Smartphone Hacks to Take Your Holiday Time Back

The holiday season brings more travel and celebrations in two months than the rest of the year combined, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. U.S. Cellular can help smartphone owners tackle to-do lists for trips, party planning, and shopping with several phone features to make it manageable.

“With the latest devices like an iPhone 7 or Samsung Galaxy S7 on our nationwide network, smartphone owners can use a device’s features at home or on-the-go to simplify and enhance their holiday travel and celebration plans,” said Nathan Waddell, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in the Mid-South. “We invite everyone to visit our local U.S. Cellular stores to learn more from one of our helpful associates.”

Smartphone owners are more likely to use their device while traveling than ever before. According to a recent U.S. Cellular survey, 76 percent of people used their phone while traveling in 2015, up from 68 percent in the previous year. ¹

U.S. Cellular suggests following a few simple tips to help manage holiday travel:

Take a screenshot of directions, and turn off location services while traveling in populated areas to conserve battery life.

Charge phone on airplane mode. Busier schedules sometimes mean going longer between charges. Using airplane mode helps devices regain their battery strength by eliminating apps or services running in the background.

Capture photo of where you parked at the airport. It can be challenging to remember where the car is parked after a late flight or long trip. If there is a saved photo, it can serve as a location reminder.

Also, the majority of users keep appointments and events on their phone with 42 percent using this function at least once a day. ¹ Wireless devices can help you prepare for holiday parties from concept to execution. Follow these U.S. Cellular tips to help streamline the process:

Take picture of refrigerator and pantry before shopping for a holiday party. Making a list is always helpful, but a photo of what ingredients and items are available at home will keep you from making unneeded purchases.

Track the master to-do list in the note feature of your phone. It’s easy to make a quick list at the office and lose track of it on the way home. But if it starts in your device, it stays with you. For Apple users, the reminder feature allows you to display both completed and outstanding tasks.

Put your phone in a cup to amplify music at a holiday gathering. The cup works with the phone’s speaker to increase the volume and help set the mood of any party. Cups with harder surfaces, like glass or porcelain, work best.

Fifty-six percent of smartphone owners use their phone to shop online and with the holiday upon us, online shopping can help save time, money, and stress. Many of us already have our favorite shopping and coupon apps, but what about the delivery of all those packages during the busy holiday?

ParcelTrack (free) allows users to track all of your packages from Fedex, UPS, DHL, USPS and more. Each ParcelTrack user is assigned a random user ID and an email inbox. When you forward an online shopping confirmation, ParcelTrack’s server automatically extracts the tracking number and adds it to your account and keeps track of your delivery. For a premium (IOS and Android $2.99), live tracking is available and even a barcode scanner if you are shipping a package yourself.


¹ Between Nov. 12-21, 2015, a total of 735 online interviews were conducted among a nationally representative sample by Consumer Insights, in partnership with Maritz CX.

Additional data charges may apply. 4G LTE service may be provided through King Street Wireless, a partner of U.S. Cellular. LTE is a trademark of ETSI.

About King Street Wireless, L.P.
King Street Wireless, L.P. currently holds 700 MHz wireless spectrum in 27 states and is partnering with Chicago-based U.S. Cellular to deliver high-speed 4G LTE service to U.S. Cellular’s customers in several of the carrier’s markets. King Street Wireless is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia where it is recognized for its involvement in its community both through its economic development and philanthropic efforts. To learn more about King Street Wireless, visit www.kingstreetwireless.com.

About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular is the fifth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier has a strong line-up of cutting-edge devices that are all backed by a high-quality network in big and small cities and rural communities, and currently, 99 percent of customers have access to 4G LTE speeds. U.S. Cellular was named a J.D. Power and Associates Customer Champion in 2014 for the third time in four years. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.