Battery life can make or break a smartphone, it’s a sad truth. No matter how slick your handset is, it’s essentially worthless if you have to stay tethered to the charger at all times. That said, if you’re rooted, there are several Android battery life hacks you can attempt to ensure you get the most out of your battery life.

The first of our Android battery life tips is the simplest — check processes running in the background. You would be amazed at how much battery certain widgets or newsreaders use, and it’s simple to check your running processes to see what’s running and how much juice it’s using up by going to settings>battery on most devices.

Another great Android battery saving tip would be to keep adjust the “refresh” rate on your social apps. The more often it checks for updates, the more juice it sucks and if you’re a social nut, it can drain your battery quickly. The same can be said for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc… always turn anything off when it’s not in use. These are just a few of the Android battery saving tips that work whether you’re rooted or not, but the next one for rooted users only.

If you have root, you can underclock your device and setup a “screen off” profile to further conserve your battery. It’s not something you’ll want to attempt without some knowledge, but we assume you have that if you’re rooted your device. There are several apps and mods available that can make things simple, and you can get more information on the process from this video. The vid actually gives you several Android battery life hacks for rooted users, and there’s a wealth of battery saving apps and mods that can only be used if you have root.

Many new Android devices come with built-in features that improve battery life, but if you follow a few of the simple Android battery saving tips we’ve outlined, you certainly save some juice. As mentioned, do now try any actual Android battery life hacks unless you have root, and don’t try to get root unless you know what you’re doing. Having great battery life won’t matter if your phone is a brick.

How’s the battery life on your favorite Android device?