View Full Version : Battery Life for Phone??
daveiniowa
03-12-2016, 19:48
How do you make a cell phone battery last longer on the trail? Are there any types of gear I am not aware of? I use my cell a couple times on my section hikes to check in and check weather and for shuttles etc.. I keep it off and only turn it on when I use it. I only have it on for a few minutes. Maybe once every other day or so. After a few days the battery is really low. Maybe I need a new battery? I know nothing on this subject other than what you just read.
soumodeler
03-12-2016, 19:56
Older batteries lose the ability to hold a charge after 2-3 years depending on use. Sometimes it can be sooner. Also, cold temperatures can drain the battery. If the phone is off, and only used for a few minutes a day, you have a problem with your battery.
mmais68569
03-12-2016, 20:38
My phone will last 5-6 days on the trail BUT I only turn it on once a day to check in with my wife. I also call shuttles but do not leave it on all day. I carry a small solar back up battery that will give me 100 min. talk if I need it.
Mike Mr. Mean
Since several years I take an old Nokia with me on all my hikes.
This phone unfortunately has the bad habit to slowly drain the battery, even if switched off. Maybe some kind of low-level short circuit (dirt?).
I replaced the battery - no help.
So when I'm really out of recharging possibility and out of reception for several days, I simply take the battery out. Same old habit goes with headlamp.
colorado_rob
03-13-2016, 14:56
If your battery is indeed replaceable, I would replace it OP. It sounds like it's about worn out.
FWIW, I've never actually tested it, perhaps others have, but my perception at least is that turning a phone off and on is harder on a battery than leaving it on in Airplane mode. In Airplane mode, my phone ( a new one with fresh battery) will last a pretty long time, probably a week if very rarely actually used for anything. In practice, I do take pics with it and read a lot at night (Kindle app) and call or text my wife once every evening and I get about 3-4 days use before recharging with an external battery.
daveiniowa
03-13-2016, 23:58
If your battery is indeed replaceable, I would replace it OP. It sounds like it's about worn out.
FWIW, I've never actually tested it, perhaps others have, but my perception at least is that turning a phone off and on is harder on a battery than leaving it on in Airplane mode. In Airplane mode, my phone ( a new one with fresh battery) will last a pretty long time, probably a week if very rarely actually used for anything. In practice, I do take pics with it and read a lot at night (Kindle app) and call or text my wife once every evening and I get about 3-4 days use before recharging with an external battery.
When you say re charging with external battery, what do you mean? Not sure what an external battery is. Are there ways to charge the phone on the trail or that can only be done in town or from a vehicle?
Also I am curious about these solar chargers. That is something you can pack along? Do they work? Where do I find one? How much are they$? Weight/size?
colorado_rob
03-14-2016, 00:06
When you say re charging with external battery, what do you mean? Not sure what an external battery is. Are there ways to charge the phone on the trail or that can only be done in town or from a vehicle?
Also I am curious about these solar chargers. That is something you can pack along? Do they work? Where do I find one? How much are they$? Weight/size?Solar charges don't work well on trails like the AT; you might get them to work on sunnier western trails.
The external battery I'm talking about is something like this, weighs 7.7 ounces (my unit's actual weight):
http://www.amazon.com/Anker-10000mAh-Portable-Gerneration-Technology/dp/B009USAJCC
You pre-charge it and carry it with you, then plug your phone into it when the phone needs a recharge on the trail. An Anker battery of this size should be good for about 3 phone re-charges, perhaps a tad more, before you have to recharge this Anker battery. The Anker external battery charges just like a phone charges (same cord/plug unit), but takes longer, like overnight at a trail hostel or hotel.
Gambit McCrae
03-14-2016, 07:33
I listen to music, text people, use my phone for the guthook app, I read my nook app, take pictures, use the flashlight, call shuttle driver all from my iphone 6 plus. My battery lasts about a day and night. I have a 12000 MaH Mophie Battery cell I think I gave 50 bucks for and it will charge my phone 6 times. It has a smart chip in it so it auto turns off after my phone is fully charged.
daveiniowa
03-14-2016, 20:44
Thanks so much hikers! I think I will buy a new battery and one of these external battery's for my next section. I knew there had to be a way.
Slo-go'en
03-14-2016, 21:34
Thanks so much hikers! I think I will buy a new battery and one of these external battery's for my next section. I knew there had to be a way.
There are various degrees of "off" for a cell phone. Tapping the power button to blank the screen doesn't turn it off, it just puts it into a stand-by mode. If the "Airplane" mode isn't engaged, it will continue to ping cell towers to let them know where you are should a call be directed your way.
"Apps" can also continue running in the background unless you manually turn them off. All these things conspire to run down your battery. At home when you can recharge regularly this is not a problem and keeps the phone ready for use at all times. Out on the trail you want a more complete shutdown.
The first thing to do is make sure airplane mode is turned on and that Wi-Fi is turned off. The same goes with DATA and GPS. Activate these things only when you need to use them and turn them off as soon as your done.
Holding down the power button for a few seconds will enable the full shut down mode which turns everything off. Typically a pop up will ask if you really want to do this. If your only using the phone once in a while, this is the best thing to do as the battery will last almost indefinitely turned off this way.
If you don't know how to do these things, read the manual for the phone.
If you have an iPhone, there is a Low Power Mode that you can activate under the Battery option in the phone's settings. This works when your power is getting low and you want to slow the rate of drainage. It will also show you which programs on the phone use the most battery life, which is useful for figuring out where your power is going when you use the phone.
jshannon
03-16-2016, 05:57
You may have bluetooth, wifi, etc turning on when phone is on. There are alot of things to do for battery management and many people also bring an external battery too. See the battery drain section in link below for tips.
http://www.adventurealan.com/iphone-gps-map-backpacking/
Traillium
03-16-2016, 15:19
You may have bluetooth, wifi, etc turning on when phone is on. There are alot of things to do for battery management and many people also bring an external battery too. See the battery drain section in link below for tips.
http://www.adventurealan.com/iphone-gps-map-backpacking/
Good thorough stuff!
Bruce Traillium
FWIW, I've never actually tested it, perhaps others have, but my perception at least is that turning a phone off and on is harder on a battery than leaving it on in Airplane mode.
That's my hunch as well. I stopped turning my phone off while backpacking a couple of years ago without looking back. Seemed like every time I'd turn it back on I'd lose a few percentage of indicated battery remaining. Leaving it in airplane mode allows me to snap a photo immediately and still get several days out of the battery.