[Netherrealmer]

This is the German head of State, Chancelor Angela Merkel holding her old school Nokia Phone that she had been using for decades.


Old school Cell Phones have longer lifespans than smart phones as long as you will take care of it. Smartphones on the other hand have planned obsolescence because many companies and manufacturers wanted you to buy the next model they will launch in the future. Though Smartphones are less durable, you can actually make them last longer if you can take care of it. Your smart phone will not live as long as Angela Merkel's unless you will pay for it's repairs when it gets broken. If you are the type of person who always ditches their phone when a new model comes out, this article is not for you but if you want to "Angela Merkel" your phone here are some tips of what not do do!

These are the don'ts if you want your smartphone/tablet to last longer.

1.Don't let it fall on the floor. If your gadgets falls on the floor, there are two worst case scenarios. The first one is that some chips or circuits inside will get damaged or the screen is going to have lots of cracks. You have to make sure that your gadget will not fall on a higher place to the ground. Leave it on a safe place if you are not going to use it to prevent accidents that may damage your phone.

2.Don't charge while playing a game. I know there are many people saying that it will not damage your phone if you play some games while charging but the answer is that depends on the situations. If your phone is charged by a wireless charger it is okay but if it's charged by a charger plugged to a socket, It is not advisable at all. It won't harm your battery but it will make your charging port loose and when it gets too loose. A loose charging port on your phone is going to be impossible unless you will have that socket replaced to a repair shop.

3. Don't use while charging with a power bank-First it is a risk on your life because the radiation exposure you will have and it may be a big risk for a chance of being electrocuted. Now when it comes to the phone, action like this will actually damage your phone battery. Also the battery charge displayed on your screen won't be the exact battery life you will get if you use your phone while charging.

4. Do not charge with a cheap third party chargers. If your phone is an Iphone, use an Iphone charger. If your phone is Samsung, use a samsung charger. You can buy third party chargers but buy one that is known to be a good brand that can charge all brands properly.

5. Do not overcharge and do not drain your battery neither- Overcharging especially overnight will lead to overheating and overheating is going to damage your batteries.Over draining your battery can also damage your battery so make sure to know the balance. Stop using if you are below 40% and make sure to stop charging if your battery is full.

[ptrikha21]

Some very practical and good tips. For smartphones I can add:

1)When not actively using Net, first close all the active Apps(we have clear all or close all on most smartphones), as actively running Apps drain a lot of battery.

2)Do not talk when charging phone- there have been cases of blasting due to overheating and this could damage a person's face, hands or ears, and even cause temporary hearing loss.

3)As you rightly pointed, overcharging could be a problem, and start charging once battery goes below 20%- thought at times, I have been guilty of using until it got to 0% and the mobile switched off.

4)Remove unwanted Apps, clear extra unwanted videos or images, and clear cache from time to time.

5)Clean the mobile screen with cotton alcohol swab, or special cleaning solutions- some are not very expensive.

[ceci]

Thanks for the tips, never drop into the floor, but it always happen when the phone size is getting bigger.

[ptrikha21]

Thanks for the tips, never drop into the floor, but it always happen when the phone size is getting bigger.

For very big size mobile phone, I think we need to have a cover like that for Tablets.

[senior1819]

She still has it? I liked her before now, maybe even more.

[Netherrealmer]

She still has it? I liked her before now, maybe even more.

Yup she still owns it and have no plans of replacing it.

[ptrikha21]

Thanks for the tips, never drop into the floor, but it always happen when the phone size is getting bigger.

Yes, or the phone can get dropped to the floor when there is rush somewhere and people are in too much of a hurry !

[jackchun]

my battery is that when the battery life is 15 percent lower, it will consume within 5 minutes to zero percent, what problems is that ?

[Netherrealmer]

the floor, there are two worst case scenarios. The first one is that some chips or circuits inside will get damaged or the screen is going

People can use phone cases with protection.

[Angie10]

Thanks for sharing. I honestly didn't know that draining out the battery before charging my device or charging my tablet overnight wasn't good. Well, consider me enlightened!

[Abigael]

Thank you for the tips. I am so clumsy and my phone always drops on the floor 🤣, but I will try not to be clumsy.

[johnl0626]

Nice list of tips. I might add, the battery life could be extended if the charge is kept between 20%-80%. Not fully drained but not fully charged as well.

I sometimes drop my phone accidentally... but my two-year-old son has sent it flying a few feet across the room several times. Good thing my phone knows how to land safely. hehe... no crack, no scratch.

Oh, that reminds me... it's always good to have a good protector.

[ptrikha21]

Thank you for the tips. I am so clumsy and my phone always drops on the floor 🤣, but I will try not to be clumsy.

Oh, you need to be very careful, especially with many modern smartphones! One of my friends' phone was accidentally dropped by his young kid, and he had to work with a broken mobile screen for a few months.

[Sojourn]

my battery is that when the battery life is 15 percent lower, it will consume within 5 minutes to zero percent, what problems is that ?

It is not a problem,actually in order to perform at peak speed the mobile drains power at a faster rate and hence the battery drains quickly.It is advisable to turn on battery saver mode(look for similar terms like power saving mode when the battery is too low) or turn on the airplane mode as mobile drains battery while continuously making connections with the cell tower.

[Netherrealmer]

my battery is that when the battery life is 15 percent lower, it will consume within 5 minutes to zero percent, what problems is that ?

This article could be helpful for that viewtopic.php?f=67&t=22532&p=501181&hilit=batteries#p501181

[TeacherAngel]

I agree. It is best to use only original accessories especially the charger.

[krishnamuri]

What i would suggest is , dont let the battery of your phone go down below 50%. This is important to maintain the battery of your phone. And dont use your phone very fast , tapping and sing it rapidly may cause the phone to stuck.

[Abigael]

I agree. It is best to use only original accessories especially the charger.

Yeah, many of my phones have gone bad due to using other people's chargers to charge mine. This days, I only use my original charger.

[cmoneyspinner]

The last cell phone that I had was an old school cell phone. I didn't stop using it because it didn't work. I just stopped paying the monthly bill. Some of my kids smart phones so, this is good to know.

[GuestHu]

4. Do not charge with a cheap third party chargers. If your phone is an Iphone, use an Iphone charger. If your phone is Samsung, use a samsung charger. You can buy third party chargers but buy one that is known to be a good brand that can charge all brands properly.

5. Do not overcharge and do not drain your battery neither- Overcharging especially overnight will lead to overheating and overheating is going to damage your batteries.Over draining your battery can also damage your battery so make sure to know the balance. Stop using if you are below 40% and make sure to stop charging if your battery is full.

I sometimes do this to my phone and othe devices especially the number 5 because sometimes I forgot to remove the charger of my Ipad so I accidently overcharged it. And sometimes, when I am outside my home and forgot to get my charger, I borrowed my friend's charger, which is a different brand, to charge my phone.