This article was co-authored by Josef Storzi and by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Josef Storzi is an Apple and Mobile Phone Repair Specialist and the Owner of Imobile LA, a mobile phone repair company based in Los Angeles, California. Josef specializes in repairing screens, charging ports, batteries, water damage, speakers, and microphones on all mobile phone brands including Apple, Samsung, LG, Nokia, and Sony. He also specializes in tablet, laptop, and computer repairs as well as the pros and cons of recent mobile software updates.
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When cell phone batteries have reached their limit or are left discharged for a long period of time, they eventually lose their ability to hold a charge. If your phone battery dies, there's no harm in trying to revive it before you throw it away. You've got nothing to lose! The battery may just need a little push to make it functional. This wikiHow article shows you a few ways that you can revive a cell phone battery.
Things You Should Know
- Make sure the outlet, your charging cable, and adapter work before blaming the battery.
- If all those things work, but your battery is not charging, you might need to replace your battery.
- Many older cell phones have removable batteries that you can easily revive by putting them in the freezer or jump-starting them with household batteries.
Steps
Jump-starting a Removable Battery
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1Gather your materials. First, gather a 9-volt battery (any brand will do), electric tape (you’ll need no more than five inches), and electrical wire (basic thin electrical wire will do, but red (+) and black (-) are preferred).
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2Cover the connections with electric tape. Take note of which wires go to which terminals of the battery, as not to connect a positive side to a negative.
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3Connect the wire coming from the positive terminal of the cell phone battery to the positive terminal of the 9-volt battery.
- Do the same with the negative wire.
- Do not connect opposite polarity, positive to negative, because this can short out your cell phone battery.
- Most cell phone batteries have more than two terminals, use the ones that are furthest from each other, or the ones on the outside. The center terminals are not to be used.
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4Secure the connection of the wires and the terminals of the batteries with electrical tape.
- Place them in a cool, dry place, away from any water or heat.
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5Leave the connection for up to a minute or until your cell phone battery gets slightly warm. You should check the battery every 10-seconds or so for heat.
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6Remove the connections once the cell phone battery gets a little warm to touch.
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7Insert the cell phone battery back into your phone and check to see if your phone powers on.
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8Check the battery level once your phone is on. If the level is low, plug the phone into a charger and wait until it is fully charged.
Freezing a Removable Battery
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1Remove the battery from your phone.
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2Place it inside a sealed plastic bag in addition to a sealed plastic container. This will prevent it from getting wet.
- Do not use paper bags or foils as water can easily penetrate these materials.
- For the sealed plastic container, think of a Glad or Rubbermaid container.
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3Place the sealed battery inside the freezer and leave it overnight or at least 12 hours.
- By exposing the battery to low temperatures such as the inside of a freezer, it allows the battery cells to recharge a little, enough to hold sufficient charge to be connected to a phone charger.
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4Remove the battery from the freezer. Allow it to warm up to room temperature.
- Do NOT use the battery while it’s still cold.
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5Wipe any moisture off of the battery.
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6Insert it back into your phone but leave the device off. Plug the phone into the proper charger and allow the device to charge for 48 hours.
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7After the device has charged for 48 hours, turn the device on and check the battery's power level. You may find that your once-dead battery is revived, and is now able to hold a charge again.
Expert Q&A
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QuestionWhat should I do if my phone has water damage?Josef StorziJosef Storzi is an Apple and Mobile Phone Repair Specialist and the Owner of Imobile LA, a mobile phone repair company based in Los Angeles, California. Josef specializes in repairing screens, charging ports, batteries, water damage, speakers, and microphones on all mobile phone brands including Apple, Samsung, LG, Nokia, and Sony. He also specializes in tablet, laptop, and computer repairs as well as the pros and cons of recent mobile software updates.
Apple & Mobile Phone Repair SpecialistThe first thing to do for any electronic device that has liquid damage is to remove its power source. This will stop your device from becoming damaged further. For phones, this includes both the charger and the battery. In many cases removing all power sources successfully may prevent damage from occurring to your device. For many newer devices, the battery is not user-removable. In cases where the battery is not user-removable visit your local repair shop as soon as possible in order to have the device professionally disassembled and inspected. -
QuestionWill putting my phone in rice fix water damage?Josef StorziJosef Storzi is an Apple and Mobile Phone Repair Specialist and the Owner of Imobile LA, a mobile phone repair company based in Los Angeles, California. Josef specializes in repairing screens, charging ports, batteries, water damage, speakers, and microphones on all mobile phone brands including Apple, Samsung, LG, Nokia, and Sony. He also specializes in tablet, laptop, and computer repairs as well as the pros and cons of recent mobile software updates.
Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist -
QuestionWhat can you do if the battery has expanded?Community AnswerIf the battery is bulging, consider getting a new battery. Using the bulging battery can cause damage to your device and other unwanted problems.
Warnings
- Do not leave your phone battery connected to a 9-volt battery. Doing so may cause it to explode.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Your battery may explode as well if you leave it inside the freezer for too long. Remember that extreme hot and cold temperatures are bad for batteries.⧼thumbs_response⧽