How to Keep Your Phone Charged During a Power Outage

The most reliable way to keep a phone working during an outage is to prepare before the power goes out. Charge the phone and every backup battery early, reduce unnecessary power use, and keep more than one compatible charging method available.

Ready.gov specifically recommends keeping mobile devices charged before an outage and planning alternative power sources in its power outage guidance.

Before an outage

• Charge your phone, power banks, and other essential electronics.
• Confirm that every cable and connector fits the device you plan to use.
• Download important contacts, local maps, and emergency information for offline access.
• Turn on emergency alerts and know where your utility posts outage updates.
• Put charging gear where you can find it in the dark.
• Recheck stored power banks periodically instead of assuming they remain full.

If anyone in your household depends on powered medical equipment or refrigerated medicine, make a separate plan with the appropriate medical professional. A consumer phone charger is not a life-safety backup system.

Conserve the phone's battery

After the outage begins:

• enable low-power or battery-saver mode;
• reduce screen brightness and shorten the screen timeout;
• close unneeded apps and disable radios you are not using;
• use text messages when they are sufficient;
• avoid continuous video, hotspot use, and repeated refreshes;
• move away from poor-signal areas when it is safe, because a phone may use more power trying to maintain a connection.

Keep enough reserve for alerts, family communication, and emergency calls.

Build charging layers

One charging method can fail, be misplaced, or already be empty. A simple layered plan might include:

1. A fully charged USB power bank.
2. A second charged battery or another compatible power source.
3. A vehicle charger used only with the vehicle in a safe, well-ventilated outdoor location.
4. Supplemental solar input when useful sunlight is available.
5. A hand crank for limited last-resort input.

Never leave a vehicle running in a garage, even with the garage door open. Ready.gov includes that warning in its power outage safety sheet.

Where SideKick fits

SideKick combines a rechargeable power bank, built-in phone charging cables, USB connections, and a flashlight in one portable unit. Wired USB is the normal way to recharge it. The small solar panel is supplemental, and the hand crank is an emergency-only input.

SideKick can support phone communication and compatible small USB electronics. It does not power refrigerators, medical devices, HVAC, or other household loads. For those needs, explore a whole-home backup assessment.

Keep the plan simple

A useful outage kit is one you maintain and can operate without guesswork. Charge it, test the connectors, store it in a known place, and review the plan before severe weather—not after the lights go out.

Continue with the North Carolina storm prep checklist or learn how solar power banks work.