Phone Health Checklist

1. Buy a good case and screen protector

That way your phone can handle accidental drops and dusty pockets without fear.

2. Keep your phone dry

Beware steamy bathrooms and wet raincoat pockets. Moisture can get into your phone and erode its parts – you may not even know for months. And water damage isn’t covered by your warranty.

3. Install updates

Updates often fix bugs and help keep your phone secure. Keep an eye out for update notifications so you can stay on top of it.

4. Back up regularly

Contacts. Messages. Photos. Back it all up whenever you can, in case your phone ever goes missing or faulty. Got cloud storage? Make use of it. It can do back- ups automatically and free up memory.

5. Avoid the heat

Steer clear of hot things like radiators and hot places like car dashboards. Most batteries don’t like extremes either, hot or cold, so aim for room temperature.

6. Use quality chargers

That charger that came with your phone, use it. It’s the one you can trust to look after your device properly. If you ever need a replacement, make sure you get one from a reputable supplier.

7. Turn it off now and then

Restarting your phone once a week will refresh its settings and kill unnecessary background tasks that clog memory. Plus phones often run clean-up tasks on start-up.

8. Keep some storage free

This can make a difference to the overall performance of your phone. If storage is getting tight, delete apps, photos or files you don’t need.

9. Run built in maintenance

If you’ve got a device maintenance feature, give it a run from time to time. It’s a good way to clean out clutter that you won’t know is there.

10. Don’t use battery apps

They may sound like the answer to your power-shortage problems, but often they’re no help at all. Installing them can slow your phone down.

Need help with your phone? Pop into an O2 store and chat to one of the team

Getting a phone for your youngster? Get advice for keeping them safe online.