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Is your phone battery going down even when charging? Below is a list of reasons why you could be facing a depleting battery percentage even when your phone is put on charging:
1. Phone Battery is old or damaged
The topmost reason why your battery percentage is going down while charging is because of a worn-out or damaged battery. Most phones encompass a lithium-ion battery which has a specific lifespan. The lifespan of any lithium-ion battery is between two to three years.
Thus if your device is older than two to three years or if you are using a Li-ion battery that has already exceeded its lifespan, it is obvious that its functionality and ability to refill will be hindered. Thus, your phone battery may go down while charging if it is old or worn out over time.
Another thing to consider is to check if your phone battery was recently damaged when the phone battery started going down while charging. If you leave your phone under the sun for too long or on some heated surface, it could severely damage your phone’s battery. There could be other reasons for damage too. Therefore, a damaged phone battery could also lead to the phone’s battery percentage going down while charging.
2. Too many active apps in the background
If you have too many apps running in the background, your phone will charge at a much lower rate than usual. The same goes for when you are using your phone while charging. With too many apps running in the background, the battery’s capacity to charge fast will be significantly affected.
Ideally, in phones that have a battery in a decent condition, having too many active apps in the background will only make the phone charge at a slower rate. However, when it comes to phones that are older than two to three years (with a worn-out battery), running too many apps in the background will not just make your phone charge slower, but it will keep depleting the battery health. Therefore the battery percentage will keep going down, even on charge.
3. Defective or a non-powerful charger or a charging cable
Yet another common reason for the battery percentage going down is a defective charger or charging cable. It is evident that a defective charging cable or charger will be unable to charge the phone effectively (or sometimes at all), and therefore cause the very issue that is making you read this article right now.
Although most of the time it is a defective charging cable that is the culprit behind the phone battery going down even while charging, sometimes it could be the charger. If you are using a defective or non-powerful charger, chances are your device’s battery percentage is going down for the same reason.
When we say a non-powerful charger, we mean a charger that has ratings lower than the battery rating of your device and is, therefore, unable to refill the phone’s battery health.
4. Foreign particles in the port
Foreign particles in the charging port would lead to a loose connection between the phone and the data cable. This means that the phone could keep losing connection to the data cable (and ultimately the charger) which will prevent proper refilling of the battery health.
How? With a loose connection between the phone and the data cable, owing to foreign objects in the port, the output current of the charger may decrease and not offset the power consumption of the phone. This will lead to the battery percentage going down while charging.
5. Not using a certified or original charging cable or charger
When you use a non-official charging cable or charger, the output current won’t be able to balance out the power consumption of your device, resulting in the power draining. Although this may not be applicable when the rating on the charger is equal to the battery rating of your device, most often cheap and local charging cables or chargers are not compatible with the battery ratings of your device.
Another thing worth knowing is that the inferior quality of chargers and charging cables can have numerous manufacturing defects. This could impact the overall longevity of your phone’s battery apart from causing your battery percentage to go down even while charging.
6. Charging via PC/Laptop or Car
A computer’s USB port can only provide a limited amount of power: 500 mA for a 3.0 port and 900mA for a 1.0 port. The dedicated wall charger is usually more powerful than PCs/laptops and even car chargers.
Let’s take a case with a phone that uses 200 mA. The wall charger has 800mA left, which is the same as the 300mA left for the USB port. A typical phone has a capacity of about 1500 mAh (milliamperes-hour) nowadays.
The battery would be charged in 1 hour if a current of 1500 mA was used. The same battery would be able to charge now in five hours over the port and then in about one hour over the wall charge.
The mobile is using “slow charge mode”, which is slower than normal charging because the computer’s amperage and voltage are lower than normal, so the computer or laptop is slower in charging.
Thus, if you have a phone that has less than decent battery life and is old, charging via PC or laptop will be further slower. This could be one of the reasons why you are seeing your phone’s battery percentage going down even when charging.
7. Your device is connected to the Internet
If your phone is connected to a mobile data network or a wi-fi network, it can consume your battery in a big way. You will get notifications for your favorite apps all the time. If you have a 3 or more years old device that does not come with fast charging support, you may be able to experience issues like battery percentage going down while charging for this reason.
What to do when the phone’s battery percentage keeps going down while charging?
Depending on the reason behind the problem, i.e. the phone’s battery going down while charging, you can try certain fixes to solve the issue.
Fix 1: Limit background apps
Limiting the background apps on your device can be a great way to fix the issue if your phone is old and you have way too many background apps cramming your device, therefore depleting the battery. You can clear background apps by using the Overview button.
You can find the “Overview Button” at the left/right side of your “Home/Menu button” but on some phones, you will need to use gestures for system navigation, including clearing background apps so they don’t consume a lot of battery.
Fix 2: Turn on Power Saving mode
As the name suggests, Power Saving Mode saves your battery from depleting rapidly by limiting data usage, background apps, etc. Thus, you can try turning on Power Saver mode before putting your phone on charge and check to see if the issue persists.
Fix 3: Turn off WiFi/Mobile Data
If staying connected to the internet is the reason why your phone’s battery percentage is going down while charging, the simplest idea is to turn off WiFi or Mobile Data. You can do this by toggling down the notifications panel and tapping on the Mobile Data or WiFi icon.
Fix 4: Swap the charging cable or charger
Swap the defective charging cable or charger with a new or a properly functioning one. If your charger is just fine but is not compatible with the battery rating of your phone, get a new and more powerful charger and make sure to check the rating beforehand.
Fix 5: Clean the charging port
Blow air into the charging port of your device to get rid of any debris that may be stuck inside therefore causing a loose connection between the device and the charger (and thus the overall problem). You can also use a toothpick to pick out debris from the charging port, but make sure not to push too hard or it may damage some of the internal parts of your phone.
Fix 6: Use certified or original charging cable or charger
It is always recommended to only use certified chargers and charging cables that belong to the manufacturer of your device or some company that is reputable in the niche. This ensures that both the charger/ charging cable are compatible with your device and therefore provides efficient charging of the phone.
Fix 7: Switch to a better power source
If you are using a PC or laptop connected via a USB cable to your phone, in order to charge it, we suggest you switch to a better power source. Most preferably a wall charger can provide much more power supply to the charger and ultimately the device for efficient and quick charging in comparison to a laptop or computer.
Fix 8: Replace or repair your phone’s battery
The absolute last resort is to get your phone battery repaired or replaced if none of the above solutions have worked for you. If your battery is way too old, it is high time you get it replaced by an authorized service center of your device’s manufacturer.
If there was some damage to your new battery, you can take your phone to an authorized service center wherein they will provide you with either repair or replacement depending on the frequency of the damage caused to the device.
5 Myths that affect battery your phone’s battery health
Here are five common myths that affect the longevity of your battery health and reduce its lifespan:
Myth 1: You should let your battery drain completely before charging
Not only are you not required to do this, but you also shouldn’t. The number of times a battery can be charged up to 100 percent is known as the charge cycle. Most phones have a specific charge cycle limit post which the battery life starts degrading. In iOS devices, it is mostly 400 to 500 charge cycles. 500 days is how long your battery will last if you let it drain completely every day. If you charge it before it stops draining, you’ll have time to top it off.
However, here is one reason to leave your battery completely drained: the battery needs to be reprogrammed or re-calibrated if the battery icon is showing a positive charge. It is advisable to drain it all the way down and then recharge it to fix the issue.
Myth 2: You shouldn’t charge your phone overnight
It’s perfectly fine to charge your battery at night. It’s the best method to make sure you have a full battery so you can get through the day.
This myth has found its roots in the time when we had nickel-ion batteries in our phones; if you didn’t let the charge deplete completely, the part that wasn’t used would be forgotten about.
Today’s phones have smart power management thanks to the use of batteries that don’t suffer from memory loss. The phone will stop charging when it gets to 100 percent so you won’t have to worry about overcharging.
Myth 3: I shouldn’t use my phone while it’s charging
The risk of using your phone while it’s charging is low. Fears about batteries overheating are what led to this myth. If a manufacturing defect is present, Li-ion batteries can be dangerous, however, the chances are very slim. If your phone is warm while you’re charging, you should disconnect the charger.
Counterfeit chargers are an issue to consider. If you don’t use a manufacturer-approved cable, you could damage your phone. To charge your phone more effectively, you must buy authorized and branded chargers.
Tip: Your phone will charge at half the speed if the screen is on or if there are apps running in the background. Put your phone in airplane mode if you want it to charge quicker. It is always faster to use a wall plug to charge your phone than using your car or computer charger.
Myth 4: My battery will last forever if I charge it properly
We have to accept that our batteries need to be replaced as they are the weakest part of our phone and can only last for a short period of time without a charge. and have a limited lifespan.
If you still have enough life left, you may only be able to use 60 percent of your phone’s capacity, because the batteries lose their capacity when they’re old. If you find that your phone’s battery wears out too fast, consider replacing it to give it a longer lifespan.
Charging tip: Li-ion batteries don’t like being low or high. It is believed that keeping your phone’s battery to less than 80 percent most of the time is the best way to promote its longevity.
Myth 5: Killing apps saves power
This is not true, and it’s also bad advice. If you kill and restart apps, you are using more resources and power than if you keep the app in the background.
