Both Android phones and iPhones now boast low-power modes (aka battery saver modes) that’ll keep an almost-dead battery alive for a tiny bit longer—you know, long enough to send a few last emails or read one more chapter of a Kindle book.

The only problem is that such “battery saver” modes (which conserve power by cutting down on background activity, dimming the screen, and halting automatic email fetching) won’t do you much good if your battery runs out of juice before you remember to switch on the setting.

Unfortunately, iPhone and iPad users must turn on iOS 9’s new “Low Power Mode” manually (you’ll be prompted to turn on the setting once your battery falls below a certain level).

But if you’re an Android user, good news: Android’s “battery saver” mode boasts a crucial auto-on setting.

battery saver - Android Battery saver settings

In just a few taps, you can set Android’s “Battery saver” feature to turn on automatically.

Here’s what you do…

  • On your Android device (it’ll need to be running on Android version Lollipop or better), tap Settings, Battery, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the screen, then tap “Battery saver.”
  • Leave the main “Battery saver” setting in the “Off” position, tap the “Turn on automatically” setting, then pick an option: Never, at 5% battery, or at 15% battery. I recommend picking the 15 percent setting.

Now, just go back to using your Android device—and whenever its battery level falls below 15 percent (or 5 percent, depending on the setting you picked), “Battery saver” mode will turn on automatically.

Bonus tip

You can find iOS’s “Low Power Mode” feature by tapping Setting. Battery. but the only setting that’s available is an “on/off” switch. Hopefully, Apple will see the light and add its own “Turn on automatically” setting.

Click here for more Android tips!