Pixel 7a won't turn on after letting the battery completely drain.

[Potato Liquorice]

Pixel 7a won't turn on after letting the battery completely drain.​

I let my Pixel 7a's battery completely drain, then I charged it. Now, it won't turn on. There doesn't seem to be any problem with the charger. The screen shows that it's charging, but no matter how long I let it charge, it won't turn on. I've pushed the power button quickly and nothing, held it a couple of seconds and nothing, held it 10 seconds and nothing, held it 20 seconds and nothing.
When I unplug the charger, it shows the battery in the red, as if it wasn't charged at all.
It seems that somehow by letting the battery drain, the phone won't allow for charging or turning on.
Any ideas what I can try?

 

[methodman89]

Try a different brick and cable. Let it charge for a couple of hours before attempting a restart. Good luck

 

[B. Diddy]

I agree with methodman89 about trying a different charging plug and cable, and I would also suggest letting it charge undisturbed for at least 6 hours. Then press and hold Power for a good 30 seconds to see if anything happens.

 

[Potato Liquorice]

Thanks. I did try a different cable and brick, but same thing. Anyway, I took it to the store I bought it at and they were able to get it recharging and turned back on. After that, I took it home and completed the charge as usual. Now I know not to let it completely drain before charging.

 

[joeldf]

Thanks. I did try a different cable and brick, but same thing. Anyway, I took it to the store I bought it at and they were able to get it recharging and turned back on. After that, I took it home and completed the charge as usual. Now I know not to let it completely drain before charging.

Generally, it's not good for the health of the battery to let it drain completely all the time.

I mean, it's designed to handle it occasionally as just with normal usage it may go totally dead every once in a while. But not all the time, if that's what you're doing. Letting it drain all the time does eat up its capability to hold a charge and shorten its intended life over time.

 

[Potato Liquorice]

I just remember being younger and being told that batteries have memory and it's best to charge when a battery is at its lowest point, that if you always charge a battery when it's not low that over time your battery will last shorter and shorter times. Maybe the tech has changed. Anyway, I had never had a problem with the phone until this time when I let it completely die and turn off before I charged it.

 

[joeldf]

I just remember being younger and being told that batteries have memory and it's best to charge when a battery is at its lowest point, that if you always charge a battery when it's not low that over time your battery will last shorter and shorter times. Maybe the tech has changed. Anyway, I had never had a problem with the phone until this time when I let it completely die and turn off before I charged it.

That's old advice for the old Ni-cad rechargeable batteries of the last century. The lithium ion rechargeable batteries, common in all devices today, and have been for nearly 30 years now, doesn't have a "memory". All it wants is to stay charged and not go dead too many times, or not at all if possible. Common advice is to not let it get below about 20 to 30%.

 

[Potato Liquorice]

Yeah, my head is stuck in high school physics class in the 80s.

 

[joeldf]

There's also the advice that says don't let it get above 80%. But I personally ignore that using these devices in the real world.

Some phones, or maybe they all do now but I don't know for sure, have a setting that can limit the charging to 80 or 85%. But I don't do that with mine.

I put my phone on a wireless charger on my night stand when I go to bed. Take it off in the morning. Use my phone all day. Put it back on the charger the next night.

Been doing that since my first smartphone - a BlackBerry Pearl 8100 from 2007 (well, actually plugging them in before there was wireless charging). The batteries have lasted as long as I needed until the next phone.

Now, the BlackBerry Z10 I used for 4 years did get weak to the point that I would need to plug it in before the end of the day. But most Li-ion batteries keep their best capacity for about 2 to 3 years before they start getting weak and losing capacity anyway.