From countless group selfies to numerous check-ins and getting the taxis booked, back-to-back festivities can play havoc with your smartphone battery.

With party season officially upon us, late nights are about to take our social calendar and phone battery by storm.  We’ve all experienced that frustrating moment where our phone dies at the worst possible time, however, even with a low battery, it’s still possible to enjoy a certain productivity from your device so that you’re not left phone-less at the end of the night.

Online smartphone retailer, e2save.com, has given its advice on what the biggest battery drainers are and how your smartphone’s efficiency is impacted over time.

Joe Linnington, Mobile Expert at e2save.com, said: “It can sometimes be tough to go any longer than a day without needing to charge your battery, especially during the busy season. Although technology is getting more advanced, making the most of your battery life is still somewhat dependant on user management.

“The key to the most effective battery life is to look after your device – which can be harder said than done when you don’t always know what’s draining the juice.”

e2save shares its top tips on how to prolong your battery life this Christmas party season, so you don’t miss a moment of potential Instagramming:

Dim for the win

Our eyes can adjust to different light and brightness, which we should use to our advantage – especially since maximum brightness on your smartphone is one of a battery’s biggest daily drainers. By turning the brightness down (or opting for the recommended ‘power saving’ level) your battery will last much longer.

Call timeout

It’s happened to us all – we’ve been on our phones in a loud location, thought we locked the screen, but realised several minutes later that the screen never locked and we’ve accidently left a blaring pocket-dial to an unsuspecting recipient. To stop this from happening, enable the ‘screen timeout’ option on your smartphone. When you’ve stopped using your phone, the ‘screen timeout’ will automatically lock it after a set amount of time. This not only saves your battery power, but also stops any embarrassing voicemail messages.

Important notifications only

You’re busy getting ready when you receive a notification from Facebook informing you that someone has tagged you in an image. You click onto the notification and somehow get side-tracked and find yourself down the Facebook rabbit-hole. Not only do you have less time to get ready, but your concentration is lost and your battery power has decreased. To avoid this happening in the future, opt to only receive notifications from apps that are of absolute importance, and leave the rest for when you have some down time to manually ‘drop in’ for the latest updates.

Be Wi-Fi smart

Knowing your Wi-Fi hotspots is a great way to manage battery efficiency. Dining out with friends and family over Christmas? If you’re close to free Wi-Fi, make sure you’re connected – not only will it save your monthly allowances, but it also uses less power than mobile data. On the other hand, if you’re in an area with no Wi-Fi, be sure to turn Wi-Fi off on your device. This will stop your handset from regularly searching for Wi-Fi signal, which can be a battery drain itself.

Streaming strains

If you find yourself running under 20% battery, but want to listen to your music whilst getting ready, or watch a video to pass the time, be tactical in the way you do it. Although online streaming is popular, it’s also super draining on your phone battery. However, by simply downloading songs and videos beforehand, and turning down the volume just a little, you can watch or listen for longer.

Know what to lose

As well as Wi-fi, there are numerous other things running in the background that you could do without in a battery emergency. By turning off Bluetooth, location services and even mobile data (if you don’t presently need it), you can squeeze some extra distance from your battery. Of course, you could simply select your handset’s power saving mode, which will decrease your handset brightness, reduce the resolution, disable Bluetooth and location, and limit background apps and process. Obviously, this is the most drastic solution as it reduces much of your handset’s functionality, but if you’re in a pinch, it’s an advisable option.