ErinLet’s face it. We all feel awful when our phone gives us that “battery low” sign. If only we could make our phone batteries last forever, we would. That’s why so many people use portable chargers, car chargers, or fast chargers – so they can keep their phone alive on the go.
What are the factors that make our phone battery drain faster than usual? One commonly used tool is Bluetooth. Most smartphone users use Bluetooth to connect to speakers, headphones, and much more. But how much battery life does Bluetooth consume?
History of Bluetooth
The relationship between Bluetooth and battery life has been questionable ever since Bluetooth arrived in the 1990’s. The main reason behind its invention was to eliminate the need for a cable to connect two devices. With time, almost every smartphone has become compatible with Bluetooth, along with plenty of connectable devices.
It was not entirely clear how much battery life is used up by a Bluetooth connection when it was first created. That is because battery life was different then from what it is now. During the last two decades, all of the features of our phones have improved a great deal, including battery life. In fact, especially battery life. The better the phone, the better its battery life is supposed to be.
With advancements in cellular technology, Bluetooth has also evolved. We can now connect a multiple devices to our phones at once via Bluetooth. Smart devices, like Amazon Alexa, smart plugs, and other smart gadgets are connected via Bluetooth. Now, there’s also BLE – Bluetooth low energy.
BLE
It was noticed, in time, that the more devices you connect to your phone, the more battery is drained. The same was the case with Bluetooth. So to counter that issue, Bluetooth low energy was introduced in 2001. BLE is also called Bluetooth 4.0.
This method saved power, as the name indicates. However, it wasn’t appropriate for the hefty tasks like streaming to a Bluetooth speaker, Bluetooth headphones, or for the sake of making phone calls. It is still appropriate for the little tasks, though, like location services. Today, most smart devices use BLE as well as standard Bluetooth technology.
Difference Between Bluetooth Classic and BLE
Classic Bluetooth and BLE are not separate. They exist together, and they are activated in different situations. For smaller tasks, BLE is used to save energy, while standard Bluetooth is used for more rigorous connections, like streaming.
Does Turning Off Bluetooth Save Battery?
The amount of battery that your Bluetooth consumes largely depends on how you are using it. Sometimes, using classic Bluetooth to connect to headphones for a few hours will drain less battery than using BLE to connect to a smartwatch over the course of a whole day.
Turning off Bluetooth altogether would save some phone battery, but depending on your usage it may be minimal. Bluetooth is often used for background apps like location services or for connecting to low impact devices. If you barely use Bluetooth, turning it off won’t have a noticeable affect on your battery. When Bluetooth is running in the background, it uses very little in terms of battery life.
Conclusion
We can say that if you turn your Bluetooth off, you will be able to save energy, but the amount may be negligible. When heavily using Bluetooth to stream music or make calls, it does use some battery power. Ultimately, Bluetooth is extremely useful and convenient, so even if you choose to leave it turned off, you’ll likely turn it on again soon for some purpose.
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