How do I get notifications when my Battery is low?

What are battery low notifications?

Battery low notifications are system alerts that let you know when your device’s battery level reaches a certain percentage, such as 20% or 15%. The purpose of battery low notifications is to make you aware that your battery is running low so you can take action before it dies completely.

Most smartphones, tablets, and laptops have settings to enable battery low notifications. For example, iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks can all be configured to send alerts when the battery level drops to a specified threshold. Android devices also support adjustable battery notifications. This feature allows you to receive a warning so you can charge your device or enable battery saving mode before it shuts off from lack of charge.

Battery low notifications are especially useful if you are using your device for an activity that consumes a lot of power, like gaming, streaming videos, or using navigation. The alerts ensure you don’t get unexpectedly caught without a charge. Customizable notification settings also let you determine the battery percentage thresholds you want alerts at, such as 20%, 15%, and 5%.

Checking if your device supports battery notifications

Battery notifications are built into most modern smartphones, but older or budget models may not support this feature. To check if your device can notify you when the battery is low:

On iPhone:

• Go to Settings > Battery
• Look for the “Low Battery” section
• If this section is present and toggle is on, your device supports battery notifications

On Android:

• Open the Settings app
• Select Battery or Battery & Performance
• Look for “Low battery notification” or similar option
• If the toggle is present, your device supports battery notifications

You can also check your device specs online or in the manual to see if it lists battery low notifications as a feature.

Enabling battery notifications on iOS

iOS provides a built-in way to enable battery notifications through the Settings app. Here are the steps to turn on low battery alerts:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Tap on Battery.

3. Under the Battery Level section, toggle on the switch next to Low Battery Notifications.

This will enable notifications when your battery level goes down to 20% and then 10%. You’ll get an alert sound and visual notification letting you know the battery is low.¹

Once enabled, you can also customize the notification threshold if you want to get alerts at 30%, 40% or other battery levels. We’ll cover customizing thresholds next.

Enabling battery notifications on Android

You can enable battery notifications on most Android devices through the Settings app. Here are the steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your Android phone or tablet.
2. Tap on “Apps & notifications.”
3. Select “Notifications.”
4. Locate and tap on “Battery.”
5. Toggle on “Allow notifications.”

This will allow your Android device to send notifications when the battery level becomes low. You can customize the notification sound and percentage thresholds in the same screen.

On Samsung devices, you may need to go to “Device care” or “Battery” in Settings first before accessing notification options.

For Huawei devices, go to “Battery” then “More battery settings” to enable notifications.

You can also get some third party battery apps from the Play Store that offer customizable notifications (1).

Setting Notification Thresholds

You can customize the battery percentage that triggers a low battery notification on your device. This allows you to get alerted before your battery runs critically low.

On Windows 10, you can customize the notification thresholds in the Power Options settings. Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options. Next to your active power plan, click “Change plan settings.” Under “Low battery notification,” you can change the percentage that will trigger a battery warning. For example, you may want to get notified when the battery reaches 20% instead of the default 10%. See this article for step-by-step instructions.

On an iPhone, you can set a Low Power Mode trigger under Battery settings. This will dim your screen and limit background activity when your battery reaches a certain level. On Android, most devices let you pick a battery percentage for a low battery warning under Sound & Vibration or Battery settings.

Setting an earlier notification threshold gives you more time to charge your device or enable power-saving settings before the battery runs out. However, too many notifications could become annoying. Find a threshold percentage that balances getting sufficient warning with avoiding constant alerts.

Notification sounds and vibrations

You can customize the sound and vibration for battery low notifications on most devices. This allows you to choose a sound or vibration pattern that best catches your attention.

On iOS devices, open the Settings app, go to Sounds & Haptics, and select a sound for Low Power Mode under System Tones (source). You can also enable or disable vibration alerts here.

For Android devices, go to Settings, Sound & vibration, Advanced sound settings, and select the Low battery notification sound. You can choose from default system sounds or use your own audio files. Vibration patterns can be customized under Vibration intensity (source).

Choosing distinct sounds and vibrations can help you recognize battery alerts and prevent your device from dying unexpectedly.

Notification Display Options

You can customize how battery notifications appear on your device. The main display options are popups, badges, and always displaying the battery percentage.

With popups enabled, you’ll get a popup notification when your battery reaches the set threshold, such as 20% remaining. This popup will display over whatever app you currently have open and make a sound/vibration if those settings are enabled.

Badges show a notification dot or counter on the battery icon. For example, when your battery hits 20%, you may see a red dot appear on the battery icon in your status bar. Tapping the icon will then display the notification.

Always displaying the battery percentage will show the exact battery level remaining in your status bar at all times. This lets you monitor it constantly without needing notifications.

You can customize these options in your device settings to only enable the notification types you want. For example, keeping popups off but using badges and percentage display.

Device makers like Apple and Samsung try to build some battery monitoring functionality into their operating systems, but there are also a wealth of third party apps that offer even more customization options for monitoring your battery usage and getting notified when your battery is low. Here are some of the most popular and fully-featured options:

Battery Guru is commonly cited as one of the best battery monitoring apps available on both iOS and Android. It provides detailed battery statistics and analysis to help identify power-hungry apps and processes. You can set highly customizable notifications and alerts based on remaining charge or estimated usage time. Battery Guru also includes advanced battery health diagnostics.

For Android users, AccuBattery is another top choice that offers very granular control over battery monitoring and notifications. You can set alerts at specific charge percentages, as well as based on estimated time remaining. AccuBattery also tracks your battery’s capacity over time to identify when a battery needs replacing.

Tips for extending battery life

There are several settings tweaks you can make to extend your battery life between charges:

Turn on power saving mode – This reduces performance to conserve battery. You can customize it to find the right balance.

Lower screen brightness and set a shorter screen timeout – Keep the brightness under 50% and set the screen to turn off after 30 seconds or 1 minute of inactivity. The display drains a lot of power.

Disable background app refresh – Apps that update in the background use more battery. Turn this off in your device settings.

Limit push notifications – Each notification wakes your phone and uses power. Disable unnecessary notifications.

Turn off location services when not needed – Constant GPS access reduces battery life. Only enable location when you need it.

In addition to settings tweaks, reducing usage can extend battery life. Close out apps when you’re done using them, limit gaming and video streaming which are battery hogs, and avoid excessive heat exposure like leaving your phone in the sun.

When to replace an aging battery

All batteries degrade over time. After about 500 charge cycles, lithium-ion batteries used in most smartphones today will drop to around 80% of their original capacity¹. This reduced capacity affects your phone’s battery life and is one of the main signs indicating it’s time to replace an aging battery.

As batteries lose capacity, you may notice your phone’s battery draining much faster than it used to. Phones that once retained charge for a full day may only last half a day on a single charge. You may also find your phone shutting down abruptly even when it shows 20-30% battery remaining. This occurs because the aging battery can no longer provide the peak power demand needed by the phone’s processor and other components.

Batteries also slowly lose their ability to hold a charge when not in use. An older battery will discharge more quickly when your phone is idle compared to a newer battery. If you frequently find your phone’s battery depleted overnight or after not being used for a while, it likely needs to be replaced.

While low temperatures degrade all batteries over time, lithium-ion batteries are particularly susceptible to reduced capacity in cold weather. If your phone’s battery life takes a noticeable dive during winter months, battery replacement may restore normal performance.

Replacing an aging battery can restore your phone’s battery life and performance. Most smartphone batteries can be replaced inexpensively by phone repair shops or by yourself if you purchase a battery kit. Just be sure to use a quality battery and have it installed properly to avoid damage or safety issues.