Ever felt like your Android phone’s battery keeps dying as soon as you step out? Fortunately, there are several ways to check and monitor your Android battery health.
Your phone’s battery health refers to the overall status or lifespan of your phone's battery, and it degrades over time the more you use and charge it. Battery health is measured in cycles, with each charge from 0 to 100% counting as one cycle. Since all phone batteries are typically lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries, they have a finite number of cycles.
It's important to keep track of your Android battery health because it determines how long the battery (and your phone) will last per charging cycle. For example, a Samsung Galaxy Note9 has a 4,000mAh battery capacity. At 100% battery health, your phone will hold 4,000mAh when charged to full. However, as you use it over time, its health degrades, and it might drop to 90%, which means that even when your phone is at full charge, you're not going to get the full 4,000mAh. This is why it often feels like your phone runs out of charge faster than it did when you first bought it. You may have to replace the battery or the entire device once the battery health drops past a certain point.
This guide will go over a few simple ways to check your Android battery status, diagnose any possible issues, and make your battery last longer.
Checking your Android battery capacity is vital for the long-term usability of your phone. This is even more important for people who prefer to buy and sell used cell phones. Unlike an iPhone, Android devices don’t have a very straightforward way to do this. However, here are some different ways to keep up with your battery information:
While Android phones provide some basic battery information in their settings menu, they do not have a built-in way of checking battery health. Instead, you can glimpse the battery usage by following these steps:
If you own a Samsung phone, here's how you can do a battery health check:
Android smartphones have secret codes, identification numbers, and hidden diagnostic test menus that users can access by entering sequences of numbers, hashes, and asterisks into the dial pad in their Phone app.
To test an Android phone’s battery health, you should:
While this page won't give you detailed information on battery health, it does provide a summary of your phone battery status and a rating of your battery health. A rating of "Good" means there are no significant issues with the battery. It's also beneficial to monitor the battery temperature on this page. Ensure it stays below 90°F to avoid overheating.
However, remember that not all Android hardware test codes work across all Android devices. Research your specific device if you’re having trouble with the test codes.
Consider third-party apps like AccuBattery for gaining an in-depth analysis of your phone's battery. AccuBattery is one of the best-rated Android apps available on the Google Play Store. It is divided into four tabs: ‘Charging,’ ‘Discharging,’ ‘Health,’ and ‘History.’
To check your phone battery health after downloading AccuBattery, follow these steps:
The longer you use your phone, the more accurate and insightful AccuBattery's information will be. Usually, battery health above 80% is considered good. However, once it drops down past the 70% range and starts showing signs of a failing battery (mentioned below), you should consider replacing it with a new one.
The ‘Health’ tab also includes a ‘Battery Wear’ and ‘Battery Capacity’ section. The ‘Battery Wear’ section uses a bar graph to show how much damage or "wear" your battery has sustained daily. As per AccuBattery, Android users should take their phones off charging at 80% to slow down the battery's wear over time.
The ‘Battery Capacity’ section assesses battery capacity data, compares it to the design capacity, and calculates a percentage — indicated under the ‘Battery Health’ section.
For more accurate information, you can look at the ‘Charging’ tab, which includes how long your phone will remain on at its current battery percentage. This tab also shows live statistics such as charging speed and battery temperature while your phone is charging.
The ‘Discharging’ tab provides information on your Android phone battery health while it's not charging. It shows live statistics on how fast the battery life drains, which apps use the most power, and more.
The ‘History’ tab can show your phone's previous charging data to understand better the changes in battery health over time.
Lastly, you can check your Android phone's battery health with a complete device history report. This method is typically used (and especially beneficial) for people buying or selling used phones.
The entire process takes under 2 minutes, and your report will include information regarding:
Your device history report also checks battery health, amongst other things. It can find out what a device is really worth, so don't buy a used device without a Phonecheck Certified History Report!
Below are some common symptoms of failing battery life to look for on an Android phone:
As you use your phone, its battery is bound to degrade with time.
However, you can follow these helpful tips below to prolong the battery health on your phone:
So we've covered everything you need to know about monitoring your Android phone battery health and slowing down its degradation. Following the tips mentioned above can help you find out what is wrong with your phone battery — so you can fix it and get the most value out of the phone possible.
Remember that less drainage means fewer recharges and better battery health.
However, if your phone feels hot to touch or you notice any other symptoms of a failing Android battery, it might be time to swap it out for a new one.
If you're looking to buy or sell a used Android smartphone, we recommend getting a complete device history report first, which includes in-depth battery health information. Avoid costly hidden problems by purchasing a history report on phonecheck.com for about the cost of a cup of coffee. Request your demo now!
