Help Overnight Charging Battery Drain

[Mr. Right]

Motorola Milestone user here. I posted this yesterday in the appropriate section, but I figured this issue might apply to other phones as well. Sorry for the lenght but I thought I'd cover all bases...

Anyway here's what happens when I charge my phone overnight. Let's say my battery is at 80%:

1. Turn off Wifi
2. All tasks killed except for Alarm Clock. Sometimes I run the Music Player but it doesn't make a difference with the battery drain issue whether I use it or not.
3. Background data is not enabled
4. The "Stay Awake" (Screen will never sleep while charging) option in the "Applications" menu is NOT CHECKED
5. Auto-brightness is not selected, and brightness is set at the lowest level.
6. Data Roaming (connect to data services when roaming) is not selected
7. Bluetooth not on
8. Charge the phone - I see the animated lightning bolt icon
9. Press the "sleep" button for the screen, or, allow it to naturally go dark after 30s

So, I wake up and see the following:
1. Battery down from 80% to 70%
2. Corporate Calendar is listed as a task when I run Advanced Task Tiller. I don't know why this appears. It's not running, though. I haven't even set it up. If I ever click on the icon I'm asked for Exchange Server info, so it's not even active. This is a side issue, but annoying. Same goes for the new Yahoo Mail app but I don't seem to be able to adjust settings for these.
3. Major battery use stats are something like 66% Display, 24% Android System.
4. After unplugging and letting the phone sit for an hour while I wake up and get ready for work, the major battery use categories are Phone Idle and Cell Standby (as expected).

What's going on here? If I could resolve this issue I would be happy with my phone, but this is riduculous. I can't even use a docking station for fear of my phone draining overnight WHILE CHARGING!!

Other tidbits to factor in:
1. I have an Otterbox hard case, but whether I take it off or not makes no difference. I thought something might be pressing a button on its own but this doesn't appear to be the case.
2. "Use Only 2G networks" NOT selected. It says this saves the battery but it appears that "Display" is my biggest problem anyway.

 

[gwlaw99]

1.Some android phones stop charging once they hit 100% and from then on battery is being used.
2. Battery stats reset after you nplug the phone.

 

[Mr. Right]

1.Some android phones stop charging once they hit 100% and from then on battery is being used.
2. Battery stats reset after you nplug the phone.

Yeah, I get the battery state resetting - that's a good thing. I helps me identify the major overnight draining "category".

But as for reaching 100% and then draining the battery? I obviously believe you, but that's insane! Who would design such a thing?!? Can it be fixed? Are there any useful apps I can install to monitor/pinpoint these issues?

Thanks for your help.

 

[gwlaw99]

Yeah, I get the battery state resetting - that's a good thing. I helps me identify the major overnight draining "category".

But as for reaching 100% and then draining the battery? I obviously believe you, but that's insane! Who would design such a thing?!? Can it be fixed? Are there any useful apps I can install to monitor/pinpoint these issues?

Thanks for your help.

I think it has to do with damage that can be done by chargine at 100%. I use an external battery charger.

 

[cyaiphone]

Yeah, I get the battery state resetting - that's a good thing. I helps me identify the major overnight draining "category".

But as for reaching 100% and then draining the battery? I obviously believe you, but that's insane! Who would design such a thing?!? Can it be fixed? Are there any useful apps I can install to monitor/pinpoint these issues?

Thanks for your help.

In today's world, alot of smartphones, once the battery is fully charged the battery stops charging. This is actually doing you a favor. It prevents your battery from being overcharged and eventually a piece of crap that no longer holds any chargers

 

[Mr. Right]

In today's world, alot of smartphones, once the battery is fully charged the battery stops charging. This is actually doing you a favor. It prevents your battery from being overcharged and eventually a piece of crap that no longer holds any chargers

OK, but when does it start re-charging? Never? When you unplug it and plug it back in? By this logic, if I left my phone plugged in for 24 hours it would be dead.

Again: my battery was at 80%, I woke up and it was at 70%. Now, one of these things happened:

1. It charged to 100% and then dropped to 70%, despite no wifi, or anything else running. If it was in my docking station (alarm clock) it would have gone down to 50%
2. It didn't charge (unlikely, as I saw the animated lightning bolt).
3. The calibration of the battery reader is off.
4. Something else?

I'm open to any suggestion. Should I remove the battery? When? How? In what sequence of events?

Is there an app that can help me? (True battery level and drain over time). I've read up on some but there are differing opinions on whether they're any good or not.

Thanks again for your attention to this...it's really disheartening.

 

[Mr. Right]

Update:

OK, last night I installed Juiceplotter, and while I know it might not be 100% accurate, it's good enough.

Anyway, here's the timeline of results:

- I started charging when the phone was at 50%
- 45 minutes later, my phone reached 100% charge (I was asleep by then)
- The phone maintained a 100% charge (trickle to 100%?) for 2.5 hours.
- The phone then proceeded to discharge from 100% to 80% over the next 1.5 hours. No apps other than the alarm clock (and JuicePlotter) were running. I know Juiceplotter didn't drain the battery because this happened all the time before I installed it.
- I unplugged the phone and re-charged immediately, and the phone reached 100% during the 30 minutes it took for me to get ready for work.
- The phone's been in my pocket all morning, in an office tower, with a charge (still) of 100%.

I realize that the phones apparently protect against overcharging but can anyone answer me this:

How is it that the phone can maintain a charge of 100% ALL MORNING, while unplugged, but plugging the phone into a charger leads to battery drain after 100% is reached?!??!

Something is really screwy here...this is riduculous. Am I wrong?

 

[gasperloborec]

Hello

You are not alone. I have the same exact problem. I switch to Motorola Milestone Android 2.1 from Windows Mobile and I was very happy to have a phone in my hand again but bug with alarm clock and overnight battery drain in flight mode really piss me off. For alarm I will try now with "Load Monitor" app but no true solution for battery draining??

Is there any ideas at all??

Thanks

Gasper

 

[LifeInAnalog]

...I've been leaving my phone plugged in overnight, sometimes on, sometimes off and it always is ready at 100% for me in the morning...so I'm not sure what is happening with yours. Is the phone just not reading the battery properly? Defective battery? Probably not that, since it holds the charge fine for you over the course of a normal morning.

Can chargers be defective at all, or is all the responsibility in the phones software?

 

[TelusMilestone]

...I've been leaving my phone plugged in overnight, sometimes on, sometimes off and it always is ready at 100% for me in the morning...so I'm not sure what is happening with yours. Is the phone just not reading the battery properly? Defective battery? Probably not that, since it holds the charge fine for you over the course of a normal morning.

Can chargers be defective at all, or is all the responsibility in the phones software?

I get the exact same result. It's always at 100% when I wake up, whether I use the dock or not. The battery does stay at 100% when I don't turn the screen on for the morning. My battery seems to be lasting a day and a half. Sometimes it will be at 60-70% when I get home after a 9 hour day. I have been charging my phone on more then off and it seems now that the battery is lasting longer, and I do not know why. Usually the battery charging off is much better for it and would last longer in most cases. Do not use the phone while is charging. Those stupid car chargers suck as well, your better off to get a inverter and use the wall plug!

 

[gasperloborec]

Hello again

I don't kno what was wrong with my battery, but yesterday I update my 2.1 with new update packet and tonight was the first night my battery stays loaded as it was when I went to sleep. Also my Alarm-clock in the morning was accurate on-time as it was set.
Update obviusly help, hope so

http://androidforums.com/motorola-milestone/176852-latest-2-1-update-15-9-2010-a.html

Greetings

 

[Deleted User]

I am having the same issue. I left my phone plugged in overnight and in the morning the phone was drained to about 5%. I did notice that it was charging, at first the power would increase but after leaving it for a while the power would drop.

Any help would be appreciated.