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iPhone Battery Guide and Charging Tips (3Gs / 3G / Original)

Haven't bought an iPhone yet, still have my almost 4-year-old Treo 650. I charge it every day at my desk, and leave it plugged in after it's charged. I'm STILL on the original battery and can go for days without charging it. Seems like I haven't lost any battery capacity at all. Can anyone give me an explanation for this? Not that I'm complaining!! :D Can't wait to get an iPhone though!! Soon, soon my precious...
 
Please forgive my ignorance but when you say fully drained, does that mean the iphone shows the red low battery image or does it mean that nothing appears on the screen when you try to turn it on?
 
smithy1185 said:
Please forgive my ignorance but when you say fully drained, does that mean the iphone shows the red low battery image or does it mean that nothing appears on the screen when you try to turn it on?
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Charge your iPhone throughout the day when you can, you don't need to wait for the 20% indicator. The more you charge, the better. If you happen to let it die, it's not the end of the world.

Also, fully drain does not mean the 20% warning. That means using your iPhone until it dies.

yode said:
then what's the deal with the keeping the battery in 100% state hurting it
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You don't want to store your battery fully charged or fully drained. Not really a huge issue for an iPhone, since we are constantly using them. More of an issue for laptop batteries. You "should" fully charge your battery every night. When your iPhone reaches its full charge, it will stop sending power to the battery and run off the AC Adapter only.
 
bboucher790 said:
Charge your iPhone throughout the day when you can, you don't need to wait for the 20% indicator. The more you charge, the better. If you happen to let it die, it's not the end of the world.



You don't want to store your battery fully charged or fully drained. Not really a huge issue for an iPhone, since we are constantly using them. More of an issue for laptop batteries. You "should" fully charge your battery every night. When your iPhone reaches its full charge, it will stop sending power to the battery and run off the AC Adapter only.
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oh that cleared it up. thanks!
 
jimmy83 said:
so in short it's best to always charge your iPhone and try to keep the battery topped up as much as possiable?!
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Yea, I charge quite often. Not only is it good for the battery, but it keeps you juiced throughout the day...which essentially is what you want your battery to do heh.
 
This is really cool. Thanks for the information about the iPhone and the battery tips.

Ok, so does anyone know how to take a battery out, that would be wicked and wild.
 
SoSII said:
I think the author of this is mistaken in part. Li-polymer is, in fact, a Li-ion in a mouldable form. This makes it easier to shape batteries to fit in these small mobile units. Otherwise, I think the chemistry is the same.
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Don't think so:

"When compared to the lithium-ion battery, Li-poly has a greater life cycle degradation rate. However, in recent years, manufacturers have been declaring upwards of 500 charge-discharge cycles before the capacity drops to 80% (see Sanyo). Another variant of Li-poly cells, the "thin film rechargeable lithium battery", has been shown to provide more than 10,000 cycles.[citation needed]" - Wiki

For more on Li-Polymer
Click Here
 
bboucher790 said:
Don't think so:

"When compared to the lithium-ion battery, Li-poly has a greater life cycle degradation rate. However, in recent years, manufacturers have been declaring upwards of 500 charge-discharge cycles before the capacity drops to 80% (see Sanyo). Another variant of Li-poly cells, the "thin film rechargeable lithium battery", has been shown to provide more than 10,000 cycles.[citation needed]" - Wiki

For more on Li-Polymer
Click Here
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okeedokee..:)

edit: well actually I was mostly right. They are more flexible and the electrochemistry is the same, apart from the solvent!
 
SoSII said:
okeedokee..:)

edit: well actually I was mostly right. They are more flexible and the electrochemistry is the same, apart from the solvent!
Click to expand...

Yea, they are similar technologies, but Li-Poly is clearly superior.
 
Great thread.

What I would like to see is a coconut battery-esque application on the iPhone through the App Store or on the Mac/PC. That would be extra helpful to see what my iPhone's battery health is.
 
bboucher790 said:
Initial Charge (a few theories out there, I felt this is the safest route to go)
#1 - Buy the iPhone 3G. Do not use the iPhone 3G.
#2 - Initially charge your iPhone for 8 hours. I've read conflicting statements about this. To be safe, don't use your phone before letting it charge for 8 hours. Also, use your wall charger (avoid the computer charger).
#3 - Now it's time to calibrate your battery indicator. Let the iPhone's battery fully drain. Keep the iPhone off for five hours once drained, then fully charge your battery. Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for two hours. You may use your iPhone during this time as long as the iPhone is plugged in.
#4.0 - Next, fully charge your iPhone again.
#4.1 - Repeat steps #2 - #4.0 a maximum of three times if you feel your battery indicator is inaccurate.
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Could you please explain the reason for fully charging it twice in a row? Isn't it redundant?

Regards.
 
I used my iPhone on the first day without charging (got too excited) so battery life after that wasn't too great. Followed your guide and I think its wayyyy better now. Thanks! :D
 
I just bought my iphone yesterday. I used it right away and let the battery drain completely. After it drained, I let it charge overnight (about 12ish hours). This morning when I woke up to check on it, the main screen (home screen, where you can pick what you want to do, etc), shows the battery as completely white (or drained).

However, whenever I push any option (say for instance settings), the battery appears and is shown as fully charge (green) on the screen. Any idea what the problem may be and how to fix it?
 
The part of the battery indicator indicating the portion of the battery which is still charged is either white or green in colour depending what screen you're on. I know it's exciting when you get a new gadget, but maybe read the manual? The screenshots therein clearly show this behaviour.
 
alFR said:
The part of the battery indicator indicating the portion of the battery which is still charged is either white or green in colour depending what screen you're on. I know it's exciting when you get a new gadget, but maybe read the manual? The screenshots therein clearly show this behaviour.
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What he said minus the manual stuff. WHO reads manuals lol.
 
Thanks for the correction bboucher790.

Yet, I'm still puzzled about the "mysterious" initial charge... You say "Don't use it! Charge for 8h.". Other say "I couldn't resist and used it till it drained. Then I fully charged it.". And in both cases, everything seems to be fine afterwards, as long as you fully charge/drain it a couple of times. :confused:

So what's the deal? Does it really matter if we use the remaining charge to satisfy our curiosity?! Is that initial charge THAT important in the long term?
 
DyingSun said:
Thanks for the correction bboucher790.

Yet, I'm still puzzled about the "mysterious" initial charge... You say "Don't use it! Charge for 8h.". Other say "I couldn't resist and used it till it drained. Then I fully charged it.". And in both cases, everything seems to be fine afterwards, as long as you fully charge/drain it a couple of times. :confused:

So what's the deal? Does it really matter if we use the remaining charge to satisfy our curiosity?! Is that initial charge THAT important in the long term?
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Don't worry about the initial charge. It really shouldn't affect the battery in the long term. Li-on batteries don't have the "memory" problems that plagued previous rechargeables.
 
Is there a app for fast switching of 3g, wifi, etc?

I knew of one on a jailbroke phone but unaware of one that is legit.

Anybody??? If not an APP needs to be created. Hell Ill even pay for it.
 
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