Android smartphones and bad battery life is a never-ending love affair. Despite the efforts of smartphone companies to improve battery performance through software optimization, adding features such as optimized charging, and using energy-efficient chipsets like Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, users just can’t help but grumble about their Android phone’s battery life.
Users often complain that their Android device discharges very quickly or their phone unexpectedly shutdowns in the middle of the day. The reason behind, quite often, this is the fact that the battery of their Android smartphone isn’t calibrated properly. In such cases, the displayed battery percentage fails to align with the actual charge level.
Therefore, in this article, we will learn more about battery calibration on Android — why it’s such a big deal, its benefits, and look at three easy ways to calibrate the battery of your Android device.
What is Battery Calibration?
Android offers an easy way to check the battery percentage of your device. However, prolonged usage of the device can cause the battery to deteriorate, resulting in reduced capacity compared to when it was new. Unfortunately, many a time, Android doesn’t consider this degradation, leading to inaccurate battery level readings on your device.
There’s a mismatch between the actual battery capacity and the percentage shown on your device. By calibrating the battery of your Android smartphone, you can force the Android OS to take this degradation into account and rectify the displayed battery percentage. The recalibration process ensures that your device reflects the actual battery levels accurately once more.
It’s worth noting that battery calibration doesn’t improve the battery life of your Android smartphone. Instead, it makes sure the percentage displayed reflects the battery’s actual condition. If your smartphone is relatively new, or you haven’t encountered any irregularities with your battery stats, chances are that you don’t need to recalibrate the battery of your smartphone.
But, in case you’re experiencing unexpected shutdowns in the middle of the day or a sudden decline in your smartphone’s battery when it’s around the 10% mark, then it might be a good idea to calibrate your battery. Samsung offers an easy way to recalibrate the battery of its Galaxy smartphones. If, however, you own an Android smartphone from any other brand, fret not; we’ve detailed the steps for them as well:
How to Calibrate the Battery on Samsung Galaxy Phones?
Here’s how you can reset the battery statistics on your Samsung smartphone:
- Use your smartphone until it reaches 5%, and do not connect to the charger.
- Open the Phone app on your device and enter this code: *#0228#.
- Now select Quick Start > OK.
- Wait for the display to turn back on, then check if the battery percentage has gone down.
- Charge your phone to 100%. Do not unplug in between.
- Once the battery reaches 100%, turn off your phone. Now switch it on again and disconnect it from the charger.
- Repeat the above steps two or three times for best results.
- Plug the charger back in, and turn on the phone with the battery at 100%.
- Next, open the Phone app and enter this code: *#9900#.
- Scroll down until you find “batterystats.bin reset” button.
- Tap on it and restart your phone.
That’s it. The battery percentage should now be more in line with the actual battery capacity of your Galaxy device. If, however, you own a device from a brand other than Samsung, follow these steps:
Three Ways to Calibrate the Battery on Android
Manual Calibration
The best way to calibrate the battery of your Android smartphone is to manually reset the stats. Here’s how you can do it:
- Use your phone until it powers off on its own.
- Switch it back on and wait for it to turn off again.
- Connect your phone to a charger and do not switch it on. Let it charge in the power-off state until 100%.
- Once the phone reaches 100%, turn it on. It’s likely that the battery indicator will show a percentage below 100%. In this case, reconnect the charger while keeping your phone on, and continue charging until it shows 100%.
- Once it reaches 100%, disconnect it from the charger and reboot your phone. If the battery indicator still shows a percentage below 100%, repeat the steps above until it shows 100%.
- Again, use your phone until it reaches 0% and powers off on its own.
- Finally, charge your phone once again without disconnecting it in between, and now your phone will show the actual battery readings.
Use a Third-Party App
If you don’t want to follow the manual process, you can consider using a third-party app to reset the battery statistics of your smartphone. There are several apps available on the Google Play Store that can help with calibration. However, many users have reported that these apps are less effective than manual calibration. Even so, if you’re interested in exploring them before going for manual calibration, here are some of the recommended apps:
Reset Your Device
If nothing works, it’s best to factory reset your smartphone. Remember, this should be used as a last resort when all the other methods fail. also, just make sure you back up your device before performing a factory reset.
Lastly, it’s important to note that this process should not be performed frequently, as excessive calibration (full charging and discharging cycles) can be detrimental to the battery of your smartphone. Only rely on the methods mentioned above if the battery is behaving strangely. If calibration is required more often, it likely indicates a more serious issue (you might need to get that battery replaced).
-
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
The new Galaxy S23 Ultra is the go-to flagship from Samsung in 2023. It’s powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, carries the same price tag as its predecessor, and has improved gaming and camera capabilities to let you capture the perfect moment.
-
Samsung Galaxy S23+
The Samsung Galaxy S23+ provides an ideal blend of top-tier specifications, features, and affordability. It ships with a big 6.6-inch AMOLED display, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, and a triple camera array that’s proven itself to be reliable in any scenario.
-
OnePlus 11
Featuring a large 6.7-inch AMOLED LTPO 3.0 display and powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the OnePlus 11 is one of the best Android flagships you can buy right now. It also comes with a Hasselblad- tuned camera system and a big 5,000 mAh battery that supports fast charging.
