iPhone

[FenwayGirl]

Any tips on how to keep your iPhone charged all day while in the parks? This phone seems to lose its charge really quickly.

[Dopey's Girl]

I tried all the tricks and tips that are out there, and finally had to resort to buying an external charger from Amazon. It works great and I don't have to adjust my phone usage.

[faline]

I was going to suggest an external charger as well. With all the technology that Disney is now using, it really takes a toll on the power on your phone especially if you are in the park all day long.

[CanadianWDWFan]

Another vote for an external battery.

[Melanie]

I've had an external battery for years. It's a must. But there are now charging stations in the parks.

[DizneyRox]

Turning off unnecessary features like Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi will help save your battery, as will lowering the brightness on your screen.

It doesn't seem to be enough however.

An external battery is a solution, not a great one, but it's about all you got these days.

[wellsm]

Phones are becoming essential, aren't they? Especially now with My Disney Experience used to do FP+ live in the park.

Turning off the phone features doesn't do very much, nowadays, as they have been really optimizing how those features work on the phone. They generally sip power, especially if they are only in the background. (Plus, you really shouldn't have to worry about turning stuff off and on when you need it...)

At Disneyland, they have phone charging lockers you can rent, where you lock your phone up in a locker plugged to a charging cable and when you come back you unlock the locker and take out your charged phone. Of course, you end up without your phone for a while, but it's a cool concept. (IIRC it isn't at the WDW parks yet.)


I recommend looking for a battery case. Your phone slides in it and you can double your battery life or more! Most are fairly slim, and are much more convenient than a battery pack you have to tote around separately.

I recommend Mophie, and use a Juice Pack Air for my iPhone 5, but there are many good cases out there. Be sure to look at lots of reviews first - unfortunately there are some less-than-stellar accessories out there too.

My Juice pack holds my phone, and then when the internal battery gets down to around 20% (when the alert pops up) you flip the switch on the back and the external battery charges the internal battery back to 100%. There are very few instances where I couldn't make it through a day with both batteries fully charged.

[BigB]

I agree on the extra battery. I like the cases better because there is no addition parts to carry, but with an external battery you can charge multiple devices. Disney does offer charging ports in a few locations in the parks.

[yankeesfan123]

Settings -> General -> background apps refresh.


Turn this off!!

[FenwayGirl]

Where would I get an external battery..what exactly do I ask for.. I am so non-technical

[malt]

Just have a look on amazon for "external battery for iPhone 4/5/5s" etc.

[faline]

Where would I get an external battery..what exactly do I ask for.. I am so non-technical

They're everywhere. Look in any store that sells electronics and/or phones and you'll find them. They range from quite small and maybe able to do one charge on one device to larger units that hold 3 or more charges and can even charge more than one device at a time. And, yes, you'll find them on line quite easily.

[princessgirls]

Next time we go I'm investing in an External Charger from Amazon. Beats trying to find outlets and moving through shrubs...

My DH, probably knows where every external outlet is in all 4 parks...LOL....

Julie

[BigB]

Settings -> General -> background apps refresh.


Turn this off!!

This only works if your are connected to wifi.

[Polynesian Dweller]

This only works if your are connected to wifi.

Not sure what you are trying to say but background app refresh works on both wifi and cellular. Turning it off does save battery regardless of connection.

[kakn7294]

I also suggest a portable battery pack. However, if you don't want to carry a portable battery pack, you can carry your regular charger and plug in here and there - but be very careful of the outlets. Some are designated for decorations, tools and equipment, etc only and will fry your phone in a heartbeat. If you do choose to charge in the parks, indoor locations are best and if you put your phone in airplane mode, it will charge faster.

[twinboyz]

My son talked me into buying an external battery charger for our trip. No regrets!!