How to save battery life when using IM+?

[wiredmind]

Source : IM+ forum.

Battery life is a popular complaint among iPhone / iPod Touch users.
If you use internet applications, such as IM+, this may really drain battery really fast.
What can be done to optimize battery usage?

First, battery life depends on hardware and firmware.
iPhone 3GS has better battery life than older models.
Using latest firmware is recommended by Apple, however, many users noticed that 3.1 firmware causes faster battery drain. So, be aware.

Then, there are some tips for optimizing overall iPhone / iPod Touch battery usage.
Here are some of them:

- Set minimal brightness in iPhone's Settings / Brightness. It really helps.
- You may disable 3G in iPhone's Settings / General / Network. This will not affect IM+ functioning significantly, however, web browsing will become slower.
- Disable "Fetch new data" or set longer interval in iPhone's Settings / Mail, Contacts, Calendar / Fetch new data. This will not affect IM+, however, you will have to check email manually.
- Make sure that Bluetooth is turned off when you do not use it. Turned on Bluetooth may kill a battery very fast. You may do this in iPhone's Settings / General / Bluetooth.
- Turn off your iPod's equalizer in iPhone's Settings / iPod / EQ. Surely, this will not affect IM+ functioning, but... as for me, I don't like to listen to music without equalizer
- Wi-Fi drains battery very fast. So, if you are on unlimited data plan, just use your wireless carrier's network.
- Lock your iPhone if you don't use it at the moment. Yes, this is a very simply, but effective tip.

IM+ specific tips:

- The less services are connected, the less traffic your iPhone produces. So battery life is saved. If you do not need some accounts at the moment, just turn them off in IM+ More / Accounts.
- Twitter uses more traffic and battery life than other services. You may temporarily disable it, if you do not need it right now.
- "I am here" status is a nice feature, but it drains battery fast as all other location services. So, don't use it if IM+ drains your battery life too fast.
- Twitter nearby-timeline is battery-consuming also. Disabling it will also help to save battery life.
- Push. Push helps to save battery life. If you do not have active chats at the moment, do not keep IM+ opened. Let it run in Push mode and lock your iPhone / iPod Touch.

[carlabrown78]

i does saves the battery but not so much that can be used..may be i need a new battery...

[shigzeo]

Well, with iPhone OS 4.0 and multitasking looming, battery issues are bound to explode, but thanks for the tips.