Does using my Note 4 while it's charging bad?

[Natanoj]

Do you guys use it while it's charging?

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[Duncan1982]

Do you guys use it while it's charging?

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It will slow down the charging process, but I don't think its damaging.

Yes I do use while charging.

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[BarfingMonkey]

Of course, just like your laptop.

 

[Tech Addict]

Do you guys use it while it's charging?

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I do it.

But you do not want to let the battery get hot, which is easy to do when charging the battery while using it. I have not used the GPS since I have bought the Note 4, but with past phones if I was charging it while using the GPS it would get pretty hot, so I avoid doing that.

 

[Rukbat]

The only problem that may cause is thet (due to the apps you're running) the phone may be using more power than it's drawing from the charger, so it's not really charging, it's just discharging more slowly. But if the % charge keeps increasing, even slowly, it'll eventually charge. (I've used cellphones while they're charging since the first Motorola bricks, and still do it with the latest Androids and never have a problem. If the charge % keeps going down, I shut the phone off for a couple of hours, until it's fully charged.) The charge going into the battery is the amount of charge the phone can draw from the charger (the Note 3 can draw 1200mA, the 4 should be about the same) minus the amount being used by the phone. If the phone is off, the full amount goes to charging the battery. If the phone is on, part of it doesn't, and charging to 100% takes longer. The phone itself (the parts other than the battery and the charging circuit) don't even know if you're charging the battery or not.

(In fact, other than to swap batteries, which I do at least once a month [I always have at least 2 batteries for a phone], I don't think my Note 3's been turned off for months, and I charge it whenever it falls to about 40%. Looking at it another way, if the phone's connected to a computer and you're transferring files or something, the phone's being used while it's being charged. It's designed to do that. Whether it's a file transfer app, the phone app or any other app, it's just an app running while the phone is charging. [Using the phone to make or take a call might use more than the charger is supplying, but as soon as you finish the call, the phone starts charging again.])


@Tech Adfdict:
You had a few defective phones. The GPS receiver shouldn't get hot during use, whether the phone is charging or not. (And, as far as the battery is concerned, the GPS receiver is just a resistor, the same as any other part of the phone - it's DC, so .the hardware draws in-phase [or, actually, no phase] current - CPU, wifi receiver, GPS receiver - it's a resistor.)

 

[Tech Addict]

You had a few defective phones. The GPS receiver shouldn't get hot during use, whether the phone is charging or not. (And, as far as the battery is concerned, the GPS receiver is just a resistor, the same as any other part of the phone - it's DC, so .the hardware draws in-phase [or, actually, no phase] current - CPU, wifi receiver, GPS receiver - it's a resistor.)

Maybe I should have been more specific - while using Google Maps. When I researched this I found it was a very common problem?

 

[worwig]

The GPS receiver shouldn't get hot during use, whether the phone is charging or not. (And, as far as the battery is concerned, the GPS receiver is just a resistor, the same as any other part of the phone - it's DC, so .the hardware draws in-phase [or, actually, no phase] current - CPU, wifi receiver, GPS receiver - it's a resistor.)

Nothing in this statement makes any sense. Resistors?
Using the GPS while on charge absolutely CAN and DOES cause a lot of heat.
Using the GPS typically means the display is on for a long time, that uses power and causes heat.
It typically is being used OUTDOORS so the display is brighter. More power/heat.
The GPS receiver obviously uses some power, but that is actually slight.
The PROCESSOR has to crunch numbers to determine where your coordinates are and what map to aquire. More power and heat.
It typically then needs to download maps, the 4G or whatever radio uses power and makes heat.
Then often needs to translate the map vector points into an image. More processor and graphics power and heat.
Toss in some routing math, POI displays, etc., and you have a lot of heat. I have had phones shut down from over heating when charging while running a GPS app on them. It is common.

 

[Macsen191]

I was told not to use it while charging by my local Sprint guy. So I just use it til I get down to low battery and I hope I am home to put it on the wall charger. Although I do use it when it's hooked up to the USB port on my computer(transferring photos and music back and forth.) I dunno the right way, considering I've only had the phone for a month and already had to swap a battery.(I think it was defective from the start cuz it went so quickly, and this new one takes forever to die, lol.)

 

[clevin]

It confuses battery calibration curve, but no permanent damage.

@T-Mobile GN3