Database Users

Cradle use and battery health

At the office I leave my phone in a cradle. When I get calls I remove the phone to answer and then return it to the cradle when done. My battery goes from 100% down to somewhere in the 90's then charges back to 100% in the cradle. Does this repeated process harm the battery in any way? I've read that these batteries don't suffer from the memory effect, but I'm still not sure if this counts as a charging cycle.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

You should always let the battery run down completely some times maybe once a week.

Really? I've read on this forum that there is no need to do that with the new Lithium Ion batteries. I've even read that this could have a negative effect and you should try not to let the battery drain completly.
I don't understand why there isn't a proper battery care section in the manual. Its as if its some kind of voodoo science.

Perhaps not Once a week. But Once a "while"
The reason is that, Phone software uses approximation to calculate the charge left in the Battery. So over time, battery ages and software may not be calibrated to match with the battery's storage capacity. So draining the battery entirely and charging them fully gives the phone's software to assess the battery's health and recalibrate.

It's a lithium battery mate. The only way you can really damage it is by a complete discharge. So long as you don't switch the phone back on once it switches itself off due to low battery you needn't worry about anything else.

Also in theory the lithium batteries have a lifespan of say about a 1000 charges for example and everytime you charge it has one charging less left. This ofcourse isn't exactly how it is in practice but charging the battery alot wears it down. It isn't good either to keep it in the charger for a longer time after it's reached a 100%.

Hi,
this is only partly correct:
Suppose the battery can make 1000 (which I don't believe) charge cycles,
it means that you can charge 1000 times from empty to full.
If you just charge 1000 times from 50% empty to full it counts for 500 cycles!
So,
don't worry, let it stay in the cradle if you like
There are 500 opinions about that but believe, as I wrote is correct.
Theo

Yes, what I said wasn't exact science and I used 1000 cycles as an example, but from what I've read it is better to let the battery drain to less than 50% and then charge it full rather than charge 5% at a time. My previous post was meant to illustrate this.
Sent from my Leedroid powered pocketsized supercomputer using XDA App

geenome said:
You should always let the battery run down completely some times maybe once a week.
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That's a load of crap, no offense... Lithium batteries have no memory effect and have absolutely no need to be completely discharged, that's a ancient thing from the time of nickel-metal hybrid batteries. The only actual reason for full charge cycles is to calibrate the device for that exact battery.
Keeping a lithium-ion battery in a charger most of the time will wear the battery down faster than getting it drain more and then charging it. Keeping the battery almost fully loaded/in a constant loading state wears the battery capacity by approximately 20% a year (can't recall the source/study just now)(EDIT: and my personal experience is that the battery capacity will wear that much anyway, no matter how you use it). The life-cycle of phones these days are roughly two years nowadays so IMO you can keep it in a cradle with no worries, if you wish. And lets face it, a new battery after a year of usage won't be that big an investment after all.

To add to the above post, running down a lithium battery completely does more damage than benefit. This is almost impossible though with normal use as the phone shuts down long before the battery is completely empty

[Q] first charge?

do i drain the battery before first charge? is it really necessary to do overnight first charge or 3-4 hour full charge will do? need to take extra care since it is non removable.

I know that's really un-educated but I'm not sure about those things as well ... is it good to drain it first and then recharge it, or recharge it at the beginning .. and is it bad when you take it off the charger in the middle of the process?
I know it depends on battery type. And actually what would make sense is just following the manual. Why shouldn't the manufacturer know?
Anyway, anyone with some knowledge on that, please help!

Nearly all cell phones use Lithium-based batteries, which should not be drained before charging. The "drain before charge" thing only applies to nickel cadmium batteries.
You should charge your phone battery as often as possible. It's better for the battery to go from 100% to 80% five times than to go from 100% to 0% once.

I have read several articles that state it is BAD to completely drain a lithium polymer battery so I plan to just keep it charged as usual.

Bronk93 said:
I have read several articles that state it is BAD to completely drain a lithium polymer battery so I plan to just keep it charged as usual.
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I've heard the same info too where it'll damage the battery by draining it completely. Although, I heard that power management on devices sometimes need to be calibrated by taking the lithium battery to near 0%...it's that way on my macbook pro...not sure about phones.

How to correctly charge lithium polymer battery

I read so many thread that indicate Nexus 4 poor battery performance. Therefore, I start thinking if I have the correct concept of charging a lithium
polymer battery. I don't know if the article I found correctly indicate the fact. Here is my way to charge my nexus 4 or 7
1. I never let my battery drain to zero or shut itself down. I usually charge when it's 10% or over 5% (How's your view about it? too low?)
2. I rarely fully charge my phone to 100%. I usually get it done around above 95.
3. I "turn off" the device while I'm charging. In this case, I turn off Nexus 4 and 7 when I need to charge them.
4. I rarely charge my phone overnight...( any second opinion on this?)
Any views and suggestions are all welcome. I just try to find the best way on how to "correctly" charge our nexus 4 lithium polymer battery.
Here is an article I read as an example http://buychargeall.com/cellphonebatterychargertips/

This link may help you http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=518861.
Lipo batteries do not need priming as it does not have memory.
Even though it's about Li-ion, effectively they're the same thing.
The lithium-polymer (LIPO) is a more technologically advanced version of a lithium ion (Li-ion) battery. It's electrolyte is held in a solid polymer film which is directly bonded to the lithium electrode.
Charging a drained battery will shorten the battery life. So I would recommend that you charge more frequently, than charging after the battery is low.

Just charge it however you like and don't worry about it. You'll likely have a new phone before any noticeable damage is done to your battery

xRegrets said:
This link may help you http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=518861.
Lipo batteries do not need priming as it does not have memory.
Even though it's about Li-ion, effectively they're the same thing.
The lithium-polymer (LIPO) is a more technologically advanced version of a lithium ion (Li-ion) battery. It's electrolyte is held in a solid polymer film which is directly bonded to the lithium electrode.
Charging a drained battery will shorten the battery life. So I would recommend that you charge more frequently, than charging after the battery is low.
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Thanks I see.

Michealtbh said:
Just charge it however you like and don't worry about it. You'll likely have a new phone before any noticeable damage is done to your battery
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That's true too....but still...lol. Worry people worry a lot

xRegrets said:
This link may help you http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=518861.
Lipo batteries do not need priming as it does not have memory.
Even though it's about Li-ion, effectively they're the same thing.
The lithium-polymer (LIPO) is a more technologically advanced version of a lithium ion (Li-ion) battery. It's electrolyte is held in a solid polymer film which is directly bonded to the lithium electrode.
Charging a drained battery will shorten the battery life. So I would recommend that you charge more frequently, than charging after the battery is low.
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Sorry, I just have one more question after reading the guide...
So, it's ok to charge over night? Is it ok to always put the phone on charger?

I always charge it when below 5% juice is left. And I let it charge till it hits 100% mark. Plus I put it on charge when I got to sleep and wake up after 3 or 3.30 hours (yeah, thats how long it takes to full charge) then turn the switch off and go back to bed.
Is it ok?

I have let all my devices in the past 3 years charge continuously overnight and have never had a single problem

Odp: How to correctly charge lithium polymer battery
Michealtbh said:
I have let all my devices in the past 3 years charge continuously overnight and have never had a single problem
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Yea same here.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Michealtbh said:
Just charge it however you like and don't worry about it. You'll likely have a new phone before any noticeable damage is done to your battery
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This. There is nothing to worry about, other than ignoring the many myths that you can read on this subject. The battery will turn itself off way before any chance of damaging it.
Sent from my Nexus 4

zxcv106106 said:
1. I never let my battery drain to zero or shut itself down. I usually charge when it's 10% or over 5% (How's your view about it? too low?)
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Because deep discharging is bad for all lithium based cells non of them allow the battery to discharge to zero, when the cells hit zero in your phone that is the empty limited deemed as safe by the manufacturer and not that the cells are depleted, conversely you cannot over charge it either, Lithium based cells have circuitry embedded in them to prevent damage. Therefore I charge and discharge my battery as i see fit to suit my needs be it over night or a quick blast.
I recently went on a trip to Belgium and it was a 14 hour ferry crossing of which most of the time the phone has no signal. Presumably my N4 was searching for a cell most of the time yet at 17 hours after unplugging it there was still 86% battery left.
People need to realise it is using the screen more than any other single activity that uses the battery, the Nexus 4 is no worse than any other similar phone with a similar battery.
The first phone i had which had a lithium battery was a Nortel 2000, this was in 1996 and i didn't give a toss how i charged that up and i didn't damage that battery, i am sure the technology had advanced shed loads since then.

How do you call people who let phones control their lives?
OP.

0rigin said:
How do you call people who let phones control their lives?
OP.
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Nothing here about control live by the phone. I post this only to find out the correct way to charge lithium battery.
Thanks for all the information.

How to calibrate battery?

So after two years of poor battery life, I was instructed to reset my Galaxy S4's fuel gage chip, and am now getting solid results that actually come quite close to my Galaxy S7's results (but without cellular data or the sheer amount of apps on it).
However, my battery still dips very quickly in active usage, before "recovering" some of that when in standby. Of course, unless the Galaxy S4 includes a self-charging feature that is no longer included on newer Samsung phones, this is the result of an uncalibrated battery. Any way to do that without rooting?

Some pictures just to show you what I mean.

The S4 has a fuel gauge chip? That's one I haven't heard before.
There is no way to calibrate the battery. Battery calibration apps in the Play Store only delete the battery stats file, and that gets deleted by Android when the battery is fully charged. The battery does have a microprocessor for voltage regulation during charging, but you can't touch that and it's most likely not the source of your battery suddenly "charging" itself.
The solution to your battery issue is simple: get a new battery.

calibration usually means running from fully charged down to nothing ie when the phone switches itself off. from there you charge it up until full without letting it over-charge (this is bad for your battery) and not using it while it's charging.
charge levels are estimated to the best of my understanding, so your level can go up after heavy use.

Having a battery with physical damage or a faulty charge circuit is a bad thing. Physical damage to the battery is rather obvious, but a fault in the charging circuit can cause an overcharge condition as the battery reports the wrong numbers to the device. You're 100% correct that overcharging the battery is a bad thing, as an overcharged battery may explode. It's unlikely to happen simply from expending a charge cycle.
As to expending that charge cycle, trying to calibrate a battery by running the battery down then charging it up does nothing for the battery except waste a charge cycle. Draining to zero and recharging to 100% made sense when combating the memory effect in NiCd batteries, but is useless with Li-Ion. A Li-Ion battery doesn't keep a record of its levels, and Android deletes the batterystats.bin file when the battery is fully charged and the device is disconnected from AC power.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
The S4 has a fuel gauge chip? That's one I haven't heard before.
There is no way to calibrate the battery. Battery calibration apps in the Play Store only delete the battery stats file, and that gets deleted by Android when the battery is fully charged. The battery does have a microprocessor for voltage regulation during charging, but you can't touch that and it's most likely not the source of your battery suddenly "charging" itself.
The solution to your battery issue is simple: get a new battery.
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Apparently so. There's a reset command (*#0228#), and it will instantly drop your battery to zero, at which point you can charge it to 100. It works on all Samsung devices that I tried so far.

AB__CD said:
Apparently so. There's a reset command (*#0228#), and it will instantly drop your battery to zero, at which point you can charge it to 100. It works on all Samsung devices that I tried so far.
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If you use it while it still has some charge left, where does the remaining charge stored in the battery go?

GDReaper said:
If you use it while it still has some charge left, where does the remaining charge stored in the battery go?
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It's still there, but the system no longer reads it and will likely get drained as part of the next charge.

Is this the end of my battery?

I've got an issue with my battery where phone shuts down every time at 30% and won't charge above 80% unless I disconnect and reconnect charger then charges rapidly to 100%
I've heard LiPo batteries are easily damaged and have a short life span. In my case it has came to 0% numerous times. I tried calibrating it and still nothing
Here is some info on the battery.

Are those mA measurement's okay or bad?

These measurements are totally normal

It's probably your rom mate

kenzyyy said:
I've got an issue with my battery where phone shuts down every time at 30% and won't charge above 80% unless I disconnect and reconnect charger then charges rapidly to 100%
I've heard LiPo batteries are easily damaged and have a short life span. In my case it has came to 0% numerous times. I tried calibrating it and still nothing
Here is some info on the battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you need to return it under warranty.

Well I tried many different ROMs and stock firmwares still no luck. I've called service center and they will fix it. I think Li-Ion batteries are far better then Li-Poly

Had that issues on my previous device, Galaxy S4. Shutdowns at ~20% battery, terrible sot. My battery went bad so i replaced it with new battery and that solved it.
Consider replacing battery if flashing stock firmware does not help.
Batteries can last long if you take care of it. I guess you tortured it by draining it all the way to 0% or using the phone while its connected on charger, you should NEVER do that! 20% in my opinion is minimum before you should charge it to prolong battery life. Also if you really want very long battery life, do not charge it above 90%.

marko.dnb said:
Had that issues on my previous device, Galaxy S4. Shutdowns at ~20% battery, terrible sot. My battery went bad so i replaced it with new battery and that solved it.
Consider replacing battery if flashing stock firmware does not help.
Batteries can last long if you take care of it. I guess you tortured it by draining it all the way to 0% or using the phone while its connected on charger, you should NEVER do that! 20% in my opinion is minimum before you should charge it to prolong battery life. Also if you really want very long battery life, do not charge it above 90%.
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Thank you, I will be sending phone to service center. I really was using it while it was charging and it went to 0% million times.

This is what you guys get with a bad battery

kenzyyy said:
I've got an issue with my battery where phone shuts down every time at 30% and won't charge above 80% unless I disconnect and reconnect charger then charges rapidly to 100%
I've heard LiPo batteries are easily damaged and have a short life span. In my case it has came to 0% numerous times. I tried calibrating it and still nothing
Here is some info on the battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How long have you had the phone? I doubt li-poly batteries is alot worse than li-ion since both are very similar.