How do you prepare a tablet (or a phone) for long term storage?

[Gary Young1]

I have a Nexus 7 (2013). The screen is cracked, but the tablet still works. I considered fixing the Nexus, but the cost was too high, compared to the price of a new tablet. So, I used the broken Nexus for a few weeks while I shopped around for a new tablet. Then I bought a new Galaxy Tab.

I want to put the Nexus into a closet just in case I break or lose the Galaxy Tab. If that happens I could pull out the old, broken Nexus for a few weeks and use it while I shopped for a third device. This means that the Nexus might not be touched or recharged for years.

So, is there any advice on how to prepare a tablet for long-term storage?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! The main concern is that if the battery is allowed to completely discharge to true zero, it will be irreversibly dead. It's hard to say how long it would take for this to happen if the device is never charged, but I think it's on the order of several months (assuming you're starting from 100%).

These are some tips from the Apple (I know, I know ) support site:

• Do not fully charge or fully discharge your device’s battery — charge it to around 50%. If you store a device when its battery is fully discharged, the battery could fall into a deep discharge state, which renders it incapable of holding a charge. Conversely, if you store it fully charged for an extended period of time, the battery may lose some capacity, leading to shorter battery life.
• Power down the device to avoid additional battery use.
• Place your device in a cool, moisture-free environment that’s less than 90° F (32° C).
• If you plan to store your device for longer than six months, charge it to 50% every six months.

 

[Mooncatt]

I agree with everything P. Diddy said, but I'd personally be ok charging to 70% before storage and have done so with an old Bionic I hung onto. I recently needed to reactivate it when my existing phone went out. The Bionic battery barely dropped after being shelved about a year, and capacity didn't seem to change any. Like he said, the main thing is to not charge to 100% (Battery University suggests no more than 75%) before shelving it and to check periodically to make sure it doesn't self discharge too far.

There's not much else to worry about. The data should remain safe almost indefinitely, but you should back it up just in case.

 

[B. Diddy]

One of the challenges in this particular situation, though, is trying to estimate when you're at 50% or 70%, since the screen is broken!

 

[Mooncatt]

One of the challenges in this particular situation, though, is trying to estimate when you're at 50% or 70%, since the screen is broken!

The op said it was cracked, so hopefully that portion of the screen is readable. I was thinking the glass was cracked but that the underlying display worked.

 

[Gary Young1]

Thanks to all. I had just charged the Nexus up to 100% so now I am leaving it on to run the battery back down to 50%. I had thought that putting it into storage at 100 percent charged would be better. Who knew?

For anyone who cares, the digitizer layer on my Nexus is cracked. I can still see the entire screen image from the LCD layer, but if I have to touch the screen in the corner with the crack, it doesn't register the touch, and nothing happens. In this event, I can rotate the device so that the area I have to touch is in a different corner of the screen. Then the tablet will register the touch. Although this "fixes the problem" constantly having to rotate the device 90 or 180 degrees is a pain.

For anyone who finds this thread in the future, my only additional suggestion for 'long term storage' is to cancel any passwords or other protections on the device. If you take your old device out of storage after a year, and try to power it up, will you remember your old password? If you can't remember the password, then the device will be pretty useless, even if the battery can still hold a charge.

 

[Mooncatt]

I had thought that putting it into storage at 100 percent charged would be better. Who knew?

Basically, leaving a lithium battery in a "high charge state" above 4.1V (which correlates to roughly 75% on the meter) drastically increases the rate of decomposition inside the battery. That's why new batteries are shipped at a partial charge. Going too low can also have negative effects, and it's generally recommended to not leave them under 40%.

 

[B. Diddy]

I can still see the entire screen image from the LCD layer, but if I have to touch the screen in the corner with the crack, it doesn't register the touch, and nothing happens.

Mooncatt must have ESP!