Battery and Data Saving Tips for the Fleet App

The Shareide Fleet app needs to stay open, connected, and tracking your location for the whole time you're online — that's how ride requests reach you and how riders can see you're on the way. But GPS, screen time, and constant data use are exactly what drains a phone fastest. If you're driving 8-10 hours a day, a few simple habits can be the difference between finishing your shift comfortably and scrambling to find a charging point at 6pm.

Battery-saving habits that actually work

• Lower your screen brightness to the minimum you can comfortably read in daylight — the display is usually the single biggest battery drain on any phone.
• Close apps you're not using. Social media, YouTube, and games running in the background keep using data and battery even when you're not looking at them.
• Use a car charger or power bank as standard equipment, not a backup plan. A basic car charger costs very little compared to a single missed ride because your phone died.
• Turn off features you don't need while driving — Bluetooth if you're not using a headset, Wi-Fi scanning when you're not near a known network, and unnecessary notifications from other apps.
• Avoid extreme heat. Leaving your phone on the dashboard in direct sun for hours degrades the battery faster over time and can cause it to throttle performance to cool down.
• Use a simple phone mount instead of holding your phone. Besides being safer while driving, it also means the screen isn't waking up and dimming repeatedly from being picked up and put down, which adds up over a shift.

Saving mobile data through a long shift

• Download maps or cache common routes when you have Wi-Fi, so the app relies less on live data for basic navigation.
• Turn off auto-updates and app auto-play videos in your phone settings — these silently burn through a data package over a full day.
• Pick a data plan sized for a full working day, not just casual browsing. Drivers who run out of data mid-afternoon often miss bookings simply because the app can't refresh.
• Restart your phone occasionally, ideally once a day. A phone that's been running for days without a restart tends to accumulate background processes that quietly use both battery and data without you noticing.

Frequently asked questions

Does keeping GPS on constantly drain the battery a lot?

Yes, GPS is one of the more power-hungry features on any phone, but it's necessary for the app to match you with nearby riders and for riders to track their ride. Pair it with a car charger rather than turning it off.

What's a cheap way to avoid running out of data?

Compare prepaid daily or weekly data bundles from your carrier against your usual usage — a bundle sized for a full driving day is usually cheaper per hour than paying for data as you go.

Should I use a power bank or a car charger?

A car charger is usually more reliable since it charges continuously while the engine runs. A power bank is a good backup for the rare case your car charger or cable fails mid-shift.