Help hard reset and now battery problems

[Kevin73]

I did a hard reset of my stock Galaxy Ace phone yesterday.

I had been having internet problems with it, couldn't get online, looked like other apps were interfering.

So I did the reset, and then just added the apps I needed. It's not rooted.

I'm having severe battery problems now. The phone will tell me its 100% charged, and it might last for 20-30 mins before saying it's almost 0% again. This would be after doing just some very, very light texting or web surfing.

The phone is nearly 3 years old, it's the original battery.

Is this just a coincidence? or could resetting the phone have had an effect on the battery somehow? It hasn't been holding a charge great lately, but the past 24 hours have been extreme. When Li-ion batteries go...I don't know if they gradually go over months, or they just die sudden like this.

Any suggestions? I tried a few battery apps to see if there was a problem. There wasn't any. They're uninstalled now.

 

[ayush29k]

To check your battery life ignore the battery indicator and see how long will your phone run on a full charge. Let it discharge to 0 and see how long the battery supported.
This phone has a very unreliable indicator program, i once used a rom in which the phone ran for 2 hours and then suddenly dropped to 20%, then it used run for 15hrs before reaching 0, so you never know if its the hardware or the software that's in trouble until you test them.
Also check if your battery has swollen up or not, if it has then throw it out, its very dangerous to use a swollen battery.
Its quite normal for the battery to wear out after 3 years, people usually get a replacement after 2 years, that is if they are still using that phone.

 

[Kevin73]

I see now that the battery has a slight bulge in it. That explains that...

I'm not in the market for upgrading yet. I found a place that has OEM batteries for $15...which is way better than the $50 the local retailer charges.

It'll take a few days before I get it delivered though. In the meantime, can the phone be powered safety with a micro-usb cord and no battery in the phone?

I would think it would work, but I'm not sure, and don't want to risk it unless I had better info. It's just a long time to go without a phone with the weekend coming up.

 

[ayush29k]

I don't think the phone will run on external power if you don't have the battery inserted, you can test that, there is no risk in trying to turn the phone on with only usb power source.

Its dangerous to use swollen batteries, i'd recommend you to switch right away. Use a spare phone meanwhile, better not take the risk and getting the phone blown up inside your pocket. You'll loose much more than just the phone.