[cmeisenzahl]

How many of you actually calibrate your iPhone battery approx. monthly as Apple recommends? Just curious. I did it a few days after I got the phone, might do it again tonight.

To wit:
Apple - Batteries - iPhone
"For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down)."
Apple - Batteries - iPhone
iPhone and iPod touch: Charging the battery

[Spheric Harlot]

It happens occasionally anyway with my normal usage, with the MacBook Pro as well.

I own mobile devices to not have to worry about power too much, so I don't give it too much thought, though.

[-Q-]

I don't do it intentionally, but I do seem to get the phone to run through a charge cycle at least once or twice a month via standard use.

But otherwise, I don't think I've ever conditioned the battery.

[Big Mac]

I don't do it intentionally either. I'm surprised Apple recommends running through a full cycle per month.

[cmeisenzahl]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the responses.

[Big Mac]

I meant to mention that sometimes I inadvertently let my battery run down to the red, but that doesn't happen too often.

[Athens]

Weekly for me through regular usage lol

[Thorzdad]

My wife's iPhone gets down to the red a couple times a month. She even gets the warning pop-up. Does that count?

Is it even possible to fully deplete the battery? I was under the impression that the phone will auto-power-off if the battery gets too low.

[seanc]

If I go out for the evening and forget my charger - it's dead by the next day, so maybe that counts.

[Don Pickett]

Only read about it yesterday. Gonna do it this cycle.

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

My wife's iPhone gets down to the red a couple times a month. She even gets the warning pop-up. Does that count?

Is it even possible to fully deplete the battery? I was under the impression that the phone will auto-power-off if the battery gets too low.

Apple means running it to red level. You wouldn't want to deplete the battery completely.

[Spheric Harlot]

With laptops, they actually recommended running
It down completely (until it dies, and then let it lie overnight before recharging).

[ghporter]

I did calibrate my 3Gs battery immediately after I got it. My 4 I did somewhat later after getting it, but I haven't repeated the process (on purpose) since.

My MBP (1st gen) is on it's second battery, and I try to run it down every few weeks to preserve the battery.

[SierraDragon]

Originally Posted by seanc 

If I go out for the evening and forget my charger - it's dead by the next day, so maybe that counts.

It sounds broken - unless it is an old failing battery. My 4s pretty much follows Apple's specs.

-Allen

[seanc]

My 3GS is an original launch day phone. Quite possibly broken, but wifi is usually on and bluetooth is unless I switch it off, because it automatically connects to my car stereo.
It actually makes me miss my Blackberry/Sony Ericsson K610i I combo I used to use - I could go a week without charging!

I guess I'd notice the battery life being worse if I didn't charge it in the car all the time.

Thankfully, it usually keeps going long enough for me to call a taxi to get home

[subego]

If anyone is interested, what Apple is doing with that set of instructions is mashing together two separate issues.

The first is that it's bad for the battery to be plugged in all the time. This is the part about keeping the electrons moving.

The second is that lithium batteries are designed to provide a constant voltage through most of their charge. Because of this, there's no way for the phone to actually know how much charge is in the battery. The phone has to guess. The guess is informed by how long it takes for the phone to get from a time it isn't providing a constant voltage to another time it isn't providing a constant voltage. These times are when it's at full (it has a higher voltage than normal) , and when it's approaching empty (lower than normal voltage). When you calibrate, you give the phone a chance to recalibrate its guessing algorithm.

I imagine, in the vein of keeping it simple, Apple tells people to calibrate, which by default exercises your battery, but they call the whole shebang "exercise" because only gear-heads care that it's not.

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

With laptops, they actually recommended running
It down completely (until it dies, and then let it lie overnight before recharging).

Wow, Apple recommends that for the built-in unibody batteries? I've killed a couple of albeit older (removable) LiOn batteries letting them discharge too long.

[Spheric Harlot]

Nope, they just say "discharging and charging" once a month.

Apple - Batteries - Notebooks