Early autumn is the time that pumpkin spice lovers start scouring social media for family photo locations and day trips to shockingly-remote apple orchards. Provided you do a bit of planning, fall outings can be an easy win, and the foundation of these activities is your mobile device—it’s your navigator, chronicler and should the unexpected happen, your lifeline. Use this guide to bolster the gadget that supports you—your phone.
Proactive Planning
Experts from across the outdoor tech and gadget ecosystem offer a universal piece of advice before any excursion: be prepared. Even if you’re not free soloing with your kids, directions, entertainment, and communications all rely on your phone functioning properly. So before leaving the house, make sure your mapping apps and media are updated and that your data is backed up to the cloud in the event your phone is irreparably damaged.
If your destination is especially remote, save your maps and media for offline usage. To do so, open your preferred map app, tap on your profile image to access the settings, and navigate to “Offline Maps” to download the geographic area surrounding your route and final destination. While offline maps don’t allow for real-time traffic updates or road hazard alerts, you will be able to reroute on the fly or find points of interest like gas stations, EV chargers or restaurants. This not only works across the two most common mobile map apps, but also within all of the popular hiking-specific apps (though some may require a subscription).
If there are children in the car and there’s a chance that you’ll be headed into the woods with more than 30 minutes to your destination, give your entertainment the same treatment as your navigation by downloading playlists, podcasts, and enough episodes of your kid’s video programming du jour. Pro-tip: Due to licensing agreements, downloaded content within streaming apps expire after a set period of time. Depending on the service, that can be anywhere between 48 hours to 30 days. Therefore, you may want to take a swing through your downloads if it’s been a minute since you’ve passed the tablet back to your passengers.
In Case of a Fall
Even if the closest you get to nature is picking out a pumpkin, screens can crack and phones go missing. While a case provides some protection against drops and damage, loss can still happen. In that case, Verizon Mobile Protect can provide the peace of mind you need for adventure, with protection and coverage against loss, theft, damage, and post-warranty malfunctions. Consider it your fallback option for potentially shelling out for a replacement device.
Verizon Mobile Protect also includes as soon as same-day delivery and setup, meaning the help comes to you so you won’t be without your device for long. It includes 24/7 premium tech support, $0 deductible cracked screen repairs, and an unlimited number of claims. Open enrollment for all device protection options is only for a limited time—it’s open now and ends November 3rd.
Cloud Cover
It’d be a real shame if the family photographer’s phone met an untimely end between capturing the perfect tree-filled holiday card and the end of the trail. Before arriving at your location, set your phone to continuously backup images to the cloud on mobile data. Be forewarned that if you’re shooting in RAW or another low-compression format, constant backups may affect your data usage and battery life.
Full Power Leaf Peeping
High data usage, trail-side navigation, and video capture can drain your phone’s battery as they search for towers and satellites—especially if you’re in the backcountry. This is less of a concern on a hayride, but if your hike goes a longer than expected, you’ll want to preserve your battery to ensure you can call for help in an emergency. When in doubt, dip into your phone’s Battery settings and set your device to low power mode. This will automatically turn down your screen brightness, cease some background operations, and turn off unnecessary animations. It also wouldn’t hurt to throw a mobile powerbank in your day bag.
Seasons are fleeting, so wherever your leaf peeping and cider consumption takes you, these basic steps can help you protect the moments that matter—and the devices that make them all possible.
Learn more about Verizon Mobile Protect.
