Harm in leaving a cell phone plugged into the wall all the time?

[W. eWatson]

Will it be harmful to the cellphone battery if i Leave it plugged in all
the time? I'm trying to use it more, by thinking of it as just another
land line phone.

 

[shrtrnd]

Get the manual on it (the phone, with info on the battery).
Some chargers turn off and have a small trickle current to keep battery charged.
Some don't.
If your charger doesn't have the feature, you will greatly reduce your battery life.
Only the manual will help you on this one.
If you threw it away, call the mfgr, or download the manual for your phone.

 

[Rich Grise]

Will it be harmful to the cellphone battery if i Leave it plugged in all
the time? I'm trying to use it more, by thinking of it as just another
land line phone.

It should say something in the manual - mine explicitly says that leaving
it plugged in all the time will do no harm - it's got a smart charger,
that turns itself off.

And that's a $10.00 "TracFone." I can't imagine any other phone not being
at least as good/smart.

Cheers!
Rich

 

[W. eWatson]

TracFone? 25c/min? What made you choose them over Net10?

I have a Motorola W377g, and just called NET 10. They said it will be
OK, but there's another question. Suppose I have it charging
continuously and use it several times a day. It probably will discharge
for each call, so will then charge up again. Will the continuous topping
off harm or shorten the battery life? Perhaps in continuous recharge
mode it never gets discharged?

 

[Rich Grise]

TracFone? 25c/min? What made you choose them over Net10?

No commitment. It was ten bucks, and I just buy minutes as I need
them.
There are at least three direct minutes cards:
$19.95 -> 60 mins, == 3 min/$
$29.95 -> 120 min. == 4 min/$
$39.95 -> 200 min. == 5 min/$

And there's another one that's even more, that's like a year's supply
or something, but I usually don't have that kind of cash on hand.

Cheers!
Rich

 

[Joerg]

No commitment. It was ten bucks, and I just buy minutes as I need
them.
There are at least three direct minutes cards:
$19.95 -> 60 mins, == 3 min/$
$29.95 -> 120 min. == 4 min/$
$39.95 -> 200 min. == 5 min/$

And there's another one that's even more, that's like a year's supply
or something, but I usually don't have that kind of cash on hand.

But don't these minutes expire rather fast on TracFone? That was the
reason why I picked VirginMobile years ago, minutes just keep rolling
over. Also, a $15 top-up keeps it going for three month and buys airtime
at 18c/min, not 33c/min like with you $19.95 card. Check it out, maybe
you can get a better deal but it may be up to 20c/min for new cusotmers now.

 

[Rich Grise]

But don't these minutes expire rather fast on TracFone? That was the
reason why I picked VirginMobile years ago, minutes just keep rolling
over. Also, a $15 top-up keeps it going for three month and buys airtime
at 18c/min, not 33c/min like with you $19.95 card. Check it out, maybe
you can get a better deal but it may be up to 20c/min for new cusotmers now.

Well, I appreciate everybody's advice, but I'm kind of stuck with the
phone I've got; the minutes never expire - they also include some certain
number of days. Right now, my phone says: "185.50 minutes/you have 366
service days left."

I'm also kind of a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kind of guy, and
I'm in the "previous investment" trap - why throw away what I've got
that works, just to get involved in some other deal?

And because of my financial situation, I can't really make a commitment
to pay a certain amount per month; I'm scraping by on a combination
of Food Stamps and "odd jobs."

Thanks,
Rich

 

[W. eWatson]

Well, I appreciate everybody's advice, but I'm kind of stuck with the
phone I've got; the minutes never expire - they also include some certain
number of days. Right now, my phone says: "185.50 minutes/you have 366
service days left."

I'm also kind of a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kind of guy, and
I'm in the "previous investment" trap - why throw away what I've got
that works, just to get involved in some other deal?

And because of my financial situation, I can't really make a commitment
to pay a certain amount per month; I'm scraping by on a combination
of Food Stamps and "odd jobs."

Thanks,
Rich

Look like we've gotten off the track here. Oh, well.

 

[shrtrnd]

To the original 2nd question:
Leave the phone off the charger during the day, and just put it back on the charger at
night. (One way to make sure)
NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) batteries, though better nowadays, have a memory problem. If not fully discharged repeatedly, they will over time, stop allowing you to use their entire discharge range.
NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries do not suffer from the memory problem. You can partially discharge them regularly, and they will continue to recharge and discharge their full range.
Look on your battery pack, it will say NiCad or NiMH, and then you'll know what you're got, and it's capability.

 

[1jam]

Will it be harmful to the cellphone battery if i Leave it plugged in all
the time? I'm trying to use it more, by thinking of it as just another
land line phone.

The little 'parasite' will suck some power, probably <<< 1 watt. Maybe only
a few dollars worth of electricity a year, but if you go around your house
and add all the other parasites up it might be significant... At least thats
what my power utility told me via a brochure recently.

 

[Rich Grise]

Look like we've gotten off the track here. Oh, well.

Sorry. Bottom line, you will very probably not hurt your phone
by leaving it plugged in.

Hope This Helps!
Rich