How to properly charge a new smartphone battery. Android battery calibration

Modern smartphones last on battery power for about 1-2 days with average usage. If you run gaming applications on them, watch movies and turn on other resource-intensive applications, the battery life will drop to a day, and sometimes even less. Therefore, the issue of increasing the mobility of smartphones is quite acute. To get a small increase in battery capacity, it is often used to pump it up and periodically calibrate it. Let's figure out what this means.

Disputes about the build-up of batteries in modern gadgets do not subside. Swinging refers to several cycles of complete discharge and subsequent charging of the battery to 100%. The need for this procedure arose at a time when batteries were widely used in electronics. These types of batteries had a pronounced “memory effect”.

If they are not discharged, then during the next charge-discharge cycle they give up less capacity, and so on with incomplete discharge. For them, the buildup was necessary. Nowadays, lithium batteries are widely used in smartphones:

Lithium-ion (Li-Ion);
Lithium polymer (Li-Pol).

They do not have a “memory effect” as pronounced as alkaline batteries. Therefore, the question arises: why should they do the buildup? But practice shows that pumping up and periodically calibrating lithium smartphones allows you to slightly increase the capacity they use.

The pumping itself is very simple and is done on a new battery. After purchasing a new gadget or smartphone, you need to do 3-4 cycles of complete discharge and subsequent charging. There is no need to specifically discharge your smartphone, but simply use it until it turns off and then put it on charge.

After this, during use, put the phone on charge when the battery charge level drops to 15-20%. After the capacity is fully charged, try not to keep the phone on charge. This will be the optimal use of your smartphone battery. Periodically (every 1-2 months) calibrate the battery as described below. At the same time, you can check the actual battery capacity. This is written about in the link.

Calibrating a smartphone battery is a useful procedure that allows you to make the most of its capacity. What steps do you need to follow to calibrate the battery of your phone or other gadget?

First you need to discharge the battery “to zero” so that it turns itself off;
After that, charge it in the off state;
Remove the battery for 1-2 minutes and insert it back again. Do not turn on the smartphone;
Place your phone on charge again without turning it on. It is quite possible that it will show a charge level of less than 100%;
Charge again to the end and repeat until the difference disappears.

This calibration allows the smartphone to access the entire battery capacity. Statistics show that the increase in capacity can range from 10 to 30 percent. It goes without saying that this procedure is not suitable for smartphone models with built-in batteries. You can also read information about and.

How to increase the battery life of your smartphone?

Now some tips on how to extend the battery life of your smartphone. After all, if you do not use the charge rationally, then all efforts to calibrate and build up will be reduced to zero.

Reduce the brightness of your smartphone's display slightly. After all, the main drain of battery energy is the display. Of course, you don't want to turn the brightness down so much that it becomes uncomfortable for your eyes;
Kill processes that are constantly running in the background on your smartphone. If you understand what you are doing, you can do it manually. If not, then there are special utilities for Android that allow you to disable unnecessary applications and interfaces. As a result, the system will be unloaded, and there will be fewer calls to the CPU and memory. As a result, battery energy will be consumed less intensively;
Try not to stay for a long time in places where there is no connection. Otherwise, the phone will constantly search for the network, and before you know it, the battery will run out. If you have to be in such a place for a long time, then just turn off your phone. After all, no one will get through to you there anyway;
Remove the battery from the smartphone and clean the contacts. Dirt, dust, and oxides often accumulate on them. Because of this, the battery resistance increases and the charging time increases;
It is best to keep your smartphone at room temperature. Under the influence of low and high temperatures, the electrochemical processes in a lithium battery are disrupted. This leads to loss of capacity and battery discharge. Heating is simply dangerous for this type of battery;
To increase the mobility of your gadget, you can buy an external battery for your smartphone. There are many different capacities and sizes available for all smartphones.

If your phone's battery has completely become unusable, try studying it and trying the recommendations from this article.

Some smartphones still have non-removable batteries. An example is the Nexus 5 by LG. With such devices, the calibration procedure is more problematic. But still, ? The answer to this question is in the material at the link.

But in most cases, “non-removable” only means that it cannot be easily removed. If you use a screwdriver and other tools, the built-in battery can be removed in a few minutes. This may be required if the battery wears out and needs to be replaced with a new one.

Or tablets - batteries. Their charge is barely enough for a day, which worries many device owners. But often we ourselves ruin the battery on our phone just after we start using it. Partly because we don’t know how to properly charge a new battery for a smartphone or other gadget. This is easy to do, but not everyone is aware or neglects these rules.

We have all heard that there is some special way of charging for the first time in order to “boost” the battery. But everyone presents different ways. First, it’s worth understanding what types of batteries are generally used in gadgets.

Nickel

Today it is a thing of the past, especially with regard to telephones. And there are several reasons for this. Firstly, resource intensity. It is lower than that of modern analogues. And secondly, it is further reduced due to the fact that these elements have a so-called memory effect. It is enough not to fully charge a new battery several times, and after that the capacity will begin to decrease.

Lithium

Almost everyone has come across the name “Li-ion”. This is the type of battery on your laptops, mobile phones, and tablets. They have a higher energy capacity compared to nickel and are used in almost all modern devices. The memory effect on lithium energy cells is practically not noticeable. This is the ideal phone battery today.

Rocking up

Overclocking or swinging is a special way to properly charge the battery on a smartphone. You need to pump up the battery to get around this very memory effect.

“However, why do this then if lithium batteries are free from such ailment?” - you ask. Then, it’s still worth charging a new phone battery in a different way, since this will help increase the usable capacity even with modern batteries. And also increase the service life. You don’t want to change the battery on your mobile phone in a year?

The same can be said about calibration. You need to know not only how to overclock the battery, but also how to calibrate it. It allows the device to access the entire amount of energy. In this way, you can make the most of your device’s battery.

The "overclocking" process

So, how to boost your smartphone battery? This is done both when purchasing a new battery and when purchasing a new device.

We reduce the battery to zero percent from the moment we start using it.
We charge to full 100%. It is also recommended to look at the instructions for charging the device and keep the device connected to the network for the same amount of time, adding a couple more hours.
Do this 3-4 times.

This is, in fact, the whole process that is designed to “rock” the battery. After this, experts do not advise discharging it to zero each time and keeping it on the wire up to a hundred. It is enough to allow a balance of 15–20% to start charging and end it when the mobile phone shows 80–90%.

Calibration

The process is less significant, but experts also advise carrying it out. It is enough to do calibration once every one to two months. It’s worth warning right away: owners of devices with built-in batteries are relieved of this obligation.

Modern smartphones without a battery cease to be mobile, being “tied” to an outlet. The reliable operation of the gadget depends on the condition of the battery. But there are ways to help boost and extend the battery life of your Android phone or tablet. How to find out the energy capacity of the drive on Android and calibrate it, which determines the service life, you will learn further.

The essence of the problem with the battery in the gadget

An ideal mobile device, while remaining turned on, should consume little energy - a maximum of a few milliamps of current per hour. The capacity of a modern battery is measured in thousands of milliamp-hours. This is how the simplest mobile phones work, in which there is nothing except calls, SMS and a system clock - such as, for example, the simplest children's phone "Beeline A100" or the ancient mobile phone Nokia 3310. A full-fledged gadget with the Android system, of course, cannot be compared with these mobile phones.

The essence of the gadget's energy consumption problem lies in self-starting Android processes and services. In second place in battery consumption are numerous programs independently installed by the user. An undeveloped version of Android can also affect battery consumption.

How to turn off unused features on Android

Be that as it may, the consumers of battery energy are the following hardware and software:

too frequent calls, long conversations on a gadget;
active movement of the subscriber within the network coverage area, switching between 2G/3G/4G networks;
SMS/MMS sent in batches per day;
backlight brightness;
Backlight levels help the device not waste energy on it
Frequent calls from third-party applications to GPS in the background; GPS services open by command: Settings - Location
auto screen brightness (light sensor activated);

Give the command: Settings - Screen and check if auto-rotate the image is enabled
auto-rotate the image on the screen (the motion sensor is activated);

The setting is also opened by the command: Settings - Screen
compass;
vibration feedback of the on-screen keyboard;
Go to Settings - Language & input - Keyboard settings
Internet distribution via Wi-Fi to other devices; Give the command: Settings - More - Modem mode - Access point
connecting other gadgets and accessories via Bluetooth;
Give the command: Settings - Bluetooth and check if the module is turned off
connecting computer equipment and accessories via an OTG/microUSB adapter.

All these consumers additionally load the processor and RAM, and use peripherals (controllers and wired and wireless communication modules of the mobile device).

How to check your device's power consumption

Give the command “Settings - Battery”.

A gap in the usage chart means the gadget is turned off when charging

When the device is turned off, it does not keep track of battery energy consumption - this is only possible when the gadget is active.

Video: how to check and disable energy-consuming features in Android

Practical measures to overclock the battery

Mobile device batteries can be recharged or recalibrated.

Calibrating the battery on an Android smartphone

Calibrating the battery controller is necessary for the gadget to access 100% of the battery capacity. Before calibrating the battery, you do not need to do any additional actions (turning off Android animations, switching the device to airplane mode, etc.). The “swing” of the battery is as follows.

Discharge the battery to 0% so that the smartphone or tablet turns off on its own.
Wait after discharge for up to 5 minutes. This will allow the battery to “settle”.
Charge the battery with a standard charger to 100%. Do not turn on the gadget until it is charged.
Wait again up to 5 minutes after charging. It is allowed to disconnect the battery during this time (if it is removable). Before removing the battery from the gadget, turn off the charger.
Repeat the above steps until the battery is calibrated. Most often, 2-3 full discharge-charge cycles help.

Manufacturers also recommend maintaining the first charge for up to 12 hours, without resorting to downtime between discharge and charge. But this recommendation is not entirely correct - it is a deliberate violation of calibration technology so that people change batteries more often.

After calibrating the battery, you can use your mobile device as usual.

Video: calibrating a non-removable battery in an Android tablet

How to “boost” a battery

Battery boosting is done to ensure that it reaches its maximum resource - and lasts as long as possible. Modern devices use lithium-ion (Li-Ion) or lithium-polymer (Li-Polymer) batteries, which, although devoid of the “memory effect” (unlike previously used nickel-based batteries), can be “boosted” again .

Before connecting the charger to your smartphone or tablet, it is useful to make several attempts to completely discharge the battery. Often in Android devices, when you try to turn on a discharged gadget again by holding down the power button, a vibration signal is briefly triggered up to two times per second. Hold the power button (or hold it down with something) until the vibration signal in the gadget starts to sound less and less often - and soon it stops for a long time. This will cause the voltage on the controller to drop to the minimum threshold perceived by the device.

Old, “worn out” batteries last for years and beyond if they are not loaded with unnecessary Android programs and functions.

Do the following.

After disconnecting, try turning on the gadget again.
Make several attempts to turn on until the device display stops responding.
Remove the battery from the device for a couple of minutes and let it build up the voltage a little (without recharging!).
Insert the battery back and hold down the power button again until the vibration signal emitted when you turn on the gadget completely stops.
After making several such attempts to completely discharge the battery, connect the charger to the gadget and let it charge. The device itself must be turned off.

The build-up is achieved by reducing the lithium metal crystals in the working layer of the battery under the influence of fluctuations in battery voltage in the maximum permissible range of values (from 2.5 to 4.2 volts). Do not overdo it - discharging lithium-ion batteries too deeply (up to 0–2.5 volts) and leaving them without recharging in this state will lead to an irreparable loss of their capacity.

If necessary, repeat the calibration of the battery controller according to the instructions above.

Video: how to restore a Li-Ion battery from a video camera or smartphone

Difficulties encountered during battery operation

Some manufacturers, in the interests of their own commerce, resort to additional tricks.

Firstly, it wears out the battery as quickly as possible. Little-known Chinese companies or completely underground manufacturers especially save on materials.

A “disposable” controller in the battery itself behaves as follows. After 3-4 years (or up to 1000 discharge-charge cycles), it may one day turn off forever, generating, for example, a “breakdown” pulse and thereby self-destructing (if the controller itself is something special), but without causing harm to the device itself. The battery and, possibly, the gadget itself will need to be redesigned. Fortunately, this measure is one of the last resorts.

“Setting” the battery on glue, from which it is difficult or impossible to remove it, is sometimes used in the most expensive smartphones and tablets with Android. This is reminiscent of gluing the battery in the iPhone 5x/6(s).

Additional locks, cables and other “tricky” devices make it much more difficult to remove/replace the battery.

The service life of a battery cell without a controller (this requires reworking an outdated gadget using a soldering iron) can stretch for 10 years or more until the battery is somewhat reminiscent of a capacitor, capable of holding only a very small charge - 1-2% of its original capacity. Such elements are useful only in all sorts of homemade products that are unlikely to have anything to do with cellular communications and mobile data transmission. They require slow discharge-charge according to a special algorithm, unattainable in conventional chargers that have not undergone any modification, and regular monitoring of the condition of such batteries.

Completely “dead” cells that do not respond to attempts to recharge them (this is due to the steady aging of the electrochemical material of the battery), stubbornly showing 0 volts on the multimeter, are disposed of in accordance with local legislation and environmental protection requirements.

How to extend the battery life on an Android phone or tablet

Ways to save battery power are purely software. They do not apply to interference with the “stuffing” of the gadget (for example, pulling out some of the display backlight LEDs, removing the vibration motor, etc.). Most of these settings are found in the main Android settings menu and have been discussed above.

Optimizing Energy Saving in Android

Don't keep apps you don't use on your device.

Close programs that are not currently in use - this will clear up your RAM.

Unnecessary applications are closed by swiping to the right

Turn off unused functions (unnecessary Android applications, processes and services, “unnecessary” wireless communications, bright lighting at night, built-in sensors, etc.). Root access will also help to permanently block unnecessary applications.

Root will help disable unnecessary programs and services

Avoid places where mobile phones do not receive reception or constantly lose the network (long distances between populated areas, basements and underground garages, shielded rooms in secret laboratories and radiation diagnostics/therapy departments in hospitals, sensitive areas, etc.). Try to use one communication standard, for example, 3G.

Give the command: Settings - More - Mobile networks

If the charging device displays incorrectly on the screen or the device turns off prematurely due to battery wear, recalibrate the battery using the above method.

Maintenance of the battery and the device itself

Give the battery serial “runs” with a full discharge and charge - at least once every six months in order to “boost” the battery capacity and calibrate its controller.

The internal battery controller must be matched to the charging voltage. If the element itself is charged at a voltage greater than 4.2 volts, it is regularly recharged and gradually swells. This is noticeable after one or two years of intensive use of the battery. Over time, such a battery will no longer fit in the gadget and will bulge the back cover (it will no longer close and its latches will come off). If there is a significant discrepancy between the output voltage of the controller and the element itself, the battery simply explodes. In the 2000s, when the Chinese smartphone market was just beginning to develop rapidly, swollen batteries were a common occurrence. Over the years, Chinese manufacturers have become more precise in “tailoring” controllers to Li-Ion cells - but from time to time defective batteries are produced. Change such a battery as quickly as you can.

Dirt on the battery contacts and terminals of the device, although they are gold-plated (gold does not oxidize), is an additional electrical resistance, from which the charge may be displayed incorrectly by the gadget. Clean such stains with medical alcohol.

Try not to unnecessarily pull the battery out of place, even if the SIM card and/or memory card slot is located underneath it.

It is permissible to use chargers with lower power - but not vice versa. Charging too powerfully will cause significant heating of the battery and the gadget itself. Do not expose the battery to prolonged heat above human body temperature (36.6). At 40 degrees or more, modern controllers turn off the charging current until the battery cools down again to an adequate temperature - elevated temperatures accelerate battery wear.

If the microUSB connector is dirty, charging the battery may be “drip”, intermittent, or the charging current may not flow into the battery at all. Most often this happens if the gadget is used carelessly and in polluted air for several years. Clean the microUSB socket using a toothpick, a sharpened match, or blow with a vacuum cleaner turned on at maximum power.

Video: how to pump up and calibrate the battery

Proper battery care will extend its service life. But if no restoration helps the battery, replace it.

Over time, Android devices begin to run out of battery much faster than they used to. In some cases, you can fix this problem yourself, and sometimes the only way out of the situation is to buy a new battery.

There may be several reasons why a tablet or phone stops holding a charge:

Battery boost

This item should only be considered if you are using an old phone or tablet.

This method of eliminating the problem of rapid battery drain is suitable for a nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery, which, as a rule, can be installed on older models of phones and tablets. Modern devices are equipped with lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries that do not require pumping.

To find out what technology your battery is made of, you need to determine the device model or study the information written on the battery itself.

Swinging is a repetition of the cycle of completely discharging and then fully charging the phone several times in a row. Please note that this technology should only be used on nickel batteries; on others it will not only not be beneficial, but will also cause harm.

To boost the battery:

When the battery is completely discharged, turn off the device and charge it completely.
Remove the battery from the device, keep it in this state for two minutes, and then reinsert it back into place. If the battery is not working properly, a notification will appear on the screen that the phone is not fully charged, for example, 95%. Without turning on the device, repeat the charging process until 100%.
Discharge the device completely. Repeat these steps until the battery, after you have removed it and inserted it back, begins to show a full charge. The charge level should not drop or change after handling the battery.

Battery calibration

Unlike swinging, calibration is recommended for all batteries if they have been identified as having problems holding a charge. If the device quickly runs out, turns off when the displayed charge level is not zero, or does not charge completely, then it must be calibrated. Thanks to this procedure, the device will understand what the maximum capacity of the battery actually is, and in the future it will allow it to be completely filled.

Via a third party application

Since Android does not have a battery calibration application by default, you will have to download it from the Play Market:

Video: calibrating the battery using the Battery Calibration program

No third party programs

To calibrate the device without using third-party programs, follow these steps sequentially:

What to do if calibration and buildup did not help

If the methods described above did not help you return the previous charge retention time, then there is only one thing left to do - replace the battery. Batteries are sold separately and can be purchased at most stores that sell phones and tablets. When purchasing, be guided by the model and battery size. Before you pay, check if the battery fits and works with your device model.

Battery care

Try to adhere to the rules listed below to ensure that the battery of any device lasts as long as possible.

Recommendation	Description
Charging lithium-ion batteries	Do not charge lithium-ion batteries to 100%. It is better to do several short recharges than one full one.
Full discharge	Do not allow a complete discharge when the device turns off by itself. Try to charge your phone or tablet on time.
Temperature	Keep your device at a balanced temperature. Do not place it in a very cold or extremely hot area.
Processes and Applications	Disable unnecessary processes and programs immediately after you stop using them.
Charging cable	Keep the cable safe. Try to use only official cables.
Port	Keep the port where the charging cable connects is clean. When wiping it, act very carefully so as not to damage the microcircuits in it.
Do not load the device for a long time and with a large number of heavy applications or games. This causes the phone to become very hot, which has a negative impact on the battery.

Taking care of your battery is very important. This may not extend its service life, but it will definitely prevent it from breaking before the end of the warranty period. Follow the above guidelines and remember that lithium and nickel batteries need to be cared for differently.

Overcharging has a negative impact on the battery and phone. When purchasing a new device, you should adhere to certain rules for initial use. Otherwise, the phone will start to discharge very quickly. Therefore, it is important to know how to properly charge a new smartphone battery. This procedure is figuratively called “pumping”.

Pumping is necessary to keep the charge as long as possible. There are several instructions for this procedure, but in order to choose the right one, you need to decide on the type of battery.

Mainly used in mobile devices:

lithium-ion;
lithium polymer ;
nickel-cadmium .

Nickel ones were used on older push button phones. They are significantly different from new gadgets. The latter already use lithium. They are small in size, safe and have excellent power. Lithium batteries do not have a “memory effect”, which can lead to loss of capacity if the battery is not charged correctly.

New devices also have their own characteristics. Lithium batteries react negatively to low temperatures, so in cold weather it is better to use your smartphone less often. You need to make sure that the battery is not completely discharged. Lithium ones do not like charging to capacity. The optimal option is 80-90 percent.

First charge versions

There is an opinion that a new phone battery must be calibrated the first time it is charged. Indeed, this is important. The duration and quality of operation of the gadget depends on proper charging.

There are several versions of how to charge a new battery:

Smartphone sellers recommend initially discharging your smartphone and then fully charging it. . There is a version that for good calibration the procedure must be repeated three times. The same steps are performed when purchasing a separate new battery.
According to another method, the gadget is initially completely discharged . Then the battery must be filled with the mobile device turned off for 12 hours. At this moment, charging is accomplished through direct current. This procedure is carried out only once. Then all the “pumped up” gadgets are charged as usual, as long as needed.
There is an opinion that for the first time the battery should be refilled when the smartphone is turned off for at least a day . After such a long calibration, the device will work perfectly. The procedure only needs to be done once.
Another version: the initial charging of the battery must take place strictly with the mobile device turned on . And it’s not worth keeping it connected to the network for a long time. Before using the phone, it is enough to completely discharge it just once, but you need to plug in the device to refill the battery before the smartphone turns off completely.

Some sellers assure buyers that thanks to modern technologies, new charged batteries do not need calibration at all. Each version is partially true. The choice of method directly depends on the type of battery installed in the smartphone. The most common type of batteries is Li-Ion. For Ni-MH batteries, the initial calibration is carried out up to five times, no less.

Regardless of the smartphone, there is a rule that everyone should follow when buying a new phone or battery for a device. It needs to be completely discharged until the mobile switches off on its own. However, until calibration is completed, you need to monitor the charge level. Its excess is harmful to any type of battery.

The phone needs to be charged with 5 percent of the energy remaining in the battery. Some smartphones have a built-in notification function when the battery needs to be refilled. This helps to properly calibrate the new device. If, after 100% charging, the phone remains plugged in for a long time, the “pumping” period is interrupted. The initial calibration of the battery is violated.

“Native” chargers do not allow them to be filled with excess energy. Some gadgets have a built-in power-off function when they are 100 percent full. However, Chinese models often do not have this service, so you need to monitor the initial calibration and turn off the phone on time yourself.

The alternation method helps to properly charge a new battery. First, the battery is filled to 100 percent, then to 80, then again to 100. This procedure is best done after the 3rd cycle of initial charges. Otherwise, the calibration will be lost.

To preserve battery health (if you do not plan to use the mobile device for a long time), the smartphone turns off when the phone has 40 percent charge left.

Instructions for the first battery charge

Against the background of all the versions listed above, you can use the general instructions on how to charge a new phone and how many times it needs to be done for proper calibration. After purchasing a mobile device, you need to turn it on immediately and completely discharge it to zero. Then the gadget is charged, and the battery is filled with 100 percent energy. In this case, the phone itself must be turned off.

Once fully charged, the phone is activated and the entire procedure is repeated again. Complete discharge and then filling. This calibration must be repeated at least three times, and preferably 5 times. This will help maintain the functionality of the battery for a longer time. If the seller does not provide a method for charging the battery for the first time, use general guidelines.

If you still have doubts about how to properly charge the battery, you can ask the seller about this when purchasing a mobile device. Smartphones should also come with instructions that indicate the type of battery, how to charge correctly, and how many times “pumping” is performed.

There is no need to calibrate the new charger. However, in this case, after a few months of operation, you may need a new battery for your phone. If the initial calibration is not carried out, the risk increases that after 100-150 days the device will only work when plugged into the network.