How To Extend the Life of Your Smart Devices

By Rachelle Dragani

Smart devices have become an indispensable part of modern life. So it’s a huge inconvenience when they break down sooner than you expect (and it’s not easy on the wallet, either). Thankfully, there are ways to extend the life of your smart devices and keep them performing at peak level as long as possible. We’ve got the easy tips and tricks you can start doing today to guarantee you’re squeezing every bit of life out of your gadgets.

Make devices last longer by installing the latest updates

Software updates are designed to help your devices keep on ticking. Stay up to date on both your operating system updates and individual app updates. By doing so, you’ll get performance enhancements, security fixes to mitigate risk and improvements to functionality. These all keep a device running smoothly, which will extend its overall lifespan.

Keeping tabs on your device’s battery can also help it last longer. If you’re interested in extending the battery life of your Apple iPhone or Apple Watch or your Android phone, you can activate its battery optimization setting. This setting will slow down your device’s rate of charging or keep it from reaching a 100% charge. It’s designed to optimize your battery’s wear.

Avoid the sun

Too much time in ambient hot temperatures takes a giant toll on the battery capacity of smart devices. If a device like a smartphone or laptop is out in the sun on a day hotter than 95 degrees, it may even permanently damage the battery. When you’re out and about on hot days, you can maintain smart devices and their batteries by keeping them somewhere as cool and shaded as possible.

Remember, too, that certain protective cases can generate heat while you’re charging a phone. If your device feels hot to the touch when it’s getting juiced up, try removing the case to see if that helps keep it cooler while charging.

Protect your device

Make sure that you’re keeping an eye on security to prevent your device from being taken down by viruses or malware. Installing the latest software updates will help with this, as it can iron out security flaws and bugs. But you can also take a few more proactive steps, like using antivirus software, trying a password manager and enabling multifactor authentication.

Don’t forget to protect your physical device, too. Look to accessories like smartphone screen protectors and tablet or laptop cases. Avoid models that are so slim or slippery that you know you’re likely to drop them. Put home gadgets like smart home hubs or smart thermostats in places where kids or pets can’t knock them down. That way, your devices won’t get the cracks and bruises that can minimize their lifespan.

Keep smart devices clean

You can maintain digital devices longer by prioritizing cleanliness. Too much dust or other grime can block ventilation to the battery, cutting off the air flow that helps keep them cool. And when a device overheats, the battery goes on overdrive, potentially damaging it.

Cleanliness also refers to storage. You might have apps you no longer use that are draining battery life and capacity. And the more apps you have, the more vulnerabilities you have, as hackers have more avenues into your data. You can also take a look at the automatic settings on your smart home devices. On items like a Ring doorbell or smart home hub, you may be able to turn off certain settings you don’t use, helping to preserve battery.

Try to remove as much clutter—both physical and digital—from your smart devices to keep them running smoothly for a long time. 

Pass digital devices along when they no longer serve you

If you’re ready for an upgrade but your device is still operating just fine, you can extend its life by giving or selling the item to someone else. In doing so, you’re helping cut down on the staggering amount of e-waste filling our landfills and contributing to environmental hazards. (Just remember to wipe them clean before passing them on—we tell you exactly how to do that here.)

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