Ed Bott - Windows 10 Support Secrets

94 CHAPTER 7 | Staying productive on mobile devices On a laptop PC, a hybrid device, or a tablet, the easiest way to see at a glance how much battery remains is to tap the Battery notification in the taskbar. That action opens a flyout like the one shown in Figure 7-1. Figure 7-1: That estimate of remaining battery life is exactly that—an estimate, based on your recent actions. The two buttons at the bottom of this flyout offer more certain ways to increase battery life. In that flyout, the percentage of remaining battery life is invariably accurate. The estimate of remaining battery life that appears alongside it is exactly that—an estimate. You can watch that prediction rise and fall as you alternate between energy-intensive activities and actions that are relatively passive. If you know you’re only away from a power outlet for an hour or two, you can confidently push your PC to perform tasks that will drain the battery more rapidly than usual. For those times when you need to nurse the power for as long as possible, the two buttons at the bottom of that flyout are indispensable. The first is the Battery Saver button. When you tap to turn on that feature, Windows 10 adapts its behavior in the following ways:  The Mail, People, and Calendar apps do not sync.  Apps that normally run in the background are blocked.  Windows Update continues to scan on its normal schedule, but non-critical Windows Update downloads are blocked.  Display brightness is reduced by 30 percent.  Transmission of most telemetry information is blocked. By default, Windows 10 turns Battery Saver mode on automatically when your battery capacity drops to 20 percent. To change this threshold, go to Settings > System > Battery. That detailed display, similar to the one shown in Figure 7-2, shows the remaining battery life and offers the opportunity to tailor those settings to your preferences.