Help Phone resets to 1999 when battery dies and no signal?

[ergalthema]

When I take my phone backpacking, I usually start the next day with a new battery. There usually isn't signal when I wake up. The time will be incorrect, which sucks because I want to know what time it is. And any pics I take that morning will have a timestamp of 1999 and the wrong time.

Is that normal?

 

[txrose72]

A cell phone with no signal will use more power because it sets its transmit power to maximum when it searches for a cell site. I don't believe cell phones have internal batteries to keep their clock running when the battery dies like a PC. IMO what your GN does under those conditions is normal. I would suggest you either put the phone in the airplane mode to keep the battery from running down so fast or power it down. It should keep the internal clock running as long as the battery is not dead.

 

[ergalthema]

Thanks. Even if my battery doesn't completely die, I will still want to switch out the battery. I wonder if the clock will reset in the time it takes to do that, if I avoid the battery completely draining overnight.

 

[gtbarry]

What phone do you have? Android version?

On my phone, I swap batteries fairly regularly. And it resets with the normal time when I see the lock screen. But, it is also usually on a wifi signal or mobile data signal when it is powering back on. Battery is out no more than a minute when I do this.

 

[mogelijk]

One thought for you is to buy an external battery charger for you phone, that way you won't need to swap out a battery but instead just plug in your phone at night. I know Monoprice has some good external chargers for around $30. I have a 5200 mAh battery with a build in LED flashlight that has worked well that they sell for just under $30.

It would also be a good idea, as was mentioned, to put your phone in Airplane mode when you know you are in areas with no cell signal. The phone will use up battery quickly when in areas with poor coverage as it attempts to stay connected.

 

[ergalthema]

One thought for you is to buy an external battery charger for you phone, that way you won't need to swap out a battery but instead just plug in your phone at night.

I'm talking about backpacking in the backcountry - no electrical outlets out there yet. Really, your suggestion doesn't make much sense even with electricity. I appreciate you trying to help though.

 

[mogelijk]

I'm talking about backpacking in the backcountry - no electrical outlets out there yet. Really, your suggestion doesn't make much sense even with electricity. I appreciate you trying to help though.

It doesn't require any electricity, the chargers I'm talking about are batteries. At home you connect them to electricity and charge them, in the wilderness (without access to electricity) you connect the battery charger to your phone with a USB cable and the battery charger charges your phone. Despite the charger being little more than a battery, the phone thinks it is connected to an electrical outlet.

The external battery charger I linked, with a 5200 mAh battery, should be large enough to top up the power on your phone twice without ever connecting it to an electrical outlet. And in terms of size, the charger/flashlight is roughly 3.75" long, 0.75" thick, and 1.6" wide, and weighs about 4 ounces -- so it is easy to carry with you. It also comes with a carrying case with room for the battery and a USB cable.

 

[ergalthema]

Sorry, my misunderstanding. I'll definitely consider that as an option.

 

[boathead]

my gnex does this too. i noticed also that until i correct the date, i cannot access the play store.

 

[Tim K]

I'm not sure, but If you are concerned about losing date/time you can go into the settings > Date & Time and uncheck "automated date & time". If you have no network connection, the phone has no way to get date/time info. If you manually set the date and time I would think it would hold that info through a battery swap.... probably worth testing before you head out into the wilderness.