battery optimization while leaving Android phone always plugged in ? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: JBeale
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2022, 12:24:02 am
content: This is probably egregiously off-topic on this forum but I know there are smart people here, so...Is there any setting I can use to make it easier on a Samsung Galaxy A32 battery that is always plugged into the charger? The phone is being used as a tethered 5G hotspot 24/7 because it was cheaper than the dedicated devices I found to do this.It's my guess the battery doesn't like being kept at 100% state of charge 24/7. Is there some Android setting that allows the phone's battery charger setpoint to let the battery float at some lower-stress condition than full?Oops- while typing this, I just noticed in Android 12, under "Settings / Battery and Device Care / Battery / More battery settings" there is a switch for "Protect battery: To extend the lifespan of your battery, limit the maximum charge to 85%" (which is off by default). Ok then.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2022, 12:53:08 am
content: Normally let the battery goes down to 20% and charge it, never let it down under 5% you may damage your batteryThat way you wont cycle the battery to much to reduce its life span every time you use the phoneI have an s22 ultra with an wireless charger, i do use fast charge, not the ultra, and use the adaptive settings tooUsing the wireless charger create heat in the battery and the phone charging circuitry, i use an 5 watts charger, no need to go with an 15 watts, it will overheat thingsThe problems is all the apps consume way to much ... bandwidth and background processes, i've killed almost all of them, and some are put in manual mode IE: connect when you use the app and shut down afterwardsWi-Fi always at off, unless really needed, same for bluetooth (huge consumption)The only continuous apps are: messaging and emails, clock alarmsI don't see any problems leaving the phone always connected, normally the charge circuit is intelligent enough to do a good job ?? unless proven otherwise ?Or having removable batteries ??My "old" Huawei p20 pro had a better management and optimization for all the apps and battery wise usage, i miss that on samsung ... and was connected for very long periods, and the battery was still very good, when i traded it for my new s22 ...

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 19, 2022, 03:27:13 am
content: In my experience with phones, batteries tend to fail sooner if you cycle them low, as opposed to keeping them always charged. The battery management systems in modern phones are pretty good.I just bought a new Pixel 7 which actually charges the phone at a lower rate at bed time, so it's ready for the morning, as opposed to charging as quickly as possible every time it's plugged in or placed on a wireless charging mat.I wouldn't worry.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2022, 03:40:09 am
content: Quote from: JBeale on October 19, 2022, 12:24:02 amI had not seen that before in my phone, perhaps that feature arrived with one of the updates. 85% is great for a regular phone, 60% would be better in your case. Still, 85% is a big help. The other thing you can do is keep it as cool as possible, meaning room temperature not refrigerated.

author: Fredderic
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2022, 07:11:01 am
content: I love the battery protect feature. Though, I do wish there was an easy-to-reach option I could slap on the tray that only enables fast charge for the remainder of this charging session, because I have fast charge off, and don't use wireless charging for the reasons already stated — both fast charging, and wireless charging, cause the battery to heat up. I also don't let the battery get too low, if I can help it, or charge it to full. But if it popped up a notice just for a few seconds when I plugged it in, asking if I wanted to enable fast charging, and maybe if I wanted to override battery protect, just for this charge, that would beawesome…!I have a home automation system which, among everything else is able to display my phones battery level through the automation app, and so prior to the battery protect feature, I set up an LED indicator on my desk that blinks one colour for low battery (<40%), and another for high battery (>80%), plus sends me an alert notification at 5% further out both ways. So I'd plug my phone in to charge in the morning, unplug it at 80%, and throw on all the power saving features when the low power notification came through (if I wasn't at my desk to see the blinking lights). It probably sounds like a lot, but my phone's three years old now, maybe four, and it's relative battery life is on par with most of my previous phones at half its age, so it's definitely worked. The battery protect feature means I can throw it on the charger overnight, and not have to worry. (I think…)Now, in my prior phone, I killed the battery by using it as my internet connection for just four months. It was constantly popping in and out of charging, as it would fully charge, so switch off the charging, and quickly deplete the battery enough to start topping itself up again. The battery was a year or so old already, and had dropped to about half original capacity, but the rapid charge cycles right at the top end just killed it. Four months later when I finally got a proper internet connection, its capacity was down to 8 hours even with infrequent light use.Another thing that the battery protect seems to do (or maybe just because it's a better phone), is that it seems not to pull power from the battery when it has a charging connection — at least, I haven't noticed it kicking in and out of charging mode while it's sitting there at 85%. Though, I also haven't watched it super close, so, maybe it still is, but the battery is still good enough that it's infrequent enough I simply haven't noticed. I have left a game running for a couple hours, though, and it doesn'tseemto keep having to charge… If anyone can confirm or deny that, I would be appreciative. Still, I think battery protect would have done wonders for my previous phone during those 4 months, simply for keeping it out of the top 15%.I was — prior to the battery protect feature — going to move the charger onto an automated socket, so the automation system would turn it on and off at the alert limits. Tempted to still do so, because the automation can read my calendar, too, so it could bring it up to full if it sees I have a busy day ahead — but then I'd have to be careful when I'm charging from the car or something, and I wouldn't get the benefit (if indeed it is) of not pulling from the battery when battery protect kicks in. Why is this stuff still never as easy as it should be…?!?