Want incredible battery life? (OFFICIAL HTC INCREDIBLE BATTERY THREAD)

[albiewan]

Once upon a time in a land far away (actually about 2 miles from my house) I was told by a long time tech at VZW that charging your phone with your car charger should be done in relatively short bursts. He recommended no longer than 30 minutes. In his opinion and experience, he said that car chargers are notorious for frying cell phone batteries into early slow death. Because of this, whether it's true or not, I never ever let it charge very long in the car. Any comments on this?

 

[rushmore]

What is the point of having the device if everything needs to be turned off?

Here are Most Wanted killers for battery life:

1. Sense 2.1
2. Widgets
3. 3G
4. Flash media -watch a few videos and check your battery status. No point in mentioning Flash games, since not many work correctly with touch-only anyways (no harm no foul). Should be much better with 10.1 and gpu support.
5. Pushing mail
6. Social apps running in background are killer- especially if they use GPS

The main issue is manufacturers keep making thin devices that have to ship with wimpy batteries. I seem to also notice the main people that complain about battery life are some of the same ones that LOVE thin & light devices. Ironic.

The extended battery will be a must for anyone expecting to use many of the features.

 

[rabaker07]

The touch pro 2 battery fits in the incredible and gives you 200 more milliamps. Not sure if the touch pro 2 and eris are the same. If they are then ur good to go..

Wait, it may fit, but is it the same amps and volts? It's 1500 mAh, so we may all be interested in getting a hold of one of these bad boys. Why would they release the TPro 2 with this large of a battery, and give the Incredible a measley 1300? Marketing opportunity? Did they chince on this phone in some key areas to hit a price point for an unsuspecting audience and cash in on buyers remorse?

 

[rabaker07]

in regards to "profiles"

is this similar to laptop energy saving profiles? for instance, if I'm at the office I might need more features running than if I were on a travel trip or at home, and so by choosing different profiles I can customize my energy usage depending on where I'm at and what I'm doing?

This is a great point and could really make a big difference in battery conservation. Hopefully the profiles will retain all inherent settings, and not just the landscape of the homescreens...

**Update: Just read on Android Central that the homescreens simply hold different layouts/wallpapers. Settings/Ringtones/etc. are global to all profiles.

 

[guyheavensent]

Battery threads are so idiotic..need to find the downrank button.

 

[Kappy]

Battery threads are so idiotic..need to find the downrank button.

Thanks, I'll add that to the post!

 

[VGPOP]

What exactly do I need to look to buy extended batteries for the incredible? Model number? codes?

What is the biggest battery, in terms of mAh, you can purchase for this phone?

It seems that to save battery life, you will need to do a lot of stuff that will keep you away from enjoying this phone.

That's a big issue for me.

 

[czm2000]

What is the point of having the device if everything needs to be turned off?

Here are Most Wanted killers for battery life:

1. Sense 2.1
2. Widgets
3. 3G
4. Flash media -watch a few videos and check your battery status. No point in mentioning Flash games, since not many work correctly with touch-only anyways (no harm no foul). Should be much better with 10.1 and gpu support.
5. Pushing mail
6. Social apps running in background are killer- especially if they use GPS

The main issue is manufacturers keep making thin devices that have to ship with wimpy batteries. I seem to also notice the main people that complain about battery life are some of the same ones that LOVE thin & light devices. Ironic.

The extended battery will be a must for anyone expecting to use many of the features.

Well put.

 

[czm2000]

It is the same battery?? are you sure?

Cause it sounds too good to be true lol

I just checked my wifes Eris and the battery is super slim like the Incredibles. It's 1300MAh like the Incredibles. And the terminals are in exactly the same place as on the Incredible!

I'm hoping this works since if it does, Seidio is already making a 1750 battery that fits underneath the Eris' original hood. So if we could get that battery that's a wopping 34% Increase!

So for example I've read that with light use people are getting 16-18 hours. That's a completely acceptable usage time in my opinion. But I'm a moderate to heavy user. so I gather I will only be able to squeeze out 10-12 hours. But with an extended 1750 MAh battery that would bring it back up to 13 - 16 hours. I can live with that. I start at 7AM and it would last me until 10 or 11PM at night. With out a charge. That's totally adequate. Plus the Charge in to work and the one on the way home. These phones charge really fast. It sounds like the battery won't be a problem. At least for me

 

[albiewan]

Thanks, I'll add that to the post!

hahahaha...too funny!

 

[Presto343]

I'm not arguing that's what you experienced. My problem is someone will read it and declare it canon. Then they will regurgitate it to others and it becomes fact, just like the task killer situation with android.

I'd rather not post it without fact either way. The word "official" means as much as "soon" around here.

what is this referring to? What task killer situation?

 

[drhill]

People think that they need every bit of ram freed up on the phone or the battery goes quicker and the phone slows down. So they use task killers to constantly kill "running" processes they aren't using. It's the windows mobile way of thinking.

Android leaves processes in memory so it can open them up quickly next time you try to use them, but they aren't actually running (unless they are a service and are intended to be run). They just reside in memory, which takes the same amount of battery as if the memory was empty. I've actually seen some people claim better battery life when they did an uninstall of their task killer, which makes sense because these task killers are meant to be run as services, thus always on.

Now there may be some poorly written programs that kill battery or don't suspend gracefully, but there is a built in task killer for that in the android settings menus. Android is smart enough to suspend processes that aren't in use and when they go off screen. Which makes me think that people who claim Live Wallpapers hurt their battery are just guessing. The wallpaper shouldn't be running if you have an app up or when the phone is suspended, so it only runs when you see it. Obviously that takes juice more than when a static background, but how long do you just stare at your homescreens?

 

[albiewan]

People think that they need every bit of ram freed up on the phone or the battery goes quicker and the phone slows down. So they use task killers to constantly kill "running" processes they aren't using. It's the windows mobile way of thinking.

Android leaves processes in memory so it can open them up quickly next time you try to use them, but they aren't actually running (unless they are a service and are intended to be run). They just reside in memory, which takes the same amount of battery as if the memory was empty. I've actually seen some people claim better battery life when they did an uninstall of their task killer, which makes sense because these task killers are meant to be run as services, thus always on.

Now there may be some poorly written programs that kill battery or don't suspend gracefully, but there is a built in task killer for that in the android settings menus. Android is smart enough to suspend processes that aren't in use and when they go off screen. Which makes me think that people who claim Live Wallpapers hurt their battery are just guessing. The wallpaper shouldn't be running if you have an app up or when the phone is suspended, so it only runs when you see it. Obviously that takes juice more than when a static background, but how long do you just stare at your homescreens?

I agree. Also, isn't it true that if you use the 'back' button to close out an app instead of using the 'home' button it assures you are closing the app?

 

[nkk]

Since I have gotten a couple of requests, I will type up an explanation. Sorry for the wait, but it will take a few days, as my school is having a carnival in two days and I am part of an organization that is participating a lot. I will aim for posting something by Monday, ok? By then, the carnival will be over and other people can clean up (I did enough setting up to not feel too bad) .

Nkk

This is still coming, and will be here before the 29th. Sorry for the delay, but a heck of a lot of things popped up that had to be dealt with immediately. There WILL be at least an overview and quick tips (i.e. basics for when you get your phone) by the end of the 28th/early on the 29th.

NKK will get back to us Monday. I personally do not recommend it. I don't think it is good for the battery, but that is just my opinion.

Again, read above. Sorry about the delay. It is too bad life does not allow us to just talk about things we love (I thoroughly enjoy my research).

1. Modern smartphones use Li-Ion batteries. These do NOT have to be fully discharged from time to time, and in fact it does more DAMAGE than good. That theory was based on some older versions of Nickel batteries.

Battery charger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


2. Modern chargers are also smart, meaning they turn off your phone once it is full. So you can charge it overnight with no worries.

Lithium-ion battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Most of this stuff is easily researched in various sources. Sources not based on personal anecdotes.

The rest of the advice is sound. Although I would like to see more data on GPS being off. My experience is that GPS is usually only used when an app calls for it. If nothing is using it, it shouldn't pull any more power.

While technically true, as my bullet points that have been quoted twice in this thread have said, almost all reputable batteries have overcharge protection built in, and they will auto shut off after a certain low voltage per cell is reached. Thus doing it only one may not harm the battery too much, and the pay off of correctly calibrating your phone's digital battery indicator may be worth it. Do NOT do it everyday. Once a month is probably more than enough, unless you constantly switch out batteries and are screwing with the sensor. If that is the case, do not do it at all (it will all be undone next switch), and sort of wing it. You have two batteries, so why worry about the sensor being too accurate? You can always just switch out if one dies.

Quoted from Official HTC Incredible Thread

I feel important since you quoted me.

What are your thoughts on wireless charging solutions? (ie. those charging pads and what not)

Does anyone know if the incredible has overcharge prevention where it automatically stops charging when the battery is full? (symptoms would be it charges to full, then when you look at it, it'll be back down to 95% or 90% before it'll start charging again to prevent over charging.)

Wireless charging is ok in my opinion. It is the same as wall charging, just over induction. As long as all the voltages are met (maybe I will experiment with this over the summer...), it should be fine. I would be aware of too much current being created (too large a voltage), but any reputable maker should protect against that. I may email some makers and ask them what they do and the specifics.

As I said above, most well made batteries now days have protection that auto shuts off after about 4.3 volts per cell. The recommended max is 4.2, and 4.3 is a good place to stop.

Battery threads are so idiotic..need to find the downrank button.

Next time your phone dies at some inopportune moment, remember this. This thread is to idiotic for you to get any advice.

-Nkk

 

[drhill]

I agree. Also, isn't it true that if you use the 'back' button to close out an app instead of using the 'home' button it assures you are closing the app?

I've seen that notion posted by others, but can't remember anything to that effect in the documentation (not saying it isn't there, just don't remember). Android development puts the onus on the developer to handle certain situations for optimal results. Backing out might alleviate that for the programmer or maybe is more obviously handled.

My personal android experience is limited to my not currently having a device and being too lazy to write code at home after doing it all day at work.

 

[albiewan]

I'll make this quick. Told by a VZW tech that charging the phone using a car charger should be done sparingly and in short bursts so as not to fry the battery or lessen its life. Anyone else ever heard about this?

 

[nkk]

I'll make this quick. Told by a VZW tech that charging the phone using a car charger should be done sparingly and in short bursts so as not to fry the battery or lessen its life. Anyone else ever heard about this?

So long as the car charger outputs at the correct voltage and current limitation, it is not different than a wall charger. Why on Earth does a Verizon rep think that VZW would sell chargers that could fry your phone or battery? If you fry a battery, it spews battery acid all over and is an instant lawsuit. Is that not asking to lose money?

-Nkk

 

[albiewan]

So long as the car charger outputs at the correct voltage and current limitation, it is not different than a wall charger. Why on Earth does a Verizon rep think that VZW would sell chargers that could fry your phone or battery? If you fry a battery, it spews battery acid all over and is an instant lawsuit. Is that not asking to lose money?

-Nkk

I believe he used the word 'fry' loosely, not to infer that it would explode. However, he did say that they definitely shorten the battery's life and suggested not to use it more than 30 minutes. As a result of that info, true or not, I don't use my car charger much. Thanks for your reply.

 

[nkk]

As I said, he is an idiot. There is only one case in which he is correct, and that is if the charger is not spec'ed correctly. If that is the case, someone at HTC or VZW screwed up bigtime, and the fact that he knows this means that others know this, and this not only did they screw up initially but they also screwed up by continuing to sell these defective chargers.

-nkk

 

[albiewan]

So long as the car charger outputs at the correct voltage and current limitation, it is not different than a wall charger. Why on Earth does a Verizon rep think that VZW would sell chargers that could fry your phone or battery? If you fry a battery, it spews battery acid all over and is an instant lawsuit. Is that not asking to lose money?

-Nkk

I just found this link referring specifically to my question. Are Mobile Car Chargers Good for Phone Batteries? ~ Chris Pirillo Here is an excerpt from the article: "I was watching your video about leaving your house with your iPhone, and needing to charge it if it runs out of juice. You mentioned a carhttp://chris.pirillo.com/are-mobile-car-chargers-good-for-phone-batteries/# being a very good idea and what should be done (retract, iGo, whatever you want to call it). Any charger that goes into the car is bad for the device !
. Why? Because the power is not regulated like in your home. In my line of work, I have seen many die because people use their car chargers WAY too much. A car charger should be a LAST resort. I try to explain to customers that when they get home they obviously (well I guess 99.9% of the world) take out their wallet, keys, coins, or whatever is in their pocket before going to sleep. Make it a habit to charge your phone with your home charger."

 

[albiewan]

Meh..after reading the whole article and the comments from other "experts" I find it inconclusive at best. Gonna move on...

 

[Primate]

So... in short... Turn off everything that made you want to buy the phone so it operates like a plain Jane candybar phone?

 

[IncredibleDoes]

best tip to save battery: "turn off 3g when not needed." not just for the incredible but for every device

 

[drhill]

best tip to save battery: "turn off 3g when not needed." not just for the incredible but for every device

You know I had wondered a couple weeks back why companies dont' turn off 3g in periods of low network use and turn it back on when it goes back up.

I don't need 3g when my phone is just using push gmail/google voice (or facebook crap for the social people). Edge speeds would be fine and it shouldn't effect voice.

When I actually read my mail, open pandora, or start surfing 3g speeds could turn back on. Maybe I need to look into this after I get my phone. I needed app ideas.

 

[W4LLY]

I don't know if it's exactly the same, but it IS a 1300mHa battery, which is the same one the Eris has. could be a different shape, though.