Many times what is known as a brick, with a bad or dead battery. In a bricked smartphone the causes can be varied, although we usually face a software failure. But in the event that the battery of our mobile or tablet lasts less and less, or just not charging, then most likely we are facing a bad battery or a hardware failure. How do we solve it?
What are the causes of a battery failure?
We can look for answers in the most untamed places, but in the end, the problem almost always boils down to the same thing: poor quality of batteries. Therefore, it is important that we take care of the power supply of our phone, and in case of failure or increasingly slow charging times, we change the battery in question, or we follow the following 9 practical tricks to try to revive a damaged battery. Let's go there!
1- Make sure it is not a software problem
If our battery still charges but runs out after a short time of use, before blaming it on an irrecoverable hardware failure it is advisable to rule out a possible abusive energy consumption by some app that we have installed.
Therefore, it is advisable to enter the battery settings of the phone and see if there are any applications that consume too many resources. If we find a suspicious app, it is best to uninstall it.
Within this category of applications that use a lot of battery are widgets (Twitter, news, weather, etc.), games with a high graphic load, streaming apps and the like.
Related post: The apps that consume the most battery
2- Activate the smart battery manager
If we have a phone with Android 9 or higher and we are noticing abnormal battery consumption, another option that we can review within the battery settings itself is the "Smart Battery Manager".
Be careful, not to be confused with the "energy saving" mode. In the case of the smart battery, what you are looking for is limit the battery consumption of applications that we do not use frequently. To do this, the system analyzes our usage habits and detects those apps that we open the least, to later limit the battery consumption they carry out.
To activate this functionality, just go to «Settings -> Battery -> Smart battery»And activate the tab that we will see on the screen.
3- Does the mobile get too hot? Cool it conveniently
One of the consequences of the abnormal operation of an app can be the device overheating, something that causes the battery to also drain at a higher speed.
If your smartphone gets too hot, take a look at this other post on how to cool down a phone that gets too hot.
4- Install Battery Guru
If none of this works and our Android device continues to offer very low battery performance, it is advisable to install an app like Battery Guru. Basically, it is a tool whose job is to inform the user in the most relevant way possible. In this way, we can receive certain personalized advice that will help us to give our mobile battery a healthier and longer life.
The application offers really interesting information, such as the maximum and minimum peaks of milliamps that the device receives, the percentage of battery that is charged and discharged every hour, as well as other data related to the consumption and autonomy of the terminal.
Battery Guru also keeps a record of the charging cycles, which can help us to know if we are charging the mobile correctly or, on the contrary, we must correct our charging habits. Another interesting utility is the one that allows us set temperature limits and charge / discharge thresholds. In short, a very practical and recommended utility if we have problems with the battery of our Android.
Download QR-Code Battery Guru Developer: Paget96 Price: Free You can get more information about the operation of Battery Guru in this other POST.
5- Restore the device to factory state
Before assuming that we are facing a damaged battery, it is advisable to reset the mobile settings to factory state. If after doing this the battery continues to fail, we can confirm the cause of the problem.
6- Clean your mobile phone
Now that we are clear that the fault is in the battery itself, it is time to look for solutions. That said, it should be mentioned that after a period of prolonged use the metal surface of lithium batteries, or even the contacts, can undergo oxidation. This fact reduces the battery life considerably.
To avoid this, it is recommended to use a cloth or cotton swab to clean any traces of dust or dirt from the contacts and from the power supply itself.
In the event that our battery is integrated into the mobile or tablet, this can be a very complicated task.
If you are interested in cleaning your terminal, take a look at the post «How to clean and disinfect a mobile phone correctly«.
7- Revive your battery by putting it in the freezer
It sounds a bit crazy, but the truth is that this is a method that works. Lithium batteries work using a charge / discharge process where positive and negative charges collide with each other.
At room temperature, the kinetic energy of the battery is manageable, but being in a constant state of activity, electrical leaks are common. However, in low temperature circumstances, the lithium coating of the battery, together with the microstructure of the electrolytes, can be altered to minimize such energy leakage. This can help extend battery life to some extent.
We will need a "freezer", but this is not enough for us- Wrap the battery in newspaper, and put 2 layers of transparent plastic wrap on it and put it in a plastic bag so that it does not get wet or damp.
- Put the battery in the freezer for 3 days.
- Take out the battery, remove the layers of plastic and paper, and place it in a place away from sunlight for 48 hours.
- Put the battery in the device, but don't turn it on. Connect the phone to the charger and leave it charging for another 48 hours.
- Turn on the phone and check the battery level and life.
8- Make a bridge in the battery
This method usually works with batteries that have reached the end of their life cycle or that have not been used for a long time. Over time the batteries lose their charging capacity, which we can try to solve by making a small bridge. For it we need a large battery, the 9V ones and 2 wires with the tips stripped to make the contact.
- Locate the positive and negative terminals of the 9V battery, and connect a wire to each of the poles. Protect the junction points with electrical tape for added security.
- The phone battery also has positive and negative terminals marked. Connect the positive pole of the battery with the positive pole of the battery using the cable. Do the same with the negative pole.
- Keep the connection between 10 and 60 seconds.
- Remove the bridge, put the battery in the phone and try to charge the mobile as usual. After charging time, try turning on the phone.
This is a very delicate process, and it must be taken into account that lithium batteries can catch fire or explode. If you are not sure what you are doing, you better not risk it.
In the following example video we can see how to bridge the battery of a smartphone following a very similar method:
9- Make a total discharge using a light bulb
Completely discharge an old or used battery It can help expand your ability to retain energy and deliver deeper charges. To do this, we will use a small 1.5V bulb, which will suck up all the residual charge remaining in the battery.
As with the bridge method, we will need 2 pieces of bare wire with their corresponding plastic protection - remember, we do not want to receive a spark - and extract the battery from the terminal for handling.
- Locate the positive and negative terminals of the battery - they are marked - and connect a cable to each of the poles.
- Touch the end of each of the wires to the 1.5V bulb.
Thus, the bulb will suck up all the residual energy that could remain in the battery, draining it completely (when the bulb stops emitting light completely). Next, we will insert the battery into the phone / tablet and proceed to fully charge the device.
As always, daily care and good use of charging times are the key for the battery of our device to have as long a life as possible. Otherwise, we can always apply one of these 4 methods to try to get out of trouble and get, in some cases, a solution to our problem.
Finally, if your smartphone does not turn on and you think it may be bricked, take a look at these12 tips to revive a bricked Android phone.
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