Wireless headphones have taken the world by storm. With the availability of this technology, there has been a marked change in the way that we consume audio products. The reason for this is that it has changed the way we connect, and we no longer need wires. However, there are increasing concerns about their effect on phone batteries – is this a myth or fact?
The fact of the matter is that using a bluetooth headphone is unlikely to drain your battery on your phone. While there is an effect that Bluetooth has on your headphones, the change is not so dramatic as to cause a complete drain. In fact, this effect is largely minimal, and is similar to using other devices such as wired headphones or speakers for that matter.
If you are noticing your phone battery draining fast on bluetooth headphones, chances are there is another problem causing this issue. If you want to learn more about the effect of such headphones on the battery, and how to identify what is causing the drain, keep reading this article!
We will also discuss in-depth how using Bluetooth can affect your battery levels.
Does Using A Bluetooth Headphone Drain Battery?
We have been seeing an increase in the use of Bluetooth technology lately, and that is due to the fact that it allows you to have products that are far more accessible than we could ever imagine. Bluetooth headphones are also very popular, and a common question people ask is if using a Bluetooth headphone is a good idea as it can have a dramatic effect on the battery.
To understand if this is true or not, we need to look at the facts here. Bluetooth, like any of the other kinds of wireless tech, have a need to use power to work. This is also true when you think of Wi-Fi connections, and of devices connected to your phone. They all need to be able to use the phone’s battery power to work and carry out their desired function.
However, there are many myths out there about the amount of power that bluetooth requires when connected to your phone. The fact of the matter is that many people think using such a headphone will result in a complete drain of the battery, and that the best way to save power is to switch off bluetooth completely. However, this is a complete myth.
The best way to make this answer clear is to look at how wired headphones and bluetooth headphones compare when it comes to their use of power. When you look at the numbers, the answer is generally pretty clear. All of the research suggests that there is no major difference in the power requirements between these two types of devices.
In fact, experts suggest that switching off your bluetooth connection is unlikely to help you preserve battery life as well. Look at it this way. If you have a device that has the ability to give you around five hours worth of battery life, using your Bluetooth while taking off around ten minutes of that time. That is an extremely low percentage of the power you have.
If you are listening to audio on your phone, you will likely use around the same amount of power. This is the case if you are using a wireless headphone, a headphone with an audio jack, or even the speakers that are built into the system. Ultimately, the power requirements will be the same in almost all of these situations, and none will drain your battery completely.
There is one situation where using a battery can cause a drain, and that is when your battery is low. When the battery is low, you need to preserve every bit of power, and using your bluetooth headphones at that time can make a huge difference. Therefore, switching your bluetooth off and disconnecting headphones can help your phone survive for a little longer.
Related: Can You Use A Bluetooth Speaker In Your Car?
How Bluetooth Affects Phones
Now we know that bluetooth won’t really drain your phone’s battery completely. But it is a fascinating topic to learn more about, so let’s dive in and try and understand how bluetooth even works on your phone. Generally, a device will use bluetooth to transmit information, such as the audio you are listening to, from the phone, straight to your headphones.
The great thing about bluetooth signals is that they are incredibly fast, and can send data over in an instant. This is also a great choice because it helps you preserve the quality of the information that you are sharing. This is the reason behind bluetooth being a popular choice for headphones, as that means you can watch things with high quality with no delay.
Here’s how the system of using Bluetooth can work with your phone. It starts out by the source, which in this case is your phone, creating a digital signal which contains the data of the audio itself. There is one problem here – the speaker or headphones cannot understand this information in this form, as they can’t play digital information, and need it in analog form.
There is a device in your phone or source that gets this job done. It is called the DAC, or the Digital to Analog Converter. The role of this device is to convert this digital information into the analog form that the headphones can understand, and then play. You can therefore only hear audio from your phone with this device, and without it, the information can’t play.
Once the DAC carries out its role and converts sound into the analog format, there is still more to do. An amplifier is also involved, which optimizes and ‘edits’ the audio information so that you can play it at a higher quality. One of the biggest roles of the device is to increase the volume, but to do so in a way that causes the least amount of distortion to the sound.
Up until this point, the process is the same whether you are using a wired headphone, or if you choose Bluetooth headphones to listen to music. The difference between the two happens at the next step. This is when the phone will transmit the information (in analog form) to your headphones using the Bluetooth headphones.
If you are using a wired headphone, the information just travels through the cable that you connect to the source phone. Either way, this process is mostly the same, which is why you will see that the battery drain in either case is extremely similar. The process of sending information does use some power, but it is a very small amount that you will not notice.
Related: Do Bluetooth Speakers Have Lithium Batteries?
Why Your Battery Is Draining On Bluetooth
Okay, at this point, you are well aware that using a bluetooth headphone will not completely diminish or empty out your battery. But if you have seen your battery fall, what does that mean? What was causing the drain on your phone’s battery if it wasn’t the Bluetooth? Turns out there are a lot of other issues that could be behind the sudden drop in battery.
The first thing here is that the problem at hand could just be the fact that your battery is not in the best condition. This is something you may see if you are using an older phone, and the battery has been going through some wear and tear. Batteries naturally become slow and drain faster when they get older, so it can be something that comes with time.
The reason behind this is that as time progresses, the batter is unable to hold power. It therefore drains faster. There is an easy fix for this problem though, which is to replace the battery by ordering a new one from the manufacturer. If you still have warranty over your phone, you may be able to get a replacement for free or at a discount, so always check.
Another reason for the battery draining so fast is that you have a lot of apps and processes that are working on the background of your device. This will likely significantly affect your battery and cause it to drain faster. The reasoning behind this is that when you have an app running, it will constantly refresh using a setting on your phone. This takes up a lot of power.
Temperature also has an impact on the battery life of your phone. The presence of extreme temperatures can place your battery at risk of damage, and can cause the held charge to drain almost instantly. If the damage is permanent, you will have to replace the battery completely. This is why it is best to avoid extreme temperatures when you have your phone!
Conclusion
Based on the opinions of the experts, there is very little chance your battery will drain because you are using bluetooth headphones. Luckily, there are a few ways you can try and retain your phone battery even when bluetooth is not the issue.