Frequent power cuts take a toll on cell phone battery, but there are simple ways to make it last longer. Follow these easy procedures to make the best of it:

1. Turn the phone off: If you do not plan on answering the phone while you are sleeping or after business hours, just turn it off. Do the same if you are in an area with no reception.

2. Stop searching for a signal: When in an area with poor or no signal, the phone will constantly look for a better connection, and will use up all your power doing so. The best way to ensure longer battery life is to make sure you have a great signal where you use your phone.

3. Switch the vibrate function off: Use just the ring tone, keeping the volume as low as possible.

4. Turn off the backlight: Either get by without it or shorten that amount of time to leave the backlight on. Usually, one or two seconds will be sufficient.

5. Avoid using unnecessary features: If you know it will be a while before your phone’s next charge, do not use the camera or connection to the internet.

6. Keep calls short: This is obvious, but if you really need to conserve the battery, limit your talk time.

7. Turn off Bluetooth: It will drain your battery very quickly. The same goes for Wi-Fi, GPS, and infrared capabilities.

8. Use GSM rather than 3G: Using your phone in 3G/Dual Mode will drain the battery quicker than if you just use the GSM mode.

9. Customise background: With a smartphone, avoid using moving or animated pictures or videos for your background. Use a black background whenever possible.

10. Be net savvy: When web browsing, use sites like Blackl that display a black Google background instead of white.