Google Support says charging a Nexus 4 for longer than 2 hrs will kill the battery

[JoeSh]

Like many of us my Nexus 4's battery life is poor. I've read many threads about this but I figured I'd see what Google Support's "official" answer was. Here's what they wrote:

Thank you for contacting Google Play Support Team. You called in today with questions about your Nexus 4 battery life. It was a pleasure speaking with you today, I can understand how this may cause you some frustration. You emailed me saying that your device still hasn't fully charged. As i explained before the device normally does charge in about two hours. Yet if you have left your device on the charger for over two hours on a number of occasions you could experience problems with your battery. If the problem still occurs you can call in and get your device replaced. If you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to reply back to this email directly.

There can't be any truth to this, right? Modern phones have really smart charging systems to manage their super-dense super-finicky batteries so overcharging shouldn't be possible, correct? I mean if it were, I suspect the phone might burst or catch fire.

 

[SpiralBorg]

Perhaps, it happened with some units, and it might be a more serious issue. Battery's overcharging shouldn't kill the battery in its entirety, but might be the battery the Nexus 4 uses. Maybe its a design flaw.

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[TvTechGuru]

They are full of crap! I ran my battery down to 6% and then put it on the wireless charger and it took just over 4 hours to fully charge it. Heck the other night I had it down to 21% and put it on the wireless charger and then went to sleep. It probably only took 3 hours to charge it from that point.

Now I wouldn't recommend leaving it plugged in to any charger every time for several hours after its full. I don't know what could happen. But, pretty much all new phones and chargers have a built in feature that turns off the powering function of the charger so that the phone doesn't get overcharged.

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[peejay1977]

Any modern device with a Li-Po battery should be fine being left on charge an indefinite period of time. Sounds like Google are covering their backsides rather than giving out correct information.

 

[boparunsxc]

Once the battery is charged, the current just cycles through the phone and back out to the charger.

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[mhinc]

Doesn't matter how long you leave it plugged in but I bet they are trained to say that to avoid being blamed for anything

 

[Anbaric]

I wonder if the reply is just badly phrased. Maybe they just mean it should charge in 2 hours and, if it has taken longer 'on a number of occasions' you have a problem.

 

[atari_guy]

Isn't it common practice to plug your phone in at night and unplug it in the morning? I've been doing that with all my phones for years.

 

[KwietStorm]

Isn't it common practice to plug your phone in at night and unplug it in the morning? I've been doing that with all my phones for years.

If that's your common practice, then that's your common practice.

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[minnemike]

B. S.

In that case, my Google wireless orb is the biggest culprit of destroying my phone?

 

[AbuYazeedUK]

I have left every phone i've owned on charge over night 12+ hrs (yeah i sleep a lot lol)

 

[Rizy7]

Im pretty sure what the person was trying to say is that if the battery doesnt fully charge within a couple of hours on a number of occasions then you might have a problem with your battery.

 

[sonicresidue]

Everything that I've read here, including my own experience, suggests it takes 3 - 3 1/2 hours for the battery to fully charge 18% or less capacity. If it's supposed to charge fully in two hours than there are an awful lot of faulty batteries.

 

[zedorda]

The less time a li-po battery spends at 100% or below 5% the longer it will last. Lithium-ion batteries wear most at either extreme. So charge often in 2 hour or less time frames and try and keep your device at 20%-80% as much as possible and you will see great longevity.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

BlackBerry, HTC Thunderbolt, Samsung Galaxy S 3 -- I've left them all on a charger overnight when I sleep on *most* nights. Never noticed any ill effects because of it.

I am in no way an expert on this subject, but I've heard on several occasions that allowing your phone run all the way down to zero isn't good for it, but that today's modern batteries don't have issues with "memory" or being left to charge too long. In my experience, that has been true.

I guess if the device/kernel was still trying to drive current to the battery once it's fully charged, that could be bad for it...very bad for it (Is this even possible? -- Again, not very knowledgeable on this subject)...as others have mentioned though, once it hits 100%, it should stop charging, allow the battery to discharge slightly, charge again, repeat until unplugged.

 

[PaulMilander]

I can be plug mine in at bedtime and take it off in the morning, been doing this for 10 plus years as all my friends do. I'm not setting my alarm for fours later to unplug my phone

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[CoolBeit]

I wonder if the reply is just badly phrased. Maybe they just mean it should charge in 2 hours and, if it has taken longer 'on a number of occasions' you have a problem.

I'm guessing you're right here

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[oberkc]

The less time a li-po battery spends at 100% or below 5% the longer it will last. Lithium-ion batteries wear most at either extreme. So charge often in 2 hour or less time frames and try and keep your device at 20%-80% as much as possible and you will see great longevity.

That is also my understanding with LiPo batteries (and perhaps other types). As a point of comparison, my little Prius C automatically manages the battery and appears to work very hard at keeping it in that mid state of charge. I expect these batteries to last a LONG time.

 

[Whyzor]

Always get info from a good reputable source rather than some tech support person who may or may not know what they're talking about:

How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University
Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries

 

[zedorda]

Always get info from a good reputable source rather than some tech support person who may or may not know what they're talking about:

How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University
Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries

Thanks for supporting what I said. Goto "Summary of Do?s and Don?ts" to see the 20%-80% reference.

I guess being the guy that posts the links makes you more knowledgeable. I yield to your authority.