When you’re driving for Lyft, you have a lot to consider. From the traffic to the weather, the last thing you want is to have to worry about your phone.
Even if you’re good about charging your device, it could still die on you. So you should know what will happen if your phone runs out of battery.
Table of Contents
What Happens When Your Phone Dies When Driving for Lyft?
If your phone dies when you’re driving for Lyft, Lyft will automatically end the trip. That means you might not receive payment for the ride. You should still complete the ride as planned, and contact Lyft about the problem.
When you’re a passenger and your phone dies, nothing will happen. As long as the driver’s phone still has a charge, the ride will end when you get to your destination. Lyft will charge your card for the ride.
How to Keep Your Phone From Dying
As a passenger, having your phone die during a Lyft ride isn’t a huge deal. However, it can still be annoying to not have a working phone when you get to your destination.
If you’re a driver, though, a dying phone can affect your income. Fortunately, drivers and passengers can do a few things to keep a charge.
Charge Regularly
It may sound obvious, but you should get used to charging your phone regularly. Maybe you do this every day at the same time, so you can schedule it in.
Another option is to charge the phone when it reaches a certain percentage. If you want to be safe, you can charge your phone when it reaches 20 or 30 percent. That way, you can keep it from reaching 0 percent.
As a driver, you might charge your phone an hour or two before you start a shift. Then, you’ll have enough battery as you drive around and pick up passengers.
Keep a Charger on Hand
You should also keep a charger on hand in case you ever forget to charge your device at home. If you’re a driver, you can keep a car charger in your glove box. Then, you’ll be able to charge your phone whenever you need to.
As a passenger, you can ask the driver if they have a car charger available. That way, you can give your phone a bit of a charge during the ride.
Another option for drivers and riders is to use a portable charger. You don’t need to be in a car to add some battery to your phone. Plus, you can make sure the charger works with whatever smartphone you have.
Use Low Power Mode
If charging your device isn’t an option, you need to keep from using too much battery. One great way to do this is to use the Low Power mode on iOS or the Battery Saver on Android.
You’ll want to go into your settings and look for the battery section. Then, you can find Low Power or Battery Saver, depending on the device you use.
This will turn off nonessential features to keep from using too much power. You’ll get more life out of the charge until you can plug the device in.
Turn Off Connections
Bluetooth and WiFi connections can come in handy, but they can also use up battery. If your phone is about to die, turn off the connections that you don’t need.
When you’re a passenger, you can even turn your phone to airplane mode. The driver’s phone tracks the ride, so you could also turn your phone off, and nothing will happen.
Lock Your Phone
When you aren’t using your phone, lock the screen. You can even set your phone to lock after 30 seconds or a minute of inactivity so that you don’t have to lock it yourself.
The screen can use a lot of the battery, and you don’t always need it. If you know where you’re driving, you don’t have to follow the navigation in the Lyft app. Locking your phone may extend the battery long enough for you to find a charger.
Lower the Brightness
If you need to have your phone screen on for navigation or something else, don’t use the highest brightness level. Lowering the brightness can keep from using too much battery on the screen.
Even lowering the brightness slightly may make a difference. You can do this from the start of a shift if you plan on driving all day.
Contact Support
If you do everything you can but your phone still dies, you may want to contact Lyft support. Now, you should take the passenger to their destination first. You’ll then need to find a charger and get your phone working or find a computer to use.
The ride may have ended when your phone died. However, you can report the issue to Lyft, and they can resolve the problem. If you go to the website, tell the company you’re a driver and that you have a ride issue.
Click on “Ride payment or fee issue” and “Ended ride too early” to see what you can do. Then, you can get the help you need to collect payment.
What Happens When a Phone Dies During a Lyft Ride?
If a driver’s phone dies during a Lyft, it can cause the ride to end. Drivers will then need to contact Lyft support to fix the problem. Luckily, nothing will happen if a passenger’s phone dies in the middle of the ride. Either way, be sure to keep a charge so that your phone doesn’t die.