Android or IOS, mobile devices are rendered useless once the battery juice is down to zero. And most often, dead battery is what confronts device users but there are ways to avoid this - to ensure that the power meter will stay green long in a single charge.

But first users need to know what really causes battery drain. Why is it that even coming from a fully charged device the battery runs down too quickly?

Charging habits

The main culprit, according to Wikr.com, is the wrong way users charge up. For one, the report busted the myth that mobile devices first need to discharge the battery before hooking up on a power outlet to juice up. True, experts have advised that in order to properly calibrate mobile device batteries need to undergo the discharge-full charged cycle but this is only required once every two months.

The ideal time to charge is when the battery indicator goes down below 50 percent and the same report recommends avoiding recharging to 100 percent.

Avoid the heat

That's because of mobile devices, tablet or smartphone, are sensitive to extreme temperature, more so high temperature. Charging up to 100 percent will mean the device battery will be subjected to possible overheating, which could shorten the lifecycle of a battery pack, no matter the make or capacity.

To avoid overheating when recharging, it is recommended to stick with wired charging as wireless is prone to develop increased temperature on a device. And it's best not to charge overnight, which is also for safety reasons.

Use only original accessories

With so many charging accessories out there, the temptation to settle for the cheaper alternatives is naturally strong. But be warned, below-standard chargers and charging cables could do more harm than benefits. Wikr.com said "cables of other brands may overcharge or undercharge smartphone batteries."

Prolonging battery life

So how to ensure that a mobile device battery will remain and tip-top and deliver longer operating hours? First thing to do is to eliminate or minimize background application and OS activities, which means turning off location services, limiting both background app refresh, deactivating automatic email fetching, turning down the screen display brightness and cutting down on notification alerts.

Manage connectivity

Users are advised too to keep watch on connectivity signals. For cellular connection, when the radio signal is too weak or just plain absent it's best to activate airplane mode. That way, the mobile device will stop its endless for signal, which is a background activity that is a certified power drain.

And when wireless connections - Bluetooth and Wi-Fi - are not in use, users will do their battery a big favor by deactivating these functionalities.

No PDA

If personal digital assistants aren't much of use, save up on the battery by turning on this feature on standby. For iOS, it's Siri and for Android, it's either Google Assistant or Ok Google.

Always get the latest firmware

The latest operating system version normally includes bug fixes and feature enhancements. In the case of iPhones and iPads, CNET said in many instances "Apple's software updates eradicate bugs and often improve performance and battery life."

For those on the Android platform, Doze works like a charm in extending battery life with the smart monitoring and managing of background applications and activities.