is it true that running a cell phone battery ALL the way down will allow it to hold a charge better??

Question

I always charge it when i see it at one bar before it's fully drained or i get the low battery warning because I hate forgetting to charge it and being stuck w/ only 1 bar when i'm out and about so like to keep it charged up, will not draining it reduce the amt of charge it can hold or life of battery or is this just and old wive's tale??? thanks....

Answer 1

only for very old phones which had the NiMh or NiCAD batteries. These types should be drained all the way and then charged back up all the way. Check what kind of battery you have. It says on the battery

Most phones after 2004 came with Lithium batteries. These you dont have to run down. In fact Lithium batteries liked to be charged everyday for maximum life and performance

This is called the memory effect

Answer 2

That in particular applies to nickel cadmium batteries. don't be attentive to whether it is authentic. Quote wikipedia "it is each so often claimed that NiCd batteries be stricken by a so-called "memory effect" in the event that they're recharged till now they have been totally discharged. the plain symptom is that the battery "recollects" the element in its fee cycle the place recharging began and by next use suffers a surprising drop in voltage at that element, as though the battery have been discharged. The skill of the battery isn't actual decreased appreciably. some electronics designed to be powered by skill of NiCds are able to stand up to this decreased voltage long sufficient for the voltage to return to regular. whether, if the gadget isn't able to function by this era of decreased voltage, the gadget would be no longer able to get as plenty potential out of the battery, and for all sensible purposes, the battery has a discounted skill. there is controversy approximately whether the memory effect actual exists, or whether it is as severe a situation as is each so often believed. some critics declare it is used to sell competing NiMH batteries, which apparently go through this effect to a lesser quantity. Many nickel-cadmium battery manufacturers deny the end result the two exists or are silent on the situation. The memory effect tale originated from orbiting satellites, the place they have been commonly charging for twelve hours out of twenty-4 for numerous years. After this time, it replaced into got here upon that the capacities of the batteries had declined severely, yet have been nonetheless completely extra healthful for use. it is known no longer likely that this precise repetitive charging (e.g. 1000 costs / discharges with below 2% variability) could ever be reproduced by skill of purchasers utilising electric products. An effect with comparable warning signs to the memory effect is the so-called "lazy battery effect." (some people use this term as a synonym for "memory effect") This consequences from repeated overcharging; the symptom is that the battery seems to be totally charged yet discharges right now after in basic terms a quick era of operation. each so often, quite some the lost skill could be recovered by skill of a few deep discharge cycles, a function frequently presented by skill of automated NiCd battery chargers. whether, this technique could decrease the shelf existence of the battery[3]. If dealt with nicely, a NiCd battery can final for 1000 cycles or extra till now its skill drops under a million/2 its unique skill."

Answer 3

This is more true with the older Ni~Cad or Nickel Cadmium batteries,however,with the newer,Ni-MH or Nickel Metal Hydride and Li- Ion or Lithium Ion batteries they claim that these newer type of battery do not develope a sort of "memory" and cycling the battery is no longer needed.
What is ment here by "memory" is that with the older Ni-Cad s if you only charged your Ni-Cad up for three hours,then it would ,over time, sort of remember this and run at is operating voltage for three hours and die out.
Despite this claim about the newer two types of batteries, I have discovered that it DOES help out with the life and the operational time of the battery to some degree. Also I have read and tried out the other old "saying" about cycling the battery three times from full to completely dead with pretty good results. **As an added note**
the Li-Ion type batteries are not only longer lasting there are two other great advantages to the Li-Ion s . They are ;
1) Much more lighter in weight.
2) Li-Ion batteries will hold up longer in cold temperatures.
I found this out when doing alot of multi-day hiking in the mountains throughout the U.S.at higher altitudes,ie..colder hiking conditions! using a Garmin three Plus GPS... a handheld global positioning system.
Here are a few other bits of info that can be helpful for your cell.
A) Charging your cell phone with it turned off will charge much faster.
B) There are a few different types of chargers for your cell phone,Mobile (plugs into your cigarette lighter port in your vehicle), travel wall chargers, standard wall chargers.
C) The two that will charge faster for you are the mobile and the travel type chargers...check the specifications of each and you will see what I mean, I prefer using the travel charger.
Try cycling out your battery for three times,meaning charge it from completely DEAD to full charge , *make sure to use it until your battery DIES COMPLETELY* and see if you have better results with it.
To solve your worries about running out of battery power at the worst possible time,there are battery 'add ons' (not sure exactly what they are called here) but these are found at even some gas stations,convenience stores,Wal-Mart etc... they cost roughly 6 dollars and plug right into your cell phone battery for immediate use. Kind of like a battery booster.They work GREAT! See if your model of cell has one available,buy one ,toss it into your glove box or what have you and if you ever run out of power while using your cell,plug it in to your cell phone and Ta da !! You are back up and running.
Good Luck!

Answer 4

This WAS a case back in the early ni-cad days, to prevent "memory" problems, but modern batteries don't seem to have that problem. Makes no difference if it's a cell pho. battery or not. This is true for most all rechargeable batteries.

Answer 5

That is no longer the case with modern batteries.