Battery Life/Maintenance

[o2bnclemson]

I have heard that it's detrimental for a phone (or any battery device, for that matter) to be plugged in once the battery is charged or it can, over time, have negative effects on the battery. Does this apply when the phone is in use as well, such as with the screen on and streaming music? I do this pretty much all day at work and would obviously like to keep the phone plugged in, but not if it's going to hurt the battery.

On a related note, I ordered a charging dock but it doesn't fit with my case(s) so I'll have to forgo that. One thing I liked about the dock is that you could keep it plugged in and it wouldn't hurt the battery (it blocked the charge, I guess, once charged). Is there a cord that has this feature in it so I can keep it plugged in during the day and/or overnight and not worry about hurting the battery?

 

[Golfdriver97]

I have heard that it's detrimental for a phone (or any battery device, for that matter) to be plugged in once the battery is charged or it can, over time, have negative effects on the battery. Does this apply when the phone is in use as well, such as with the screen on and streaming music? I do this pretty much all day at work and would obviously like to keep the phone plugged in, but not if it's going to hurt the battery.

On a related note, I ordered a charging dock but it doesn't fit with my case(s) so I'll have to forgo that. One thing I liked about the dock is that you could keep it plugged in and it wouldn't hurt the battery (it blocked the charge, I guess, once charged). Is there a cord that has this feature in it so I can keep it plugged in during the day and/or overnight and not worry about hurting the battery?

I would keep that to a minimum. Best to charge and unplug right away as often as possible.

Sent from a SlimROM S3.

 

[o2bnclemson]

I would keep that to a minimum. Best to charge and unplug right away as often as possible.

Sent from a SlimROM S3.

Does it make a difference when plugged in via PC-USB vs the wall charger?

 

[Golfdriver97]

Does it make a difference when plugged in via PC-USB vs the wall charger?

I don't think so.

Sent from a SlimROM S3.

 

[jneusch]

It does not make any difference. There is technology built into the phone that prevents overcharging, regardless of the charging method. As a matter of fact, lithium ion batteries like to be charged. It keeps the molecules moving.

I charge my phone nightly , regardless of whether it needs it or not. If I am using nav in the car I will plug it in if needed.

Bottom line, don't worry about it. Charge when you want. It is best to take it to less than 20% and recharge competely about every 6 weeks.
Even if you did wear out a battery, replacements are very cheap.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I467 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[jeffreii]

It does not make any difference. There is technology built into the phone that prevents overcharging, regardless of the charging method. As a matter of fact, lithium ion batteries like to be charged. It keeps the molecules moving.

I charge my phone nightly , regardless of whether it needs it or not. If I am using nav in the car I will plug it in if needed.

Bottom line, don't worry about it. Charge when you want. It is best to take it to less than 20% and recharge competely about every 6 weeks.
Even if you did wear out a battery, replacements are very cheap.

^ This is pretty accurate. Most importantly, remember that a high quality replacement battery costs about $12...so don't drive yourself crazy trying to extend your battery life.

If you really want to learn more about this type of battery, read here:
How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University

Also, to reiterate, there is no problem leaving your phone on the charger. The only issue can be if you charge it while using it heavily. The reason is that it will generate quite a bit of heat (it gets hot enough under heavy use while NOT charging) and heat is the biggest enemy of battery longevity. A $12 solution makes it hardly worth over-worrying though!

 

[garublador]

All the battery voodoo that people claim you need to do isn't necessary anymore. AsThey may have been important in the past but Li-Ion charging circuits have gotten very good and inexpensive.

Does it make a difference when plugged in via PC-USB vs the wall charger?

The charger that comes with the phone will charge your battery about four times faster than most, if not all, PC-USB ports. In fact, if you use your phone wile plugged into a PC-USB port you might still drain the battery, albeit slower than you would if it weren't plugged in. As jeffreii pointed out, it's not an issue at all if you don't mind spending $10-$20 one time during the two years you have the phone. It's never come to that for me or my wife with the 4 Android phones we've had for 2 years each.

 

[rfortson]

I know the dock probably won't work with most cases, but it does work with the flip case, which is handy.

BTW, I have the dock at my desk (since that's where I sit 9+ hours a day) plus I bought the external charger/spare battery with the 50% off coupon from Samsung, so I'm covered for power in spades. Ironically, this is the first smartphone that I've owned where I don't actually need all this extra power as the battery lasts over a day for my uses and I recharge every night.

Oh, and to the OP, Go Dawgs!

 

[Almeuit]

It does not make any difference. There is technology built into the phone that prevents overcharging, regardless of the charging method. As a matter of fact, lithium ion batteries like to be charged. It keeps the molecules moving.

I charge my phone nightly , regardless of whether it needs it or not. If I am using nav in the car I will plug it in if needed.

Bottom line, don't worry about it. Charge when you want. It is best to take it to less than 20% and recharge competely about every 6 weeks.
Even if you did wear out a battery, replacements are very cheap.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I467 using AC Forums mobile app

This. Batteries now a days won't overcharge so it doesn't hurt them... Back in the day they would so that's why it hurt them.

Charge away and enjoy .

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

 

[scorpiodsu]

maintenance schmaintenance, just charge your device when it needs to be charged. No one has time to worry in the middle of the night if my battery will overcharge. Don't worry about stuff like that. Just use your device

 

[jeffreii]

maintenance schmaintenance, just charge your device when it needs to be charged. No one has time to worry in the middle of the night if my battery will overcharge. Don't worry about stuff like that. Just use your device

Yeah I've always charged my phones at night and left them charging all night long and I've never had a battery go bad on me. Some people are so paranoid about protecting a battery worth $12 - quite comical actually.