Database Users

Is swapping fully charged batteries better than recharging in-phone?

I bought an extra battery and charger on my Evo and noticed that recently, my Evo battery is now performing WORSE than the cheap Chinese generic knockoff battery.
The Chinese one use to run about 1 - 1.5days but now runs over 2 days (thanks to new kernel by HTC).
However, the red battery which used to give me 2 - 2.5 days run time (on older kernel), now only runs for 12hrs.
Any ideas?

Are you charging the stock red battery with the Chinese charger? You shouldnt do that. But as far as the chinese batteries, it doesn matter how you charge them.

Go into a battery program, spareparts or batteryinfo widget, and see if they are charging to the same voltage. I have several htc batteries with all about the same use, I have 2 of them that are almost a 100mv lower then the others so I "top" them off by unplugging and replugging them in a few times while charging.

sitlet said:
Are you charging the stock red battery with the Chinese charger? You shouldnt do that. But as far as the chinese batteries, it doesn matter how you charge them.
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Where did you get this info? The external chinese chargers are a slower, less powerful charge. I get more juice out of the battery than charging it in the phone, due to the quick 10% drop. Everything I have ever read says that slower charging is better for the battery in the long run. Please link where you got this from.

I have 2 batteries, the red one, and one that came with my Hero. I charge them in the cheap charger and rarely actually charge the phone.
I see no difference in battery life.

the whole quick charge tech is no good, my $4 chinese charger (no quick charge crap) works way better then charging in phone, i had an older laptop, one of the first to claim quick charge, with a battery that was wearing down about maybe 90-60min got an external charger that charges slowly and managed to recondition the already 4yr old battery to run 3hrs but went back to charging on laptop and battery slowly ran down again to about 1hr

On my PHILLIPS ppc6700, I had done this exact thing, with an eBay battery. I noticed NO difference between the two batteries, and I even ran synthetic tests to confirm. I believe I posted those results a LONG time ago on ppcfreaks.
I then bought the Saedo (sp?) 3700 ma/hr piece with the extended battery door and the dock, and that thing kicked ass. I would get like a week with an overclocked proc on fast evdo and a cooked ROM nue2chem I believe, its been a long time.
Then with my 6800 things got really bad. I went through maybe 6 phones from dead charging ports. I honestly felt like at least half of those failures (which were all replaced basically no questions asked, besides one) were due to gas-station car charges and laptop cords. Such a nightmare.
My guess is that most mini usb port failures from back then were due to the actual design standard being so loose that knock off, low cost manufacturers without precise and developed manufacturing techniques were marketing chargers that would arc my usb port to death over like a 1 hr drive. This is of course a guess. When Sprint questioned my one replacement I simply had the guy who had my phone taken apart bust out his magnifying glass and we could both clearly see burnt leads on the PCB. Couldn't see with the naked eye.
Also that older standard was thicker, and it thus exerted a little more tensional force on the port/PCB, which could have created the same effect.
Flash forward to my Evo: the new micro usb standard is FAR superior to the previous. No issues so far. Other chargers seem to work fine, without issue. You bet I was suspicious though, and I did all my checking within the return period. They DON'T have more Evos, so if you think that 8 dollars saved on a charger or something is worth it, Kool. Just as long as everyone knows the risks that have historically been associated with cheap chargers. At least anecdotally.
I would possibly consider some extended evo batter package if it was cool looking. Clear backed and extended maybe? With a small led batter level indicator on the battery itself, shining through the back with a small integrated button press.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Ape

cruecu said:
Where did you get this info? The external chinese chargers are a slower, less powerful charge. I get more juice out of the battery than charging it in the phone, due to the quick 10% drop. Everything I have ever read says that slower charging is better for the battery in the long run. Please link where you got this from.
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same id have to agree with this !

to clarify, the chargers i use are external not a phone charger, i wouldnt use a cheap charger on any of my phones

sitlet said:
Are you charging the stock red battery with the Chinese charger? You shouldnt do that. But as far as the chinese batteries, it doesn matter how you charge them.
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Yes, i never charge from the phone anymore. I just use the phone till it dies and then swap with a fresh ly charged battery. I charge both of them in the cheap charger.
I was thinking that maybe the phone battery recalibration got whacked? Just a guess.

Any battery charges better with a lower amp charge period. I charge my deep cell boat batteries at the beginning of the season on 2 amp trickle charge. I have had them for 10 years now. Way over the life expectancy. I charge my evo batteries on a 400 milli amp wall charger. Way better charge and they charge 100% everytime.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Okay, I'm convinced. I'm slow charging mine in an external charger.

treckin said:
On my PHILLIPS ppc6700, I had done this exact thing, with an eBay battery. I noticed NO difference between the two batteries, and I even ran synthetic tests to confirm. I believe I posted those results a LONG time ago on ppcfreaks.
I then bought the Saedo (sp?) 3700 ma/hr piece with the extended battery door and the dock, and that thing kicked ass. I would get like a week with an overclocked proc on fast evdo and a cooked ROM nue2chem I believe, its been a long time.
Then with my 6800 things got really bad. I went through maybe 6 phones from dead charging ports. I honestly felt like at least half of those failures (which were all replaced basically no questions asked, besides one) were due to gas-station car charges and laptop cords. Such a nightmare.
My guess is that most mini usb port failures from back then were due to the actual design standard being so loose that knock off, low cost manufacturers without precise and developed manufacturing techniques were marketing chargers that would arc my usb port to death over like a 1 hr drive. This is of course a guess. When Sprint questioned my one replacement I simply had the guy who had my phone taken apart bust out his magnifying glass and we could both clearly see burnt leads on the PCB. Couldn't see with the naked eye.
Also that older standard was thicker, and it thus exerted a little more tensional force on the port/PCB, which could have created the same effect.
Flash forward to my Evo: the new micro usb standard is FAR superior to the previous. No issues so far. Other chargers seem to work fine, without issue. You bet I was suspicious though, and I did all my checking within the return period. They DON'T have more Evos, so if you think that 8 dollars saved on a charger or something is worth it, Kool. Just as long as everyone knows the risks that have historically been associated with cheap chargers. At least anecdotally.
I would possibly consider some extended evo batter package if it was cool looking. Clear backed and extended maybe? With a small led batter level indicator on the battery itself, shining through the back with a small integrated button press.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Ape
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Click to collapse
Not to go off topic but you typed all this on your evo? Does your finger hurt?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

[Q] Battery Preservation

Dear L2 G2 owners,
I really love my battery on my LG G2 and since its not removable i want to do the best to preserve its lifespan.
So what i'm doing is, plugging in my phone to the charger when i get home and leave it there even after its been completely charged.
Is that correct or should i leave the battery to complete its cycle then charge it when its almost empty.
What other tips would you suggest.
Cheers!

Cienight said:
Dear L2 G2 owners,
I really love my battery on my LG G2 and since its not removable i want to do the best to preserve its lifespan.
So what i'm doing is, plugging in my phone to the charger when i get home and leave it there even after its been completely charged.
Is that correct or should i leave the battery to complete its cycle then charge it when its almost empty.
What other tips would you suggest.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what ive read thats exactly how youll reduce your batterys life span
Sent from my LG-D802 using xda app-developers app

The more cycles, the shorter the life span. The thing that will destroy the most is heat. These are good batteries, trickle won't do much, heat is the worst. Don't worry so much about it. Nothing you do is going to have much of a noticeable impact.

Thanks a lot for the info guys!
Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk

Btw, these batteries are indeed replaceable. Just not in a normal way, and more difficult than say a MAXX. The back cover does come off. Just a thin plastic back that can be removed going clockwise from SIM tray.

Steamer86 said:
Btw, these batteries are indeed replaceable. Just not in a normal way, and more difficult than say a MAXX. The back cover does come off. Just a thin plastic back that can be removed going clockwise from SIM tray.
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Clockwise while facing the screen or facing the back?
Sent from my LG-D802 using xda app-developers app

Screen to you. Easier to place back starting at bottom and working up to top a side at a time. Just my personal experience.

Any available online stores that provide such replacement batteries?
Also is there a video tutorial on how to open the back cover.
Just in case...
Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk

Lithium batteries
Cienight said:
Dear L2 G2 owners,
I really love my battery on my LG G2 and since its not removable i want to do the best to preserve its lifespan.
So what i'm doing is, plugging in my phone to the charger when i get home and leave it there even after its been completely charged.
Is that correct or should i leave the battery to complete its cycle then charge it when its almost empty.
What other tips would you suggest.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've done a little research on batteries from such places as Battery University, and learned a few things that might be interesting. I haven't posted enough to post links, but the location after batteryuniversity dot com is "learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries" if anyone wants more information.
It seems that Li-Ion and Li-Polymer batteries are treated essentially the same; the difference is mainly in the packaging. As for charging, they do better if not charged 100%, and never discharged 100%. But one thing they say, which I was told by the salesman when I bought it (but didn't believe him at the time) is that they should not be charged while power is on. The charger is designed to trickle charge the battery, coming on at a certain voltage. But when under power, this cycle happens too often and stresses the battery too much. I suppose it might be OK to charge it while on if you watch it, and remove the cable when it gets to full charge or just under that. I suppose a timer would be ideal.
I just wish I knew how much difference it actually makes, since turning it off means you can't receive calls. I've had devices with Lithium batteries in the past that were left on a charger all night, and the batteries seemed to last for several years, which is probably longer than my phone really needs to last.

I still think its funny that people don't think that there isn't any charging logic in the phone and that it just willfully commits battery suicide if the user doesn't micromanage charging.
Back in the day, early battery tech such as NiCad was extremely sensitive to temperature and the chargers weren't designed with intelligence so they destroyed batteries with 'Fast' charging by overheating. Also, if you never let the battery discharge completely, the battery would start to form cadmium crystals and lower the apparent capacity of the battery. So, slow and deep cycles were the proper way to go. NiMH batteries were far superior and intelligent chargers were introduced but could still suffer the same symptoms of over heating with cheap chargers.
The idea that you can only trickle charge Lithium Ion/Polymer batteries is laughable. The rate of charge is controlled based on the temperature of the battery, if it heats up, the charging circuit clamps the current down, if it is cold it ramps it up. Also, contrary to wisdom applied to NiCad, deep discharges and full charges are harder on Lithium batteries than the earlier tech. In the mid ranges of charge the charger will go all out, when it reaches the top end it slows down to a trickle because the battery is more sensitive to stress at those charge levels. Conversely, if the battery is fully discharged, the charging circuit will start out with a trickle and speed up as the level increases.
On the G2, if there is high resistance across the data pins it stays in slow charge mode, most likely to protect USB ports not meant for charging, if there is low/no resistance it goes into fast charge mode, it thinks it must be connected a dedicated charger. If the charger or the cable gives the wrong setting to the phone the user is left scratching their head.
Luckily the AT&T car charger I bought with my Galaxy SIII works properly with my G2. Sadly the correct cable with my laptop, even with Lenovo's dedicated charging port, it stays in slow charge mode because it senses a data connection.
Edit: Also, the comment about not charging while the phone is on is another hold over from the NiCad days. Lithium technology could care less as all phones have regulated charging circuits now.

[Q] Battery expanded and broke glass back

Before anyone go crazy, it's most likely my fault. Since the battery is superglued to the phone I had to bend it pretty hard when I replaced the screen. And it was probably damaged
Anyway 6 month later my battery expanded and broke the glass back. There is a very visible bulge on the back (~1/16" thick), on a flat surface the phone wobble. I don't know when or how it happened, at some point I got the phone out of my pocket and it was broke.
I have a strong suspicion it happened while using a 2.4A/12V car charger at -25°C.
My real question (TL;DR) : Is there a risk using a 2.4A/12V car charger ? (my previous one was a 1A and it was barely charging the phone)

Doesnt matter what the current output of the charger is. The device has current limiting technology. It will max out at 1A so if your using a 2A charger your fine.
Also the car puts out 12VDC but it gets stepped down to 5V at the micro usb port. Thats the industry standard.
Now when you bent your battery you started the process of damaging it. Li-Ion batteries have a very thin sheet with paste on it and that is wound up with many layers. By bending it you probably flexed the thin sheet and that soft spot eventually broke and when that happens a chemical process begins to break down the battery. The bulging you are seeing is a buildup of gasses inside the sealed battery its self. When a battery begins to bulge its going bad. This can also happen prematurely if you expose it to over heating repeatedly OR for a long period of time, OR if you allow the battery voltage to drop to low for to long. Li-Ion just doesnt like heat or low voltage.

I concur with IAmSixNine you need to either replace the battery or get a new phone. And be sure to dispose of it properly. I had the same problem years and years ago with an old HTC touch diamond. The battery started bulging and I eventually had to remove the cover and use tape to hold it in. After a couple weeks it burst and it wasn't a pretty site... Pretty dangerous carrying around a battery that could explode in your pocket at any time.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Thanks, good to know that the charger can't damage the battery, I have purchased a new battery lets just hope this one does not explode in the mean time

Ive replaced the battery, the first charge took 8hour to 90% and now it wont charger over 50% is there a way to reset the battery limit ?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

let it cycle a few times to correct the battery information.
That means let it die down completely, then charge it completely. Do that a few times and if it still causing issues its possibly a bad battery.

I think I also have a faulty charging port, only the wireless charging is working now, when I plug into any usb there is the lightning icon but it says not charging. I'll switch the daughter board with the one from my other broken nexus 4 to see if it fix the issue.
As much as I like my Nexus 4, I'm not impressed by reliability. In under 2 year, I've had 2 broken screen, 1 broken bake cover, 1 expanded battery and now possibly the charging port. My nexus S and Galaxy nexus with a million drop each are still working as new

One of my friends got one and broke his before the 2 month mark. He was ribbing me about getting a case for it and making it more bulky. I was not the better man...

Anyone heard of a heat issue with this phone?

Making this out of curiosity sake. YMMV obviously individually, but was reading LG's Facebook (it came up as a sponsored link) and there's some people mentioning the phone getting so hot it burns. There is also mentions of glass cracking (presumably from heat?) and there's a picture of charger cable nuked on Imgur...
I almost never read FB but I need it for business. I only saw the comments when reading the LG sponsored links. I really only read XDA/reddit but seeing the amount of comments spread across several posts. I was more surprised to have not seen it here with the complaints of the camera lens cracking...
Anyway, here is the imgur post if you're curious:
http://imgur.com/a/nDyyX
The only thing I've noticed is when charging my phone gets massively hot. I thought my S5 was hot... but this one has been noticeable to the point it's almost a bit concerning. So it was weird I'd been noticing this lately and then to read the posts, I'm like... well, there might be something to that. But more curious if others had noticed anything peculiar than concerned atm... My laptop charger gets stupid hot too, but it hasn't melted yet so I guess it just depends on different variables.
It's only when charging though. It is too hot to hold when it's at it's worst so I have to "fan" it out. Anyway, they make these things so temperamental (literally) now...
Edit: Restructured my post

Multi-year lurker, first time posting.
I saw this photo yesterday and it's certainly a concern. I mean, it was so hot the plastic melted onto his skin However, the imgur's OP doesn't show what charger was being used.
I've only had the phone for a couple of days, but so far I've charged two of these LG G6 phones with a variety of chargers and cables. I've used the original charger, computers, car chargers, multi-port chargers, and a wireless charging pad (with both the original cable and 3rd party cables) and not once it's gotten anywhere near hot.
Just one thought - the only thing I can think of that would contribute to the crazy heat is the fast charging capabilities. That is one thing I have not done - use the included charger to charge the phone directly. The one thing I use it for is to power the wireless charging pad. So that might account for the fact that I haven't experienced this crazy heat you're experiencing. Charged my phone with the fast charger and it remained cool as a cucumber, even inside a full cover case. YMMV

I have left the fast charger supplied with the phone plugged in for hours. Never got hot. Software controls it. It will get warm as any processor does during use so any software using the processor can heat up the phone. I have not experienced any abnormal heat issues. I known the old Samsung wojkd darn near give me 3rd degree burns it would get so hot, but the G6 is the coolest running phone I've had in a long time. YMMV
Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

The only time I notice it get warm on the back side of the phone while charging is while I'm using it at the same time. Not burn your hands warm, but toasty. I do leave it plugged in and turned on as a bedside clock but I haven't noticed it get hot just from that. It's only when I'm multitasking or watching YouTube or Netflix. But these fast chargers do concern me a bit. My Nexus 6 had micro usb fast charging and I noticed the battery life degraded horribly just after about 2 years of using the phone. That was the one thing I liked about the S7 I traded in for the G6 was that you were able to go into the system settings and turn off fast charge. That should be an option on all phones equipped with fast charge capabilities.

N7 Almost Burnt Up (Don't get complacent)

Just to serve a reminder to not become complacent as we've all had our devices for a very long time now.
I present to you my launch week Nexus 7 2013
https://imgur.com/a/pATRs
I had become somewhat complacent, especially being busy with a new job, a house move, and taking care of my mother post-brain surgery, and had ignored signs that I should be only using the wireless charger with my N7 as the USB port had become worn down enough that it wasn't making a tight connection with most USB cables. It had become worse of late as I had seen it renegotiate charging connections a few times (ie screen lights up to indicate charging and then lights up again 30 seconds later).
What happened basically was that I had left my N7 to charge and it got into a reconnection loop. I got back to my room and smelled the tell tale sign of burning electronics/plastics and frantically searched for the source. Last thing I checked was my tablet and I was horrified when I picked it up that it was very hot to the touch. I unplugged it saw that my OnePlus One cable had BBQ'd itself and the wrinkles on the casing of my N7. Of note, the battery was fully charged, the battery had no heat to it and the heat itself was entirely concentrated on the USB charging board area.
Let this also serve as a notice that it isn't generally a good idea to leave electronics charging unattended especially as they age. Everyone and anyone can get a little complacent.