Help Nexus S - Does battery ever fully charge?

[meso100]

My Nexus is just over a day old and the last two full charges only ever get the battery to 95% but the phone says CHARGED. If I unplug the charger it shows 95% and plug back in it says CHARGING for a moment then CHARGED again.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is there anything I can do?

Thanks

 

[rborelli]

I'm using Battery Indicator and whenever I unplug mine it's at 97 or 98% never saw it at 100 even though it says charged.

Bob

 

[meso100]

Must be a software glitch huh? Im struggling with this battery as it is and losing 5% immediately doesn't help

 

[rborelli]

I ran a few tests and got about 16-17 hours out of it with moderate use. I don't think it's that bad considering what I do on it. Plus I'm never more than 8-10 hours away from a wall outlet or pc.

Bob

 

[B2L]

This should answer all of your problems with the battery drain. Little did you know that your phone is doing it on purpose. It typically seems like i never see it get to 100% but it's only because it's doing it to help the life of the battery.

Your Battery Gauge Is Lying To You: Everything You Need To Know About Bump Charging And Inconsistent Battery Drain | Android News, Reviews, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets, Tips, Mods, Videos, Tutorials - Android Police

And also

[BUG] Full Charge Oddity, Charge to 100%, Unplug to 97% - xda-developers

 

[meso100]

Fantastic find there! It made very interesting reading and I don't feel there is anything wrong with the phone now.

 

[TrIPpY]

There is definitely something wrong.

I'm on android 2.3.4 although the same bug was also present in 2.3.3

Try the option "standby" under menu apps > development, and then see how it goes...

If you want your screen locked to leave your Nexus S unattended, you have to use the screen off button before the charge reaches 95%. If you unlock the screen at a higher charge percentage, charging will stop when you lock it again. Bottom line: this bug has to do with the screen being on or off if the charge level reaches 95%. If you leave the screen on (locked or not) it does charge the battery fully.

I reported this bug at http://www.nexusshelp.com via the twitter option (although the chat now also works i see). You will land at GalaxySsupport from Samsung but they also support The Nexus S.

Maybe if more people report it at Samsung it might be resolved in the next Android update. Choose the "chat live" cloud icon on the coloured dial.
I found the Nexus S support page via http://www.google.com/nexus which is the official page for the Nexus S.

 

[Deleted User]

There is definitely something wrong.

Yes this is an obvious issue and there is no reason what-so-ever to shut off charging at 96%. Anything anyone says about extending battery life doesn't know s#!T about li-ion technology.

I'm on android 2.3.4 although the same bug was also present in 2.3.3
Try the option "standby" under menu apps > development, and then see how it goes...

I think you mean "keep awake" setting as there is no standby option. And also this old "trick" has been proven to not work...a few minutes after unplugging the charger, the phone will drop back to 96% even if unused. The only way to fully charge the battery is to remove it from the phone and use a seperate charging stand. That will charge it fully to 100% and you can then use it in your phone.

 

[TrIPpY]

The definite difference i see is that it charges to 100% with the i guess it is "keep awake" option on your Nexus S. Mine is set to Dutch language.

That keeps the screen on during charging

Without that option on, the screen goes off as the timeout setting is set. It will then probably be off most of the time when the charge level reaches 95% (unless you are using it) and then it will stop charging.


I don't have the same issue that after a full (until 100% charge) the charge drops real fast (a couple of percent) after unplugging like you have. Maybe that is because i found out the issue real early after I started using the phone and started using the workaround i just mentioned.

I would advice people to try the workaround, and if they have the same issue as you, that it is resolved after a couple of really full charges.

 

[heat57]

I have had my Nexus S for 5 weeks now and in that period of time it never reach the 100% charge. It always finishes charging at 95% and sometimes 96%. I thought this was only an issue with my device. Clearly not. Google/Samsung need to sort this out!

 

[meat]

Any issues with your phones heating up?

 

[heat57]

Any issues with your phones heating up?

Not really under normal usage (background services running, making calls, using google online, etc.). It will get warm 'to the touch' when I'm in car mode and have Sat-Nav running with bluetooth running at the same time, but never 'hot'.

 

[Deleted User]

The definite difference i see is that it charges to 100% with the i guess it is "keep awake" option on your Nexus S. Mine is set to Dutch language.

Maybe the language setting has something to do with it working or not. I have mine set to the default US English settings and this trick definitely does not work. I've also tried another trick about enabling tethering while charging and that doesn't even get to 100% on my phone, it stops at 96%.

 

[Deleted User]

Any issues with your phones heating up?

As heat57 said, mine doesn't heat up. It does get warm when heavily used like running navigation, but it never gets too hot to handle. I would be concerned if your phone is getting really "hot" rather than just fairly warm.

 

[TrIPpY]

Maybe the language setting has something to do with it working or not. I have mine set to the default US English settings and this trick definitely does not work.

That could also have to do with the fact that the Nexus S that is sold in US (probably the same one as in Canada, being the i9020, with super amoled screen) is different from the one that is sold in some European countries (the i9023, with the ips lcd screen). I wouldn't have expected that there would be a difference in that aspect.

 

[TrIPpY]

If the "keep awake" only option does not work, try this one (other thread on androidforums.com):

http://androidforums.com/nexus-s/333649-battery-concern.html#post2939475

 

[truc]

I think i've found a solution for the nexus s 100% full charge bug. When charging my phone for the last 4 nights I activate the clock app and let it charge for 6-8 hours in the morning its at 100% full charge every time!
let me know if this works for anyone else.