How to Keep Your Phone Charged During a Power Outage

It is 7:40 on the second night of a power outage. There are four phones in the house. One is at 62 percent. One is at 31 percent. Your teenager's is somehow at 8 percent despite being told approximately fourteen times to stop watching videos.

And yours? Yours is the phone receiving emergency alerts, checking on family members, and keeping track of when the utility company expects the power to come back.

Suddenly, that little battery icon matters a lot more than it did yesterday.

During a long power outage, keeping your phone charged isn't really about convenience. Your phone may be your connection to emergency alerts, weather information, family members, utility updates, and help.

When the power goes out, that one small battery is doing the work of a radio, a phone book, a map, and a lifeline to family.

The good news is that you don't necessarily need to keep every phone in the house at 100 percent. You need a plan for making the power you have last.

How do you keep your phone charged during a power outage?

If the power goes out, immediately switch your phone to Low Power or Battery Saver mode, lower the screen brightness, and turn off features you aren't using. Use your phone primarily for communication, emergency alerts, and essential information rather than entertainment.

For backup charging, you may be able to use:

• A charged portable power bank.
• Your vehicle's USB port or 12V outlet.
• A charged laptop.
• A portable power station.
• A solar charger.
• Another safe location that still has electricity.

Ready.gov recommends keeping mobile phones and other electronic equipment charged before an outage and planning alternative ways to recharge them.

The goal isn't necessarily to keep your phone fully charged. It's to make sure you still have a working phone when you actually need it.

First: make the battery you already have last longer

Before looking for another source of power, slow down how quickly you're using the battery you already have. A few changes can make a meaningful difference.

Turn on Low Power or Battery Saver mode

Both iPhones and Android phones have settings designed to reduce battery consumption. Turn this on early rather than waiting until your battery reaches 5 percent.

Lower your screen brightness

Your screen uses a substantial amount of battery power. Turn the brightness down as far as is comfortable, and shorten the amount of time the screen stays on when you're not actively using it.

Stop unnecessary background activity

This isn't the time for automatic app updates, constant email refreshing, or apps repeatedly checking your location. Close or limit anything you don't need.

Turn off features you're not using

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, hotspot functions, and location services can consume power. Don't turn off something you actually need for communication or accessibility, but disable unnecessary features when practical.

Screenshot what you need instead of searching again

If you've found the outage map, weather forecast, evacuation instructions, or shelter information you need, take a screenshot. Then you can refer back to it without repeatedly loading the same page.

Text instead of making long calls

When appropriate, a short text can communicate what matters without keeping your phone active for a long conversation. Something as simple as "We're safe. Staying home for now. I'll check in again at 8." can tell family members everything they need to know.

Not every phone needs to stay at 100 percent

This is where a family power outage plan can make a surprisingly big difference. If four people each try to keep their phone fully charged, you'll use your backup power much faster. Instead, decide which phone has the most important job. That may be:

• The phone receiving emergency alerts.
• The phone used to communicate with extended family.
• The phone connected to important health or medical apps.
• A phone used for accessibility features.
• The phone belonging to the person most likely to leave the house.

That phone gets charging priority. Other family members can conserve their batteries and rotate onto the charger as needed.

One trick for the secondary phones: the U.S. Department of Energy suggests airplane mode as a way to conserve battery. It stops calls, texts, and alerts from coming through, so it's not for the primary phone. But a secondary phone can sit in airplane mode between planned check-ins and lose very little charge.

You don't need four phones sitting at 100 percent. You need enough working communication to get your household through the outage.

How big a power bank does your family need?

There isn't one perfect number, because phones and power banks don't all have the same battery capacity, and some energy is lost during charging. Instead of trying to calculate an exact number of charges, think about how many phones actually need emergency power and how long you want your backup to last.

For one person, a good-quality portable power bank may be enough to provide several useful top-ups during an outage. For a family, consider keeping more than one charged power bank rather than relying on one enormous battery for everyone. That gives you some redundancy, allows more than one device to charge when necessary, and means one forgotten or depleted power bank doesn't leave the entire household without backup power.

When choosing a power bank, look at:

• Battery capacity.
• Number and type of charging ports.
• Compatibility with your phones and other devices.
• Charging speed.
• Whether the necessary cables are included or stored with it.

Don't rely entirely on advertising claims about the number of phone charges a battery provides. Actual performance depends on the devices being charged and other factors.

The most important power bank isn't necessarily the biggest one. It's the one that's charged, compatible with your phone, and actually available when the lights go out.

Can you charge your phone from your car during a power outage?

Yes, your vehicle may provide another charging option. Many vehicles have USB ports or a 12V outlet that can charge a phone. But there is an important safety rule:

Never run your vehicle inside a garage or other enclosed or partly enclosed space.

Carbon monoxide can build up quickly and cannot be seen or smelled. If you need to run your vehicle while charging devices, move it completely outdoors and away from the home.

It's also worth keeping a compatible car charger or charging cable in your vehicle rather than assuming you'll remember to grab one during an outage. Our guide to what to keep in your car for an emergency covers the rest of that list.

And be thoughtful about fuel. During a widespread emergency, gas stations may also be affected by the power outage. Your car can be a useful backup charging source, but it shouldn't be your only plan.

Can you use a laptop to charge your phone?

Sometimes. If your laptop is already charged, its battery can become another small reserve of emergency power. Plugging your phone into the laptop's USB port may allow you to transfer some of that power to your phone. That's particularly useful if you don't need the laptop itself during the outage.

Think of the charged electronics already in your house as little pockets of stored electricity. A tablet usually can't charge your phone, but you can use the tablet for downloaded entertainment instead of draining the phone you're relying on for emergency communication.

The goal is to use your available batteries strategically.

What about solar phone chargers?

Solar charging can be useful, but it works best as part of a broader backup power plan rather than something you assume will always solve the problem. Performance depends on the charger, sunlight, weather conditions, positioning, and how much power your device requires.

If you own a solar charger, test it before an emergency. Find out:

• How long it actually takes to charge your device.
• Whether it works through a window.
• Which cables you need.
• Whether it performs adequately on cloudy days.
• Whether it works better when charging a battery bank first rather than a phone directly.

An emergency is a terrible time to discover that the solar charger you've owned for two years needs an adapter you don't have.

Don't forget the charging cables

This sounds ridiculously obvious. It is also exactly the kind of thing people forget. A fully charged power bank isn't especially useful if nobody can find the cable that connects it to the phone.

Keep compatible charging cables with your backup power source. If your household has a mixture of older and newer devices, check which connectors everyone actually needs. You may discover that the cable you've been storing with your emergency supplies doesn't fit the phone you bought six months ago.

Emergency supplies aren't really "set it and forget it." Technology changes. Your kit needs an occasional checkup too.

If you depend on your phone for accessibility

For some people, a phone isn't merely a convenient way to communicate. It may provide:

• Live captions.
• Text-based communication.
• Visual emergency alerts.
• Hearing aid connectivity.
• Screen readers.
• Magnification.
• Speech-to-text.
• Medical or health-related applications.
• Communication with caregivers.

If you or someone in your household relies on a phone for accessibility, that device should receive a higher priority in your backup power plan. Don't assume every household phone has equal importance. Preparedness works best when it accounts for the people who actually live in the home.

We go deeper on this in what happens to rechargeable hearing aids in a power outage and how emergency alerts reach a deaf or hard of hearing household.

What about portable power stations?

A larger portable power station can provide significantly more backup electricity than a pocket-sized power bank and may be able to charge phones, tablets, laptops, and other small electronics. Some households also use them as part of a larger plan for medical equipment or other essential devices.

But capacity, output, and capabilities vary widely. Before relying on one during an outage, understand:

• What it can safely power.
• How long its stored energy lasts.
• How long it takes to recharge.
• How you'll recharge it during a multi-day outage.
• Which devices should receive priority.

A giant battery that nobody has charged since last winter isn't much of an emergency plan. Whatever backup power equipment you own, check its charge periodically.

Create a family charging plan before the power goes out

You don't need anything complicated. Decide:

Which phone is primary? That's the device that stays available for emergency alerts and important communication.

Which phones are secondary? Those phones conserve battery and charge only when needed.

Where are the power banks? Everyone who might need them should know.

Where are the charging cables? Preferably right beside the power banks.

What is your backup after the power banks? Vehicle? Laptop? Portable power station? Solar charger? Another safe location with power?

Once those questions are answered, the household doesn't have to invent a charging strategy in the dark.

The honest part: most emergency kits don't solve this problem

Many prepacked emergency kits focus on food, water, first aid, lighting, and basic tools. Those things matter. But phones have become an important part of how families receive information and communicate during emergencies.

At Gear Up Survival Kits, many of our kits do not currently include a portable power bank. We would rather tell you that clearly than let you assume one is buried somewhere inside the backpack.

If your emergency plan depends on keeping a phone available, consider adding a charged power bank and compatible charging cable to your household supplies. That's one of the reasons we encourage people to treat a prepacked emergency kit as a foundation, then personalize it for the people and devices in their own home.

A question worth sitting with

If the power went out tonight and stayed off for three days, how many times could you recharge the most important phone in your house?

Not every phone. The one you'd rely on for emergency alerts, communication, and information. If you don't know the answer, that's okay. You just found one very specific thing to improve in your emergency plan.

The short version

Your phone can be one of your most useful tools during a power outage, but only while the battery lasts.

Start by conserving the charge you already have. Choose which phone in the household gets priority. Keep charged power banks and compatible cables together. Know your backup charging options, including your vehicle, laptop, solar charger, or portable power station. And test everything before you need it.

You don't need every phone in the house sitting at 100 percent. You need a reliable way to stay informed, stay connected, and reach the people who matter.

If you'd like a head start on the rest of your outage supplies, our power outage kits, including the StayLit kits, give you a foundation to build on. Add a charged power bank and the cables your family's phones actually use, and the communication side of your plan is covered.

And because a phone is only one piece of a long outage, our guides to what day three of an outage looks like, what to eat when the power is out, and staying warm without power cover the rest.

Frequently asked questions

How can I charge my phone during a power outage without a power bank?

Depending on what you have available, you may be able to charge your phone from a vehicle, a charged laptop, a portable power station, or a solar charger. You may also be able to charge devices at another safe location that still has electricity.

Should I keep my phone at 100 percent during a power outage?

Not necessarily. Conserving battery can be more important than constantly topping it off. Use Low Power or Battery Saver mode, reduce unnecessary phone use, and prioritize charging the device your household relies on most.

Can I charge my phone in my car during a power outage?

Yes, many vehicles can charge phones through USB or 12V outlets. Never run a vehicle in a garage or other enclosed or partly enclosed area. If the engine needs to run, the vehicle should be completely outdoors and away from the home.

How many power banks should a family have?

There isn't one correct number. Consider how many essential phones and small devices your household needs to keep operating and how long you want to be prepared for. Having more than one charged power bank can provide useful redundancy.

How often should I charge an emergency power bank?

Check it regularly as part of your emergency kit maintenance routine, and recharge it according to the manufacturer's instructions. Don't assume a power bank you charged months ago is still full.

Should everyone in the family charge their phone during an outage?

Not necessarily. During an extended outage, it may make more sense to prioritize one or two essential phones and have everyone else conserve their batteries. This can stretch limited backup power much further.

Peace of mind, packed and ready.

Sources: Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact Sheet; FEMA and Ready.gov, Be Prepared for a Power Outage; U.S. Department of Energy, Keeping Mobile Devices Charged.