Any tips on making a cell phone battery last longer, besides replacing it?

Question

I've had the phone for 9 months and the battery seems to be draining faster and faster. Should I keep it on or off when I'm not using it for a long time? Is there such thing as over charging? How long should I charge the battery? How come it will say that it's fully charged after a half hour of charging, I'll make one 10 min. call and the battery goes down a bar? Does the vibrate ring use more of the battery? The phone company told me to buy a new battery. Of course they say that. That's how they make their money. If I'm doing something wrong I'll just wear out that one too. Any tips?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Its not designed just to die after a year. Rechargable batteries have certain chemicals inside that can hold a charge and regain the charge by adding electricity. Over time, these chemicals (usually nickel and cadmium) lose their potency. The best way to extend their life is to periodically run the battery completely dead, and then recharge it fully. Most take several hours to actually recharge, and if you take them off too soon it can reduce their potency. Always leave your batteries to charge for at least a couple hours, don't always trust what the phone says.

As far as the on/off question, the batteries will keep the current charge for longer if you turn it off, but it shouldn't affect the lifetime of the battery. Vibrate does use more of the current charge, but ditto on the lifetime. If your battery won't keep a long enough charge, the potency is permanently affected and you do need a new battery.

Freezing the battery may work, but it may also cause the battery to explode. Do that at your own risk.

Source(s):

Studying electronics and the different types of batteries.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Wow... I got so many great answers! Sounds like you really know your batteries. Thanks John J.

Answer 2

I'm assuming this is a typical Lithium-Ion phone battery.

Specialists recommend that you don't let your battery's charge fall below 10% to ensure longest life.

Unfortunately that is yet to be proven and there is no sure tried and tested way to increase battery life. Overcharging tends not to be an issue as most phones automatically cut the charger off once the battery is full.

One thing that you might be interested to know is that no matter when you buy a new battery (whether you purchased it at the same time as the phone as a 'backup') the charge will continue to decrease with time even if you don't use it or even open it.

Source(s):

Wikipedia's entry on Li-ion batteries:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/li-ion

Answer 3

the freezer idia is a good one to use i tried it in my wireless home phone also to keep it from going down try not to play games a lot and not to put the vibration mode it wastes the battery charge it also has a bad effect on ur body try not to talk for long duration it also has a bad effect on u .if the fridge idea didn't work i 'm sorry to tell u u have to buy a new one but charge it for 12 to 24 hours for the first time

Answer 4

One should not play games on mobile phones , over use exhausts the batteries pretty soon.

Answer 5

I think you should not give your phone to others .
Keep it out of the sun.
Do not drop your phone.
Do not let ring for long.
Keep Children away from your phone.
Buy your phone manufacturers battery(makes it easier to sue for defective merchandise)Finally I don't even know anything about mobile phone,so disregard everything you read.

Answer 6

You should visit the dealer who sold you that phone and he will fix that problem,and also your phone is suppose to be guaranteed one years.good luck!

Answer 7

Erase all the pic messages that you have on the phone and save them in your pics file that drains the battery and memory space also. When you play the games on your phone that drains it as well. Try charging it over night while your asleep then it should be fully charged all day. I hope this helps. Good Luck!

Answer 8

Shut your phone off when you charge it. Also, if your phone uses Bluetooth, you can have your phone closed and the headset is doing almost all of the work. I have a Motorola Razr and I get a 75% longer battery life when I do this as opposed to charging it while its on and talking on the phone w/o the headset. Just my humble opinion.

Answer 9

first of all do you text alot bc that takes up alot of battery! second turn it off when you charge it and charge it over night fully! hope it works for you!

Answer 10

Dear Friend, let you even if there is problem in cellphone suppose due shorting of certain capacitor charges are grounded draining battery very fast get It checked secondly try to use good charger many times local charger designed voltage is little higher SO they charge fast butt charge is not lasting thirdly rule for charging is always charge battery when it is almost drained and charge fully this reduces charge discharge cycle hence more life there is nothing like overcharging since dry cells can never be over charge after full charge charging stops as I know

Answer 11

You always always always use the battery until it cannot work anymore and charge then. I've started doing that and my battery has been running well...it's been 2 1/2yrs.

Answer 12

My battery will last me about 3 years or more. What I do is; charge it 1/2 the day, and have it off the other 1/2 day. This has seemed to work well for me. You can turn off any features that you don't have to have such as the dial light or any other lights it may have. The lights seem to pull it down pretty fast. Notice if there are any lights that stay on while you are talking on it, as this will aid in running the battery down. The contacts that the phone uses to charge it with can also be cleaned often to help it charge better. Another thing that will draw charge from your battery is; if you let any contacts on the phone come into contact with any metal such as coins, keys, or anything that could short across the contacts. A pencil eraser can be used to clean the contacts, and that will enable it to charge better. Because the bars say fully charged, does not mean it is fully charged! It only means you are getting full voltage. It doesn't measure the amperage the phone can hold for a period of time. When a battery is going bad, it will get to where it doesn't hold a charge, and will go down quickly. Feel the phone after it has charged for a while, and the battery should feel hot. If it's not, then the battery for some reason or the other is not charging. I hope this has helped you. Good Luck!

Answer 13

yes i have the answer well the first thing you should do when you get to your house is to charged and talk as least as possible or charged in you car

Answer 14

You're overloading the cell's 'memory'. Occasionally let the battery run down completely. Then recharge your phone. Hopefully this will help.

Answer 15

The Li-Ion's from Time To Time, Will Be Faulty, if it's still under waranty which it probably wont be (They Usually Give 6 Months On the Battery) Get it Claimed.

If Not, Then Get A New One, There's Nothing Else You Can Do With the Li-Ion Battery (How You Charge Makes Really No Difference.(That's why Their So Good.)

I Really do Hope You Have A Li-Ion Battery As Most Any Phone In The World Now Does, If Not, Get A Phone With One.

Alot Of Answers Here Are Giving You Crap Tips like Putting it in the freezer & So Forth, They Can Only Damage the battery further. ( YOU HAVE TO REPLACE IT !!!)

HOPE THIS HELPS

Answer 16

if u charge ur phone overnight stop. It keeps putting more charge on the phone which makes the battery drain faster. only charge the phone till it reaches full charge but no more.

Answer 17

Turning off your phone before you charge...You may not want to use vibrate that also helps drain your battery. There are some other features that will drain your battery:
Using the Internet
Text message
Having the key pad on when you touch the keys.

Some times the voice mail alert can drain your battery if you have not press the okay button.

Answer 18

It depends on the type of battery you have. If you have the Lithium Ion type of battery, then you can charge it as much as possible. Actually, it is even better to keep it charged when you are at home or at the office. This lengthens the life of the battery since you reduce "cycle time". Cycle time is one charge and discharge cycle. All batteries have a maximum number of cycles, so your goal is to minimize it.

For older type of batteries such as Nickel Cadmium, you should charge fully and then discharge it completely. It is the opposite from the previous one.

Answer 19

Only charge it when it dies, and fully charge it at that time. Avoid extremes in temperature.

Answer 20

i'd let my charge overnight, and turn it off. batteries last longer when u dont excessively use it till its at the last bar.
anytime u use ur phone and one bar is gone. just charge it up.

Answer 21

dont use the cell phone

Answer 22

Yes there is such a thing called overcharging. You should use the battery fully up till it dies and then charge it. I would buy a new battery.

Answer 23

charge them for 3 hours only not overnight .....

Answer 24

if you dont use it the batery will stay charged as long as the phone is off

Answer 25

Keep it in the freezer. techtv.com

Answer 26

I've been told that you turn it off to charge it and only after it's ran down to the low battery beeping stage-
I've never done that because I leave my phone on even when charging. I have teenagers and I don't feel comfortable with it being off at any time
I don't have any problems with keeping my battery charged. I charge it every night, with it on.
I also have a car charger. It sounds like you need a new battery, there are duds sometimes in them.

I don't see where turning it off made the battery last any longer either. You can get an extended life if you still have trouble. They also said that doing it like I do might condition the battery to not hold a longer charge and it still goes three days without having to have a charge-

try another battery, if it still does it, Your phone might have a short or something.

Answer 27

Do not charge it until it dies completely. Then don't unplug it from the charge until its fully charged. I doubt vibration uses more "juice" from the battery.

Answer 28

Don't use it so much?

Answer 29

sadly it's a markeiting scam! they make the batterys to last about a year or so then it "forces" you to buy a new phone!
but to keep your charge longer on hot days keep thephone cool!
don't use text vibrate does use more batter power!
charge it more then 1/2 hour even tho it saysfull just charge it!
the on or off thing! i would just leave it on!
but some dollar stores sell a battery back with double AAs
check it out if you want i have no clue if they work!
Mad luv

Answer 30

freeze it batteries like the cold, don't leave it in a car with windows rolled up in the summer or in direct sunlight. Maybe move to the north pole and ride the polar bears

Answer 31

Don't ever use it.