U.S. CELLULAR PREPS FOR WINTER STORM JONAS, PROVIDES TIPS FOR MOBILE DEVICES DURING SEVERE WINTER WEATHER

U.S. Cellular Provides Tech Tips for Storm Prep, Tracking, Communication, Recovery

MID-ATLANTIC (Jan. 22, 2016)– As Winter Storm Jonas approaches, U.S. Cellular engineers have already begun prepping cellphone tower networks across the Mid-Atlantic, fueling generators and lining up recovery resources so that they are ready to use if needed.  U.S. Cellular’s group of “on call” heroes are closely monitoring conditions and ready to respond when needed. 

In addition, there are many things that residents can do to monitor conditions using their smartphones.   Mobile devices have changed the way we prepare for, endure and recover from severe winter weather. According to a recent U.S. Cellular survey¹, 94 percent of smartphone users check the weather forecast regularly from their mobile devices.  Smartphones and tablets are valuable tools for tracking and preparing for pending storms, learning about school cancellations, checking road conditions, and dealing with a storm’s aftermath. 

“There are a variety of apps, tips, accessories and websites that smartphone users have access to that can help when severe weather threatens or hits,” said Nathan Waddell, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in the Mid-South. “During these unpredictable days, people can rely on their mobile devices to stay informed, prepared and connected."

When the skies threaten, U.S. Cellular recommends the following to help you weather the storm:

• Check your weather and news apps - The Weather Channel and AccuWeather have reliable and popular apps that provide weather updates anywhere you are. For news, outlets such as CNN and your favorite local news station’s apps that ensure you will always have the latest news at your fingertips.

• Access social media - Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have become a preferred way to quickly get and share information. During severe weather, they can help provide real-time updates and keep you in contact with loved ones.

• Stay in touch by text - Texting can also be helpful during a severe weather event.  If phone service is impacted because of a storm or high call volume, text messages could still work because they take up less network bandwidth than calls.

• Get the right accessories - An extra battery is great to have if you need to use your phone during a storm and aren’t able to charge it.  It's also a good idea to have a car charger with you in case you lose power and can't charge your mobile devices indoors.

• Use ICE - An ICE (or In Case of Emergency) contact is commonly known to responders as a way for them to quickly access people's emergency contacts in their phones. We encourage people to add the letters “ICE” to their emergency person in their contact list to help responders. The ICE app takes this concept one step further, allowing people to store information about their health conditions, current medications, allergies, physicians, contact numbers and other key information, which can be instantly accessed in an emergency.

• Contribute to weather reports – In addition to checking your weather app, the Mping (Meteorological Phenomena Identification Near the Ground) app is a crowdsourcing tool for weather reporting.  Use the app to track and report precipitation in your local area and then submit the data to the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory.  

• Prepare and recover - The American Red Cross provides a free app with real-time information about severe weather situations. They also provide step-by-step instructions on preparing for, and recovering from, a storm.  Additionally, people can use these online tools to request assistance and learn how they can help others impacted by storms. 

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.

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.  

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.

U.S. Cellular Offers Five Ways to Maximize Smartphone Battery Life

• Stay Powered On: Turning a smartphone off in order to save the battery actually has the opposite effect. It takes more energy for the device to power back on than it does to keep it in sleep or lock mode. If users need to save more battery power, switch the phone to airplane mode; this will disconnect its cellular network connection and prevent calls, texts, emails, and other notifications from being received, which will save battery life.
• Be Aware of the Temperature: Be conscious of a smartphone’s environment in regards to temperature, especially when it is extremely hot or cold outside. Overheating the device can cause permanent damage to the battery. On the opposite end, using the phone in exceptionally cold temperatures drains battery life as it works harder to stay warm enough to power up and respond to commands. 
• Turn Location Services Off: Location services, such as the ones that allow Facebook and Google Maps to know users’ locations, drain battery life even when the apps are not running. Resist Facebook check-ins, and if a map app is not needed while traveling users may want to turn the location service function off to reserve battery life.  
• Say No to Push Notifications: Push notifications, the alerts that do things like inform users of a Facebook comment or a turn in Trivia Crack, are the bane of a battery life’s existence. Avoid the temptation to use push notifications for every app. Choose those that are most important, such as email, text message, and bank apps, and keep push notifications on for these, and consider turning them off for other apps. 
• Charge Anywhere: Invest in a battery pack, like the Random Order Portable Power Bank for $24.99, and charge anywhere on-the-go. Portable batteries come in handy when traditional outlet charging is unavailable. Mobile battery packs are small enough to fit in purses, backpacks, and coat pockets, so a smartphone can always get some extra juice.

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