[Basilcat]

Hi there, I had a Blackberry that recently developed a battery problem so I sent it back and got a new one to replace it, only to find the new one has got the same problem!!! Basically the problem is that the phone is still showing it is half charged up and then a message appears on the screen saying the battery is drained, and then it powers off!! Any ideas what I can do or how I can rectify this problem would be appreciated. Thanks

BasilCat

[Dubdub]

Did you get a new OEM battery or a cheap knockoff?

[Basilcat]

The battery came with the phone. Its a Blue striped thing with Blackberry written on it and C-S2 with a small pic of a lock next to it. As far as I am aware, its not a cheap knock off.

BC

[Dubdub]

Do you let either run down past 20% on a regular basis? That can damage lithium batteries.

How long does it work on battery power - a day? a few hours?

The indication could be a theme problem, not a battery problem - meaning the battery is actually out but the theme doesn't indicate it correctly.

[Basilcat]

Well I have only had the phone since Tuesday night. Charged it up Tuesday night - it took a couple of hours as it was part charged to start with, and on Wednesday it cut off with about half the battery left at 7.15pm. The phone had been left on overnight I will say.

Then I charged the phone up from 10pm Wednesday till about 2am Thursday and unplugged it when I went down stairs to sleep on the sofa. The phone was off for the rest of the night though and it was fully charged when I unplugged it at 2am.

The yesterday, Thursday, the phone cut off again when approx 1/4 of the battery was left.

But no, I dont usually let the battery run down past 20% at all. Never have done. Didnt with my other Blackberry or any other phones come to that.

As it stands, the phone seems to last about 12 hours on Battery power. Although I seem to remember the first Blackberry I got in January lasted longer.

I see what you are saying about the theme problem. My daughter has got a Blackberry too and when her battery is getting low, the phone buzzes and tells her the battery is low. Not like mine that just says the battery is drained, then cuts off.

Anything I can do about this or do I have to go back to the shop with it again!!

Thank you.

Basilcat

[Dubdub]

12 hours isn't all that bad. What apps do you have running - i.e. Facebook, twitter, etc.? Those are constantly checking for updates.

This from our FAQ might help: Maximum Battery Life - BlackBerryFAQ

[Basilcat]

Ok I do have Facebook and Twitter. I meant to say earlier that I took the phone off charge this morning at 9am and am waiting to see what happens later this evening. So far the battery is about 1/4 gone and its now 16.36pm here in the uk. I have not used the phone that much today though, just sent a couple of texts and DMs at Twitter. I dont bring up webpages that often, just now and again.

I will go and check out your Blackberry FAQ.

BC

[Basilcat]

Thanks for the link. I have now read up about batteries and will keep in mind what it said. I will let you know later, or tomorrow, what time the phone powers off without giving me a low battery warning.

BC

[Dubdub]

I always keep mine plugged in when working or near a computer. Lithium batteries seem to do better when they are kept topped off. Can't over charge them.

[Basilcat]

Ok I will do that. I was worried they would be over charged or something. It is now 7pm by the way and the battery is almost half gone so it could cut out at any time. I will let you know when it does.

Thanks
BC

[Basilcat]

Right, the battery has cut the phone dead at 8.15pm!! This time it just died, it did not even give me the message that the battery had drained!!! So it went from 9am till 8.15pm and I have not over used it or anything. Needless to say I am extremely fed up. I had only used half of the battery. I am not going to be very popular at the phone shop tomorrow!!

BC

[Dubdub]

Sounds like its working as it should.

[Basilcat]

You mean its NOT working as it should.

BC

[tsac]

Sometimes an App will run and it wont be obvious. I had a App the used the GPS and unknown to me it ran all the time. My battery died within 8 hours. I deleted the App and the problem went away. Also facebook and other social apps can drain the battery if they are checking for updates or new messages all the time.

[NJBlackBerry]

I've observed on my 9700 that Twitter, in particular, consumes a lot of power.
Perhaps uninstall it and see if the overall battery life is better. I uninstalled FB a long time ago and didn't put it back on as battery life is more important to me than social networking.

[Basilcat]

Hi tsac, Thanks for your message. Yes maybe an app has been running all the time, I agree with you there. I can understand that the battery would lose its power fairly quickly if this is the case. However, no matter what app has been running and using the power, it still shouldnt be showing that only half the battery power is gone, then tell me its drained and cut off dead. Anyway the phone has gone back for "Repair" and they will send me a replacement in about 10 days. I really hope that this next one doesnt have the same problem or I will be hacked off about it. Thanks for you comments anyway.

BC

[Basilcat]

Hi NJBlackberry, Yes probably Twitter and Facebook do use a lot of power. Although, as I said above, the phone still shouldnt tell me the battery is drained when the battery icon is showing that there is still half the battery left. My daughter has got a Blackberry Curve and when her battery is getting low, it turns to orange and she gets a warning of a low battery when it is almost done. Anyway we will now have to see what happens with the next new phone I get in a couple of weeks. I will be dreading it cutting off again!!

BC

[NJBlackBerry]

What kind of theme are you using?
Is it a standard or custom theme?

[tsac]

Another thought, in Dubdub's previous post it was suggested the LI battery would do better if kept charged and not be to allowed to be fully drained. They may recover initially but after repeated draining they will get to a point and seem to drop very quick. It may help to purchase a new battery. Just make sure its a Blackberry OEM battery.