How to conserve iPhone battery when using Bicycle Route Navigator

[TractorDan]

I recently completed a trip on the Northern Tier route.  I downloaded the ACA maps onto my iPhone and have a phone holder on my handlebars so I can watch the route and follow the blue ball that marks my location on the map.  It took some getting used to but by the end of the trip using the digital map on my iPhone with the ACA map was superior to using the paper maps alone though certainly you should use both.  Using the digital map we made wrong turns less often than on previous trips where we used only paper maps.  The main problem was the high rate at which we depleted the battery on the iPhone.  In about 3-4 hours the battery was gone.  Fortunately we had supplemental battery blocks that we plugged into our phones to get us through a day.  So my big question is what tips or tricks can be used to save battery life when using the ACA maps on the iPhone?

[JHamelman]

The biggest battery saver for me when using my phone for navigation on tour is to keep my phone in Airplane Mode. The GPS tracking ability, ie. blue dot, will continue to work. My iPhone has a Low Power Mode that I also use. It keeps the phone from looking for connections (among other things but I don't know the specifics) except when I specifically ask it to. if you're touring with someone and are using texting to stay connected when you get separated, this can be a bit more problematic and requires some communication in advance.

Also, for longer stretches between turns or for a couple of memorized turns, I turn the screen off.

Jennifer

[jwrushman]

For the Northern Tier this year, I inputted the route into RideWithGPS.  Like the ACA map application, RWGPS works in Airplane mode.  It also provides turn-by-turn directions, can be set up to turn the display on only when approaching turns, and (most important to me) tells me when I'm off-course.  With my Samsung Android phone, power consumption was never a problem when riding up to 10 hours.  I didn't do much camping, so I was able to recharge my electronics most evenings. 

Inputting the route info into RWGPS was a bit time consuming, but doing it gave me more insight into where I would be riding, allowing me to modify the route for side trips.