- by Bryan Veldboom - updated on 7/26/2022
You rely on your cell phone for an enormous number of things, from streaming music, to providing directions when you're driving somewhere new. The ability to power all those applications comes from your phone's lithium-ion battery. Lithium batteries cram a lot of energy into a small, lightweight unit, giving you the power to run a variety of different apps.
Unfortunately, like all batteries, lithium-ion types don't last forever and a typical lifespan is roughly two to three years, or around 300-500 charge cycles. Here are a few warning signs that your cell phone battery is starting to run down, as well as helpful tips on how to check your cell phone battery's health.
Here are some of the most common symptoms of a dying cell phone battery:
If you're using an iPhone 6 or newer model (running on iOS 11.3 or newer) there's an easy way to check your battery's status directly. Simply select "Settings," then "Battery," followed by "Battery Health." The Battery Health screen will display the following information:
If you have a Samsung phone, you can check your battery health using an app called "Samsung Members."
Unfortunately, not all other Android phones have a built-in way to check for battery health, although they do provide you with a list of the apps that have consumed the most power since your last full charge. While this won't help you check your battery's current performance, it is a useful way to track your power usage in order to get the most life out of a healthy battery.
It's important to remember that most cell phone batteries aren't like the alkaline batteries found in a flashlight or remote; you can't simply pop them out in order to replace them. Unless you know exactly what you're doing, it's best to seek the services of a professional. Otherwise, you're likely to damage your phone.
Once you know that you need a new battery, where can you go to replace it? Batteries Plus offers professional cell phone battery installation for all major brands, including Apple iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and more. Our technicians are WISE-certified professionals who can perform most battery replacements in less than an hour. Plus, we back up our work with a 6-month national warranty.
We also offer additional cell phone repair services, including screen replacement, back glass repair, and additional fixes for malfunctioning cameras, buttons, ports, and speakers. Batteries Plus is also a Samsung Independent Service Provider. That means that we repair Samsung phones using official Samsung parts (Samsung parts are used at participating locations when parts are available). Learn more about the Samsung Independent Service Provider Program, or find your nearest Batteries Plus location online.
Want to learn more about maintaining your phone? You'll find plenty of useful information in our blog. Some of our most popular articles include "How Do I Stop My iPhone from Restarting?" and "Is It Worth Upgrading to a 5G Phone?"