phone shuts down when bat hits 20%

[moldyeye]

My v20 shuts down when reaching 20% sometimes but never makes it under 10% without shutting down anyone else have this problem kinda anoyying to say the least and really bad if need in emergency

 

[scottbeamer]

Sounds like you need a new battery.

 

[moldyeye]

battery lasts normal and charges fast so dont think need new battery

 

[scottbeamer]

battery lasts normal and charges fast so dont think need new battery

It doesn't sound like it's lasting normal to me, if the phone is shutting down at 20%.

 

[moldyeye]

battery lasts all day long but once it hits 20 % itll shut down without warning, shouldnt it get to 5 % before it shuts down ,i didnt make a habit of running down that low

 

[TheMarcus]

Two V20's, four OEM batteries, same problem. Once the phone hits 15%, it's usually moments before it dies. My girlfriend and I are lucky to get down to 5% or even 0%. 15% means the phone is about to die. Sometimes my girlfriend's dies over 15% whereas mine usually dies a few minutes after hitting 15%.

I will not be buying the V30.

 

[mrdave570]

My Samsung S4 did the same thing. I don't think this is un-intentional. I only use real LG batteries on my V20 and it never died at 15% or at 10%. I got it down to 10% twice and I swapped batteries because it complained about preventing some tasks. Most high end phones need 10-15% battery to do CPU intensive stuff like taking photos or running apps.

 

[Mooncatt]

Most high end phones need 10-15% battery to do CPU intensive stuff like taking photos or running apps.

This is hinting at what I'm thinking too. As batteries age, they suffer from voltage sag. Basically, when you put a load on it, the voltage drops temporarily. Normally it's not a big drop and it will recover. When it's near the end of its life, that sag is more pronounced and the voltage drops substantially more for a given load, which is what causes it to shut down before hitting 0%.

If you drain your battery completely before charging, it causes premature aging. Ditto if you keep it plugged in all the time. This is why it's usually recommended to charge your phone when it hits about 40%, then unplug it once it's full. Li-ion and Lipo batteries like being in the middle of the charge range.

 

[GSDer]

then unplug it once it's full

It's really much better for the battery not to fully charge it. AccuBattery recommends only charging to 80%. I've had some laptops that recommended unplugging at 70%.

 

[Mooncatt]

It's really much better for the battery not to fully charge it. AccuBattery recommends only charging to 80%. I've had some laptops that recommended unplugging at 70%.

I don't disagree, but here's my caveat and why I don't go that detailed most of the time. When most people unplug their phone, they start using it right away. Keeping the phone at 100% doesn't cause damage as quickly as taking it to zero, and it's not being held at a "high charge" of 75% or more.

So at this point it's a matter of if you want to trade the convenience of less frequent charging for what may be a negligible increase in overall battery life. For most people, they likely won't see a noticeable difference and by then other reasons could cause them to change out the battery early, if not trade in the phone itself.

If you're one that can start the day with a full charge and it only drops to 70% by night time because you don't do much with it, then yes I would suggest charging to no more than 80% or preferably 75%. If you use it a ton but still keep it between 40-75% more often than not, then more power to you (pun only slight intended. Lol).

 

[christianttt]

Maybe you can try to calibrate your battery:

"Hi, I had the same problem after 4.3 update. I did not want to do a factory, and going from a lot of posts this does not work anyway. I also didn’t want to turn off a lot of processes I previously had running. I just wanted the same level of performance as before. After doing a little research I have come believe it is a battery calibration issue. This worked for me. Charge your phone to 100%, goto keypad, type in *#0228#. This will take you to a battery status screen. Press quick start at the bottom of the screen. Your screen will go blank for a few seconds. Press the home key. Your battery percentage should have dropped. Charge to 100% and repeat the process. After a few times the drop should be negligible. Allow the battery to completely discharge and repeat. Hope this helps. Good luck."

 

[TheMarcus]

Maybe you can try to calibrate your battery:

"Hi, I had the same problem after 4.3 update. I did not want to do a factory, and going from a lot of posts this does not work anyway. I also didn’t want to turn off a lot of processes I previously had running. I just wanted the same level of performance as before. After doing a little research I have come believe it is a battery calibration issue. This worked for me. Charge your phone to 100%, goto keypad, type in *#0228#. This will take you to a battery status screen. Press quick start at the bottom of the screen. Your screen will go blank for a few seconds. Press the home key. Your battery percentage should have dropped. Charge to 100% and repeat the process. After a few times the drop should be negligible. Allow the battery to completely discharge and repeat. Hope this helps. Good luck."

Doesn't work on Verizon.

 

[flyingkytez]

Have you tried a full factory reset? And have you tried a new battery? (Costs $10)

Also, are you using the OEM battery and USB cable?

 

[TheMarcus]

Have you tried a full factory reset? And have you tried a new battery? (Costs $10)

Also, are you using the OEM battery and USB cable?

I have a total of four OEM batteries being used between two V20's. All four batteries and both phones have this issue before and after factory resets.

 

[christianttt]

Both phones have that issue? That's really weird!

 

[ReggieReg72]

I had 2 batteries that I would swap out daily. And they both started doing the same thing. At around 8-10 percent the phone died. It was getting worse by the day too. So I bought another battery and the battery lasts all the way to 0. It's the battery...

 

[ffejjj]

Same thing occasionally happens in my MXPE. 15%-20% and it'll crap out on me but not all the time.

 

[Mike Dee]

I had 2 batteries that I would swap out daily. And they both started doing the same thing. At around 8-10 percent the phone died. It was getting worse by the day too. So I bought another battery and the battery lasts all the way to 0. It's the battery...

I think as they age the percentage at the low end is not as accurate and less forgiving.

 

[TheMarcus]

I had 2 batteries that I would swap out daily. And they both started doing the same thing. At around 8-10 percent the phone died. It was getting worse by the day too. So I bought another battery and the battery lasts all the way to 0. It's the battery...

So OEM batteries are trash it seems.

 

[natehoy]

So OEM batteries are trash it seems.

They most certainly can be. Bad batteries can be made by anyone. Four identically-bad batteries seems less likely.

In my experience, batteries tend to last me about 6-7 months before I start noticing shorter battery life, then within 8-10 months it's really noticeable. Usually within a year, I start getting the famous "10-20%, we're good to go for a little longer... and it's dead" symptom.

But if these batteries are just a few months old and are genuine OEM from a reputable vendor, that should be a warranty claim.