10 Genius Phone and Laptop Life Hacks You’re Probably Not Using

Quick answer: Most people use maybe 20% of what their phone and laptop can actually do. The tricks below — from a hidden battery-health setting to a five-second trick for recovering an accidentally closed tab — take seconds to set up and genuinely change how you use your devices day to day.

10 Tricks Worth Actually Using

None of these require new hardware or paid apps — just settings and habits most people never stumble across on their own.

1. Reopen a Closed Browser Tab Instantly

Closed a tab by accident? On almost every browser, Ctrl+Shift+T (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+T (Mac) reopens your most recently closed tab, and pressing it repeatedly walks back through your closing history. It’s one of the most useful shortcuts nobody teaches you.

2. Turn On Optimised Battery Charging

Modern iPhones and many Android phones have a setting (usually under Battery settings) that learns your daily charging routine and delays charging past 80% until shortly before you usually unplug — genuinely extending long-term battery lifespan by reducing time spent at a full charge overnight.

3. Use Airplane Mode to Charge Faster

Switching on Airplane Mode while charging stops your phone from constantly searching for signal and processing background notifications, letting more power go directly into charging the battery — a genuinely faster top-up when you’re in a rush.

4. Screenshot a Scrolling Page, Not Just the Visible Part

Many phones (and some browsers) support a “scrolling screenshot” or “capture full page” option that stitches an entire webpage or long chat conversation into one image, rather than forcing you to take and crop multiple separate screenshots.

5. Clean Your Laptop Vents Regularly

Dust buildup in a laptop’s cooling vents is one of the most common (and most avoidable) causes of overheating and slowdowns over time. A can of compressed air every few months, aimed carefully into the vents with the laptop powered off, genuinely extends both performance and component lifespan.

6. Use Your Phone as a Wireless Presenter Remote

Most presentation apps (Google Slides, PowerPoint) let your phone act as a remote control and even show speaker notes privately while presenting from a laptop connected to a projector or TV — no separate clicker needed.

7. Turn Off App Background Refresh for Apps You Rarely Open

Background app refresh quietly drains battery by letting apps update content even when you’re not using them. Reviewing this list (usually under Battery or General settings) and disabling it for rarely-used apps is a genuine, immediate battery life improvement.

8. Use a Second Charger Cable Permanently at Your Desk

A simple habit rather than a setting: keeping a dedicated charging cable at your usual workspace, separate from your travel cable, means you’re never scrambling to find one — and it reduces wear on a single cable from being unplugged and coiled constantly.

9. Use Find My Device Before You Even Need It

Set up Find My iPhone or Find My Device (Android) now, not after something goes missing. Both let you locate, lock, or remotely erase a lost or stolen device, but only if the feature was already enabled beforehand — it can’t be turned on retroactively once a device is gone.

10. Restart Your Router Occasionally

A router left running for months without a restart can accumulate memory issues that slow down your whole home network. A monthly restart (unplug for 30 seconds, then power back on) is a simple habit that keeps a home Wi-Fi network running noticeably smoother.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does optimised battery charging actually make a difference?

Yes. Keeping a lithium-ion battery at a full 100% charge for extended periods accelerates long-term capacity loss, so features that delay reaching 100% until shortly before you unplug genuinely help preserve battery health over time.

How often should I clean my laptop’s vents?

Every few months for typical use, or more often if you use your laptop in dusty environments. Overheating from blocked vents is one of the most common causes of slowdowns and shortened component lifespan.

Should I restart my router regularly?

Yes, a monthly restart is a sensible habit — it clears accumulated memory issues that can gradually slow down a home network over weeks of continuous operation.

Keep Your Devices Running Their Best

Good habits go a long way, but ageing hardware eventually needs a genuine upgrade. When that day comes, browse the Phones & Tablets and Computers & Accessories collections at City Tech.

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