Sudden Battery Drain

[bad43085]

I've had my G2 for about 16 months now. When I first got it, I had to have it replaced within a week as the first device wouldn't go 8 hours even with no use. The replacement worked just fine. As much as 24 hours with moderate use and select apps pushing notifications and brightness at 30%.

I'd say within the last 2 weeks or so, the battery has more or less stopped working. I'm now having to turn it off in the afternoon for a little bit just so I have enough power for the drive home in case I need to use it. I've resorted to turning off all notification on all apps. No other settings have changed. I haven't installed anything on it in the last 2 weeks. My usage isn't any more than it has always been. I had gotten used to heavy use yielding me 10-14 hours. Now I'm on pace to get 6-8 hours with little to no use. Any ideas here? See attached pictures.

 

[Rukbat]

How far do you normally let it drain before charging it? 16 months (if not less) of treating the battery improperly would be expected to drop the capacity in half.

 

[bad43085]

How far do you normally let it drain before charging it? 16 months (if not less) of treating the battery improperly would be expected to drop the capacity in half.

I typically let it drain completely and charge it full while off. In the last few months I have not followed that has rigorously as I did in the first year. Could a few months of normal (nightly charge and leave regardless of where the battery is) usage affect it this much though? I've had phones in the past that I never let drain completely and had plugged in for 8 hours overnight never do this over the span of 2 years. And what is curious to me is the sudden change in battery life. As I started using it more and not being so rigid about when and how I charge it I still didn't notice really any drastic change. It was almost like something happened that triggered a sharp decline in life, not a gradual decline that would follow and normal wear and tear kind of principle.

 

[Rukbat]

I typically let it drain completely

That gives you a life of about 350 charge cycles - about a year.

Could a few months of normal (nightly charge and leave regardless of where the battery is) usage affect it this much though?

No, it was the first months of totally discharging it that caused the problem.

I've had phones in the past that I never let drain completely and had plugged in for 8 hours overnight never do this over the span of 2 years.

Because you never should let a lithium battery discharge completely, except when you're conditioning it after it's been stored for a long time.

And what is curious to me is the sudden change in battery life. As I started using it more and not being so rigid about when and how I charge it I still didn't notice really any drastic change. It was almost like something happened that triggered a sharp decline in life, not a gradual decline that would follow and normal wear and tear kind of principle.

That's normal for a battery that hits end-of-life.

Read Battery University - How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries. Look at the first chart (the second figure) and you'll see what 100% discharge does. Charging at the 50% discharge point gives you the longest life.