Docs section.
Activate dark mode
More and more apps have a dark mode. This feature is designed to rest your eyes and reduce eye fatigue, especially at night. But its benefits go far beyond that. Black pixels tend to consume less energy, so I encourage you to activate it on WhatsApp.
You just have to go to Settings on Mark Zuckerberg’s platform. Then, go to Chats and click on Theme. When you do this, WhatsApp will let you choose between the Default system option, Light or Dark.
¡
I have the System Default enabled, since I activated the dark mode in the general settings of the phone. But if you don’t want your entire smartphone to have this mode or you don’t have that setting, at least in WhatsApp you can enjoy darker settings.
Catch up with updates
With the latest versions of the app, developers fix issues that may have been detected in previous versions. So, if there is a bug that causes the battery to last less when using WhatsApp, Meta may fix it with an update. Or they may simply be testing a way to optimize performance without wasting so much energy.
Whatever the case, always make sure you always have the most recent version of the app installed. This way, you will not only improve the battery life of your device, but you will also be able to enjoy WhatsApp’s new features and make the experience of chatting with your loved ones much more fruitful and intimate.
