Help Charging Practices?

[bonerp]

I don't understand why you guys worry about charging batteries. Li-ion are memory free and chargers have micro processors to manage them.

Just plug in and use. I leave mine on when charging and have never conditioned it or any of that nonsense. Works as it did when I got it.

 

[TheOtherBill]

I've noticed that the Phone charges up much faster when it is on...as opposed to being off.
Is there really a slow charge (like when you turn it off at night and charge it)? And if so...is that better?

Two things determine how fast your phone charges. The most important is the charger you are using. If you're using the STOCK 2A charger that's the fastest, whereas your old charger from another phone is probably only .7 A and takes > twice as long. Note that the chargers for some pads are 2A and will be as fast as the stock one.
There are also some cables that limit what you can charge at, use the stock cable (or equivalent) if it seems to be charging too slow.

As far as it being on - whatever power that is being used by the phone will not be used to charge the battery. So if the phone is sleeping it really doesn't matter. But if you are using the GPS with a navigation app giving turn-by-turn while listening to music in the car you might only be barely keeping up with the drain.

Something to remember - look at the notification page, it should tell you 'Charging AC (or USB)' and if you are on AC and it says USB then either your cable or charger is too weak or the wrong one. That's the slow charge.

 

[Ratdog]

I know it's always more convenient to have someone tell you in one sentence what to do to care for your battery, but I find the internet to be a vast source of content if you search for it.

How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University

It re-iterates a lot of the advice given and also puts some of it into context.