For questions related to batteries on Android devices. Questions about battery life should be tagged with [battery-life]
137
votes
4answers
14k views
Does constant charging harm my Android cellphone?
I usually disconnect my cellphone from the charger some time after it's fully charged because I'm afraid the battery could lose capacity over time if I don't. However, I believe modern electronics ...
55
votes
10answers
52k views
How to disable battery full notification sound?
When battery has been charged full, my Galaxy S phone gives the same notification sound that is used when I receive SMS. Is there a way to disable the sound without also disabling sound from SMS? It ...
19
votes
3answers
7k views
Do I have to charge my phone before I use it the first time?
When I got my last phone, a SE k850i, I was recommended to charge it fully once before I even turned it on. Does this apply today as well, for my coming HTC Desire HD?
Why was I recommended to do so ...
18
votes
3answers
8k views
Why is charging from computer using USB slower than using an outlet?
And what is roughly the ratio of the charging speed in USB vs charger? My phone is Samsung Galaxy S, if that matters.
15
votes
1answer
2k views
How does Android obtain battery temperature?
I am curious about the way Android phones obtain the battery temperature. Android has an API called BatteryManager which provides the value of instant battery temperature, but is there an actual ...
15
votes
4answers
2k views
What causes battery to drain faster than it can charge?
I have a Moto DROID (v1). On a trip from Tyler, TX to DFW airport I had my phone in the car dock and charging. I was using Navigation for directions to the airport and also had Listen running to ...
14
votes
1answer
2k views
Charging over USB can be harmful?
Considering that charging over USB can take around 5 hours (to only 1-2 hours it would take from the wall mounted plug), can it be harmful for the smartphone battery if it's always charged from USB?
14
votes
1answer
800 views
Battery drops 20% after reboot!
Battery on Samsung Galaxy S2 on ICS likes to drop after reboot. Actually it happened when I was on Gingerbread as well. Anyone can help me fix this? Screenshots:
12
votes
3answers
3k views
Battery - do they last longer if recharged when empty?
I'm about to buy a Samsung Galaxy Ace (it's not much expensive and I think it's a pretty good phone), however everyone has been complaining with the battery life but admitting that isn't bad compared ...
12
votes
2answers
1k views
When should I start charging my Lithium battery?
The comments in this question say that I shouldn't wait until low battery charge level before I charge, because that reduces battery life (this is contrary to my understanding before that the faster ...
12
votes
3answers
3k views
How can I avoid the battery charging when connected via USB?
I'm using my Samsung Galaxy S2 for development so I regularly plug it while it's not fully charged, and my phone starts charging over USB. I think this (charging while in use) can affect battery life ...
12
votes
3answers
20k views
How do I turn off the cellular radio without disabling bluetooth?
I have an old Motorola Droid that is no longer subscribed on any Verizon service. I still use it for things like web browsing, ebooks, and along with some wireless stereo headphones, music. I've ...
12
votes
1answer
2k views
How does Android calculate battery consumption by apps?
How does Android measure energy used by individual hardware component?
How does Android measure energy used by each individual process?
11
votes
3answers
3k views
Cut power to a phone without a removable battery?
Well just as the title says, if you have a phone without a removable battery (HTC One X) and it freezes while modding it, how do you cut the power if you can't pop out the battery?
I could see non ...
11
votes
4answers
2k views
Will any Micro USB cable work to charge my Incredible?
The plug sure looks like any old micro USB plug. Will another cable (like the one from my digital camera) work to charge the battery, or do I need one specifically designed for my phone?
10
votes
6answers
1k views
Is it OK to swap batteries while phone is connected to wall charger?
It takes a few minutes to shut down and restart the phone, it would sometimes be handy to be able to swap batteries without shutting down (i.e. swap in a fully charged battery before going out). ...
10
votes
5answers
526 views
Wearing down battery as fast as possible
I am trying an experiment and I need to wear down my Droid Incredible's battery as fast as possible. What apps are known battery hogs? I've already beaten Angry Birds so that one is off the list for ...
10
votes
3answers
5k views
How to know app name by UID
I have found that UID=10058 using battery much in "battery history"
How can I know app name by UID=10058
10
votes
1answer
7k views
Nexus 7 wont boot after complete discharge
I accidentally let the battery on my Nexus 7 run completely empty, and now it won't start up anymore even after charging overnight. How can I make it work again?
This is what happened in detail: My ...
10
votes
3answers
7k views
Mediaserver using excessive CPU time and battery
I've got a Nexus 4 on OS version 4.2.1 that suddenly started to drain it's battery very quickly. When looking in the battery usage I see "Mediaserver"eating 60% of the battery over time, with several ...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
How frequently is it okay to let the battery discharge fully or as low as possible?
I know that atleast once or twice a month a full battery drain and then a 100% charge helps increase the battery life and also gives more accurate battery readings.
I was wondering, how frequently is ...
9
votes
1answer
606 views
What does “Battery Use” tell and how is it implemented?
I have several questions about "Settings -> About Phone -> Battery Use", mainly because I don't understand what exactly those items mean.
(1) Does "Cell standby" indicate the energy used by the radio ...
9
votes
3answers
21k views
How can I find out what causes “Android OS” to consume battery?
The issue is that I see a high percentage on the "Android OS" item in the Battery Usage, and I want to find out what is causing it. But let me say that I'm interested in diagnostics techniques and ...
8
votes
4answers
9k views
How to show the battery percentage remaining in numbers?
At the moment Android 2.2 has a pretty incomprehensible icon of a battery that shows remaining strength.
Is there a way to switch that to a numeric display (like is available on the iPhone)?
8
votes
2answers
1k views
Why my phone battery has four terminal? what is the use of the fourth?
I have a LG Optimus One (P500). For sometime I am wondering why my phone's battery has four terminals. I am aware that two terminals are for the positive and negative points and the the third connects ...
8
votes
4answers
2k views
Which consumes less battery: Wi-Fi or 2G data?
I just want to know what consumes less battery Wi-Fi or 2G Data.
My battery last long for 12- 16 hours only. I know there are lots of application which continually running and fetching data from ...
7
votes
2answers
4k views
Can I use my Nexus7 charger to charge my Android phone?
The Nexus charger has an OP Amp rating of 2A. The charger that comes with the phone has an OP Amp rating of 1A. Both have the same voltage. IP voltage is 100-250 V for both.
I googled and came across ...
7
votes
3answers
207 views
Is it possible to change the background automatically when charging battery?
This is a feature of older nokias, I would like to have it on android! On a related note, it would be nice to have a different background when silenced or on airplane mode.
7
votes
3answers
280 views
Is there a way to tell when the battery is actually at 100%
I recently acquired an HTC Desire Z / G2, and installed Cyanogenmod 7 onto it. Something I've noticed though is that sometimes the battery drains very quickly, and sometimes it does not. Since I have ...
7
votes
1answer
305 views
What happens to the battery during bootloader/recovery?
I want to know what happens to the battery (does it charge/discharge/stay constant?) when the device is in bootloader or recovery mode. In both of these modes, a USB may or may not be connected.
If ...
7
votes
5answers
18k views
What can cause “Android OS” process to use high percentage of battery?
I've read a bunch of forum posts about the Android OS battery drain bug. This is where the 'Android OS' process is showing large percentages in the battery statistics.
For me, I'm running 2.3 ...
7
votes
3answers
3k views
Is there a quick-fix for the Galaxy Nexus when it signals “charging” without beeing connected via USB?
My Galaxy Nexus goes into charging mode but when it isn't plugged in. The battery symbol then indicates a charging and when in suspend mode, the display turns on which drains battery rapidly. I am ...
7
votes
5answers
8k views
Serious battery drain (Screen, Android OS) after JB upgrade
Since I upgraded my Samsung Galaxy SII from Android 4.0.4 (ICS) to 4.1.2 (JB), my battery life has decreased dramtically.
Running ICS I could easily have ~25% battery left when going to bed, after ...
7
votes
2answers
4k views
What is the difference between the Android OS and Android System?
When I open my Battery Usage, there are two components enlisted as Android OS and Android System. What is the difference between these two?
7
votes
3answers
355 views
Other than the external LED indicator, how can I be notified that my phone is done charging?
I'm wondering if there is a setting that I am missing that allows an Android phone to produce an audio notification (or even vibrate) once charging is complete. As is stands, whenever charging is ...
7
votes
1answer
595 views
Disable low-battery warning, specifically on XOOM
I would like to disable the low-battery warning on my XOOM without rooting. It's a pretty obnoxious sound compared to other phones I have used. By rooting, I can replace ...
7
votes
1answer
498 views
Where does “battery usage” app collect its data from?
The Battery Usage screen gives nice stats about which application has consumed how much battery. The stats are based on the time each process has kept the phone awake, the CPU time, etc. etc.
There ...
7
votes
1answer
376 views
“Battery use” information screen not reporting apps
I've got a Samsung Galaxy S (international version) that I've just upgraded to Android 2.2 (Froyo) and now the battery usage page in settings (Settings => About phone => Battery use) only ever reports ...
6
votes
3answers
846 views
Although I was told to charge my Android device before first use, it was already charged. Have I been given a phone rejected by someone else?
I have just received my 'new' HTC one V. The instructions clearly state to charge the phone up before first use, yet the the phone switched on and showed full charge straight away, before I had chance ...
6
votes
4answers
324 views
Is the Nexus One battery charged when connected to a PC via USB?
Do you happen to know whether the Nexus One's battery is charged while being connected via the USB cable to a PC?
If so, is this standard behavior for all Android devices that have a USB port?
6
votes
4answers
10k views
Is there an app that will drain my battery?
Are there any apps that will specifically help to drain a battery down quickly?
The scenario I would want to have this is if I want to quickly drain the battery so I can charge it fully again. Some ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
How can I take a photo when battery <20%?
How can I take photo when battery level is less than 20%? My Samsung Galaxy S always says "battery low" and then closes the camera application when I try to. Is there a way to get around this? Or is ...
6
votes
1answer
3k views
Should the phone be fully charged before flashing a rom?
In posts like this, and from other sources, I have heard that the handset should be fully charged before flashing or installing a customer ROM. I assume this is because the calibration for the ...
6
votes
2answers
562 views
Why does my Nexus One power off with 15% power remaining?
Once my Nexus One's remaining power drops to 15%, it automatically powers off. On turning it back on again, it reports that it's now on 0% power.
Do all Nexus Ones behave like this, or is it just ...
6
votes
3answers
257 views
Is there a way to prevent applications from updating when running on battery
I know you can restrict applications to update on Wi-Fi only.
Can you achieve the same thing with "update when charging on sector only" too?
6
votes
2answers
4k views
Why is Android System always keeping my phone awake?
I woke this morning and discovered that my phone's battery was at 70% capacity, even though it had been fully charged when I went to sleep. I went into the battery settings, and found that Android ...
6
votes
2answers
298 views
Battery life depends on type of charger
When I charge my HTC Sensation mobile with the charger supplied by HTC the battery duration is more or less 1 day (depending of the usage). But (here comes my question) when I charge the mobile ...
6
votes
1answer
255 views
Do I have to calibrate my battery after a reinstall?
When I installed Cyanogen Mod 7, I 'accidently' clicked 'Wipe Battery Status' even though my battery wasn't fully charged.
Now I have no idea what this exactly does (even more reason I shouldn't have ...
6
votes
3answers
661 views
How can I tell at what rate my battery is charging?
I've been told that different charging sources charge my phone at different rates, and have been told that some car chargers act at a normal USB rate instead of a rate closer to an AC outlet.
When I ...
6
votes
1answer
139 views
How can I see what kind of car charger I have?
I noticed that when using navigation plus GPS my phone (Galaxy S2) still discharges a bit even so its connected to a car charger.
While googeling, I found out that regular USB chargers only charge ...
