Signs you need a new phone, like, now

By Kim Komando The Kim Komando Show

Published February 18, 2024 7:40pm EST

You know by now your phone's battery performance degrades the older it gets. That's just how lithium-ion batteries work, unfortunately. With each charging cycle, they wear down a bit. Eventually, it becomes too big a problem to ignore.

Let's look at the symptoms — and see how to check your battery health.

• Your phone’s battery used to stay charged for over a day. Now, you're looking for an outlet by the afternoon.
• You unplug your phone, only to see the battery level drop quickly, even though you're not doing anything unusual.
• You leave your phone plugged in for hours, but it never returns to a full charge.
• Your phone is off-the-charts hot when it’s charging. You may even notice a physical bulge. Unplug it immediately if this happens, or you risk a fire or worse.

Apple makes it easy

It’s simple to see if your iPhone battery is struggling with a few clicks.

• Open Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging.

At the top, you'll see your battery's maximum capacity. Don't panic if it's below 100%. Your battery’s designed to maintain 80% of its original capacity by 500 charges so that that percentage will tick down over time.

Person holds an iPhone (Fox News Digital)

Under Peak Performance Capability, you'll see whether your battery is operating normally. If it’s seriously degraded, you'll see a message here.

It’s a little trickier on an Android

Most manufacturers have different steps. Here are a few to try:

• Open the Phone app, dial *#*#4636#*#* and look for an option to check your battery health. If you don't see it, try another option.
• On Samsung, open the built-in Samsung Members app. Tap Get Help > Check Android battery health.
• Apps like AccuBattery can provide a good estimate if all else fails.

Sorry, but your laptop battery won't last forever, either. Here’s how to check yours.

Charge better

No matter how old your phone is, a few tips and tricks can help you get the most out of that battery.

Don’t rely on knock-off chargers

High-quality chargers have circuits inside of them that switch off when there’s too much power draw. This protects your phone battery from overcharging, breaking, or overheating.

Heat is your battery’s biggest enemy. Some cheap chargers and cables have even led to fire and injuries. Saving money is excellent, but don’t skimp on quality here.

Phone charging in public (Fox News)

Be careful with power banks

Cheap power banks can ruin your battery over time. Be sure any power bank you use has overcharge protection. If not, you can still use it, but keep an eye out. Once your battery is almost full, unplug it.

It’s best to avoid power banks with quick charge options unless they’re from a reliable brand. Here’s a rule of thumb: Say no if you’ve never heard of it.

Don’t download battery-draining apps

Lithium-ion and lithium-polymer phone batteries only have limited charging cycles before they degrade. This is why most people encounter battery problems after two years of use.

There’s nothing you can do about your battery wearing down eventually, but some things have more of an impact. If you have performance apps that monitor your battery life, they could harm it in the long run. These apps constantly use power to monitor your battery life.

Don’t use your phone while it’s charging

Your phone is at 1%, so you plug it in. Leave it alone! Using your phone while charging can rapidly increase the temperature, putting strain on your battery, screen, and processor.

Take it out of the case

When it comes to charging, phone cases can cause temperature problems. When your phone battery heats up too much, it can cause damage to the rest of your phone. To be safe, take the case off while you charge — especially if you notice your phone heats up while it’s plugged in.

Woman using phone and laptop to book flight (Cyberguy.com)

Signs you need a new phone, like, now

你需要换一部新手机的信号，比如，现在

You know by now your phone's battery performance degrades the older it gets. That's just how lithium-ion batteries work, unfortunately. With each charging cycle, they wear down a bit. Eventually, it becomes too big a problem to ignore.

你知道手机电池的性能会随着使用时间的变成而降低，很不幸的是，锂电池就是这样的。没充一次电，性能就下降一点。最终就变成一个无法忽略的问题。

Let's look at the symptoms — and see how to check your battery health.

让我们看看这些现象，看看如何检查电池的健康状况。

• Your phone’s battery used to stay charged for over a day. Now, you're looking for an outlet by the afternoon.
• 过去你的手机充电后可以用一天以上，现在，你到下午就要找电源插座了。
• You unplug your phone, only to see the battery level drop quickly, even though you're not doing anything unusual.
• 你把掉手机电源，只看到电量很快的下降，尽管你没有做任何异常的事情。
• You leave your phone plugged in for hours, but it never returns to a full charge.
• 你把你的手机放着充电几小时，但一直充不满。
• Your phone is off-the-charts hot when it’s charging. You may even notice a physical bulge. Unplug it immediately if this happens, or you risk a fire or worse.
• 你的手机在充电时异常发热。你甚至可能看到手机有地方凸起。如果发生这种情况，请立即拔下插头，否则将面临火灾或更严重的危险。

Apple makes it easy

苹果让这很简单

It’s simple to see if your iPhone battery is struggling with a few clicks.

只需点击几下，就可以很容易地查看iPhone电池是否有问题。

• Open Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging.
• 打开 设置>电池>电池健康和充电

At the top, you'll see your battery's maximum capacity. Don't panic if it's below 100%. Your battery’s designed to maintain 80% of its original capacity by 500 charges so that that percentage will tick down over time.

在最上面，你可以看到电池的最大容量。如果显示低于100%，不要惊慌。电池的设计为充电500次后保持其原始容量的80%，因此这个百分比会随着时间的推移而下降。

Under Peak Performance Capability, you'll see whether your battery is operating normally. If it’s seriously degraded, you'll see a message here.

在高性能模式下，你可以看到电池是否正常工作，如果电池严重退化，你会在这里看到一条消息。

It’s a little trickier on an Android

在安卓系统上则稍微有点麻烦

Most manufacturers have different steps. Here are a few to try:

大多数制造商的步骤都不太一样。可以尝试下面这些操作：

• Open the Phone app, dial *#*#4636#*#* and look for an option to check your battery health. If you don't see it, try another option.
• 打开手机应用程序，输入****#4636#**#*，然后查找检查电池健康状况的选项。如果没看到，则尝试其他选项。
• On Samsung, open the built-in Samsung Members app. Tap Get Help > Check Android battery health.
• 在三星手机上，打开内置的Samsung Members应用程序，点击 获取帮助 > 检查安卓电池健康
• Apps like AccuBattery can provide a good estimate if all else fails.
• 如果其他方法都失败了，像AccuBattery这样的应用程序可以很好的进行估计。

Sorry, but your laptop battery won't last forever, either. Here’s how to check yours.

抱歉，但你的笔记本电脑电池也不能一直使用。以下是如何来检查您的。（没看懂这句什么意思）

Charge better

更好的充电

No matter how old your phone is, a few tips and tricks can help you get the most out of that battery.

无论你的手机有多旧，一些技巧可以帮助你充分利用电池。

Don’t rely on knock-off chargers

不要依赖仿制充电器

High-quality chargers have circuits inside of them that switch off when there’s too much power draw. This protects your phone battery from overcharging, breaking, or overheating.

高质量的充电器内部有电路，当耗电过多时，电路就会关闭。这可以防止你的手机电池过度充电、损坏或过热。

Heat is your battery’s biggest enemy. Some cheap chargers and cables have even led to fire and injuries. Saving money is excellent, but don’t skimp on quality here.

发热是电池最大的敌人。一些廉价的充电器和电线甚至会导致火灾和人员受伤。省钱很好，但不要在质量上太节省。

Be careful with power banks

小心充电宝

Cheap power banks can ruin your battery over time. Be sure any power bank you use has overcharge protection. If not, you can still use it, but keep an eye out. Once your battery is almost full, unplug it.

长时间使用廉价的充电宝会损害电池。确保你使用的充电宝有过充保护。如果没有，你可以用，但要时刻注意，当电池快充满的时候，拔掉。

It’s best to avoid power banks with quick charge options unless they’re from a reliable brand. Here’s a rule of thumb: Say no if you’ve never heard of it.

最好避免使用带有快速充电选项的充电宝，除非是可靠的品牌。这里有一条经验法则：如果你从未听说过，就不要。

Don’t download battery-draining apps

不要下载耗电量大的应用程序

Lithium-ion and lithium-polymer phone batteries only have limited charging cycles before they degrade. This is why most people encounter battery problems after two years of use.

锂离子和锂聚合物手机电池在退化之前充电次数是有限的。这就是为什么大多数人在使用两年后会遇到电池问题的原因。

There’s nothing you can do about your battery wearing down eventually, but some things have more of an impact. If you have performance apps that monitor your battery life, they could harm it in the long run. These apps constantly use power to monitor your battery life.

对于电池最终的退化，也没什么办法，但有些有点用处。如果有性能应用程序来监测你的电池寿命，从长远来看，它们可能会对电池造成损害。这些应用程序不断耗电来监控您的电池寿命。

Don’t use your phone while it’s charging

不要在充电的时候使用手机

Your phone is at 1%, so you plug it in. Leave it alone! Using your phone while charging can rapidly increase the temperature, putting strain on your battery, screen, and processor.

你的手机电量剩1%，所以你插上电源。就让它放着！充电时使用手机会迅速升温，给电池、屏幕和处理器带来压力。

Take it out of the case

拿掉手机壳

When it comes to charging, phone cases can cause temperature problems. When your phone battery heats up too much, it can cause damage to the rest of your phone. To be safe, take the case off while you charge — especially if you notice your phone heats up while it’s plugged in.

充电时，手机壳可能会导致发热问题。当手机电池过热时，可能会损坏手机的其他部分。为了安全起见，在充电时取下手机壳——尤其是当你注意到手机在插入电源发热时。