A good battery backup is the most important thing needed when you are out and about, shooting your various adventures. As GoPro owners would know, average battery life for a GoPro camera is about 1.5-2 hours which turns out to be an issue for many users.

There’s simply not enough power in a single battery to last long, especially when you are travelling and shooting continuously.

In this tutorial, you will learn how the different ways you can use to quickly turn off your GoPro and make your battery last longer.

 

How to Turn Off Your GoPro


Turning off your GoPro is the simplest and easiest way to preserve its battery. But there are certain times when users complain that even after turning the GoPro off, the battery still drains out quickly. To overcome this problem have a look at the section below.

4 Ways to Turn Off your GoPro (All the Black models):

Using the Mode Button

Press and hold the Mode Button for 2-3 seconds. After you hear three beeps and the red LED blinks three times, the camera is turned off.

gopro turn off power button

Using Voice Control 

All GoPros post Hero 5 support Voice Control feature. It is available in approximately 10 different languages. Make sure Voice Control commands are active in Settings. To turn off the cam, say “GoPro turn off”.

Using Auto Power Off

You can automatically switch off your GoPro after 5,15, 30 minutes of inactivity by simple going on
Settings > Setup > Manual Mode and choosing the desired option. You may choose “never” if you don’t want to activate this feature.

Using the QuikCapture Function

QuickCapture is a special feature which is available on almost all GoPros, but is disabled by default. When the camera is off but this feature is enabled, your GoPro will automatically turn on and start recording when you press the shutter/select button. The GoPro will turn itself off as soon as you stop recording.

Press once for video, press and hold for a few seconds for Time Lapse photos. Press again to stop recording and powering off the camera.

To enable this feature, go to Preferences > QuikCapture > ON or OFF.

GoPro Fusion

You can use the Mode Button, Voice Control Commands or Quick Capture feature in the similar way as mentioned above. But, it does not support auto adjustment of time. It will automatically turn off after 7 minutes of inactivity.

GoPro Hero 5 Session

The Hero 5 Session does not have any direct method of turning off. It does support Quick Capture feature. Irrespective of the mode, the camera will automatically turn itself off when you are not recording video or taking photos.

Shutting down your camera properly does solve some battery issues and protects it from getting overheated. In the next section we will go through a few hacks which can help in maximizing the battery life a bit more…

 

Are you not satisfied with a battery your GoPro has? Opt for extended one!

Here you can find out everything you need to know about GoPro extended battery.

 

Tips to Extend Your GoPro Battery Life


To begin with, watch this video where I explain how to extend your GoPro battery life:

5 Tips for Saving and Extending your GoPro Battery Life (Hero 6/7/8/9/10)

Disable other features to save battery

The most common mistake we make is leaving the WiFi or Bluetooth on which consumes the battery even when the GoPro is off. Make sure to deactivate them before turning off your GoPro. You can do the same by clicking on Settings > Wireless Connections.

Use Quick Capture and Auto-Off to maximize battery life

Enabling Quick Capture or Auto-off feature while shooting considerably saves the battery. Disable Voice Control and other features before turning your GoPro off for better results. Quick Capture and Auto-off help to save battery when the camera is idle.

Keep your GoPro firmware up to date

It is extremely important to update your firmware timely. The updating not only helps in fixing various issues but also improves the battery life. For doing so, connect your cam to a smartphone or laptop via WiFi and then update it using the GoPro app.

Store your GoPro Battery at Room Temperature

Avoid storing your GoPro as well as battery in extreme conditions. Excessive heat or too cold, both are harmful for your equipment. While shooting in cold temperature, keep your GoPro battery warm, close to your body to avoid quick degradation.

Turn Off LCD Display and GPS

After setting up your cam for recording, keeping the LCD screen on is of no use, it only drains the battery a bit faster. So, make sure to turn off your LCD display post setup. Also, GPS is used only to give you location coordinates over your video. So, if not necessary, go to Preferences>menu and turn it off.

Avoid using Remote Control or Smartphone Apps

Try using a selfie stick instead of a remote control. Remotes decrease the battery life by 15-20 % approximately. So does connecting your cam with smartphones while shooting. They take up a lot of battery.

Best Settings to reduce battery consumption

The 1080p at 60 fps is the standard for GoPro recordings. But for best results, you should film in 1080p at 30 frames per second, in Wide view. Superview reduces the lifetime of the battery so avoid filming in that. The fewer pixels and frames your camera will take, the lower the battery consumption will be.

Fully Discharge Battery once a month

Battery Manufacturers recommend to fully discharge the GoPro battery once a month and charge your cam using wall chargers instead of cables for better results. Also, you can keep a few extra batteries or rechargeable batteries with you for long shooting hours to ensure undisrupted filming.

There are certain accessories you can carry with yourself in case of emergency, like a portable Mobile Power Bank, a video grip charger or a good solar charger which prove to be helpful external power sources.

Do you know how to charge your DoPro properly?

Check out this article!

 

Last Word Of Advice


To sum up how long a GoPro battery will last, we can say that there are a number of factors included. You can ensure a long battery backup by following the few tips above. Some changes in settings here and there would actually prove to be beneficial while you’re on your outdoor adventure. So, always make sure to treat your battery well by turning it off when not necessary, to have a splendid, long lasting filming experience!

Read the full tutorial on how to extend GoPro’s battery life: How to Make Your GoPro Battery Life Last Longer

 

Do you wonder how long does GoPro battery life lasts? Don’t miss this article!

 

I hope that you found these tips useful! If so, please share this tutorial with your friends and colleagues. 🙂