Why does this happen?

Be it airpods from Apple, earbuds from Samsung, or any other product from any brand, you’ll eventually notice one of the two pieces draining slightly faster. This is normal.

The reason why is simple: one of the ear pieces needs to be the “master” or “controller” for both sides when you’re using both earphones. The side that takes this role makes sure the sound is in sync and usually handles communications with the device you’re connected to (eg: your phone or laptop). This requires more processing, hence the hit on battery life.

The drain is different from product to product, but it’s not uncommon for one of the sides to reach 10% and warn you about low battery while the other side is still at 20% (or something like that).

It’s important to underline that while this is to be expected, it shouldn’t be a drastic difference. If one side is at 80% after 1 hour and the other side is at 20%, then you likely have a hardware problem. Brands often replace them for free if you’re under warranty.

Can you choose which side becomes the controller?

Usually yes. How you do it depends on the device, so you need to test and learn the behavior of your earphones.

With some products, the first earphone removed from the case becomes the controller, so if you want the left side to drain faster, simply take out the left side first.

On others, both become active as soon you open the case and then the fastest of the try to connect to the device you’re connecting to. In this case, you should take out the side you want to become the controller first, close the case, and then take out the other side.

Unfortunately some products always try to use one of the sides if it’s available. In that case, there’s not much you can do.

Do you need to do this?

Brands design these earphones to be used without hassle, so no, you don’t need to do this, but you may want to do it.

For example, let’s say you’ve been using the right side for some time and want to watch a movie. If the right side is already at 50%, the left side could be the controller since it’s at 100%. Just take out the left side of the charging case, then put the right side in the case (this makes the left side the controller), and then remove the right side again.

If you’re planning to keep your headphones for a long time, you can also do this to try to balance the battery wear.

Replace damaged devices under warranty

As mentioned above, while it’s normal for one side to drain faster than the other, the difference shouldn’t be massive. If one side lasts a lot more than the other, then you may have a hardware problem and should have them replaced under warranty.

Unlike other products that sometimes you can fix yourself, these small earphones are usually very hard or impossible to repair without destroying them, so if you still have warranty, use it. Most brands either replace your pair with “refurbished” alternatives or, when that’s not possible, with a new pair.

The post Why do my earphones’ battery drain faster on one side? appeared first on droid.tips.

Long gone are the days when a mere 10W was considered to be “fast charging”. The world has moved to 40W, 60W, 100W, 140W, 200W… and every year speeds increase. Some brands develop their own proprietary technology, while others use standards like USB PD and competition is fierce.

While fast speeds are nice to have, how well do batteries handle these increasingly high speeds? Let’s look at what manufacturers and users say.

What brands say

OnePlus (WARP and DASH), Huawei (Super Charge), OPPO (Super VOOC), Realme (Super Dart), and Xiaomi (Hyper Charging) are the brands with the most popular proprietary charging technologies. There’s also USB-PD, a standard supported by lots of phones, tablets and computers.

Independently of the technology used, companies usually claim minimal degradation. For example, Xiaomi claimed 80% of capacity at 200W after 800 cycles. That’s only a 20% capacity loss after two years, if you charge once a day.

However – and more this below – these claims seem to be optimistic and depend a lot on how phone is used and charged. If you had battery issues before, you’re probably aware that even with slow charging, phone batteries sometimes start losing capacity before the device is 2 years old.

We should take their claims with a grain of salt, after all they make money selling new phones. Call me a cynic, but there’s no real incentive for them to make a battery that lasts forever and if you start having problems after the warranty ends, you’ll either buy a new phone or repair it yourself.

What users say

Opinions seem to change depending on the user’s usage and for how long they keep their devices.

Looking at feedback online (Reddit, XDA, brand’s forums, etc), it seems that most users don’t see any major degradation for the first year. Complaints start to increase after 1.5/2 years, with posts asking for suggestions to improve battery life or questions about a battery replacement. After 2 years, you start seeing more complaints and those without major degradation take care of their battery and slow charge.

Degradation also seems to be higher and happen faster when users charge and do something heavy (eg: gaming) at the same time. This is probably due to the heat that both tasks create.

So, it really depends on how long you plan to keep your device:

• If you change phones every year: Fast charge!
• If you keep your phone for 2 years: Fast charge, but battery capacity may drop at the end.
• If you want to keep the phone for a long time: Slow charge, avoid deep discharges or staying at 100% for long, avoid heat, only fast charge when really needed.

Again, keep in mind all this depends a lot on your own usage and that future technologies may also affect the battery endurance.

How can it charge so fast?

The increases in speed are happening due to a mix of new tech, some tricks and the optimization of old tech.

New charging chips and chargers:

Chips are everywhere and control everything, even charging. In order to get high speeds, there’s usually a “negotiation” between the phone, the cable and the charger. That’s why sometimes fast charging only works with the original charger and cable.

In the past few years we’ve seen the introduction of new charging chips capable of steadily delivering 100W or 200W+ without overheating and without costing too much. One of the companies behind these chips is the Chinese company NuVolta, which provides chips for some of the main brands.

Other advancements are in the charger itself, with Gallium Nitride (GaN) chargers becoming more popular, reliable, and affordable.

The newer GaN technology allows chargers to be more efficient, delivering high speeds without having to throttle speeds as much due to heat. They’re also smaller and are able to deliver 2 or 3 times more power than a similarly sized charger from a couple of years ago.

Moving hot components to the charger:

One popular technique to move heat away from the device and battery is to put some of the charging components inside the charger brick. That’s why sometimes chargers get really hot during charging sessions, keeping the phone itself just lukewarm.

Charing technologies like WARP/VOOC or Super Charge do this. The main downside is that sometimes these changes reduce compatibility with other fast charging standards like USB Power Delivery (USB-PD).

Multiple batteries:

Phones that charge quickly often have more than one battery. This “trick” allows each battery to charge slower, generating less heat and wear, but still charge quickly overall.

For example, let’s say a phone uses a dual cell setup and is able to charge at 100W. Between ~20 and 80%, when batteries are able to receive the full power, each battery will “only” receive 50W each and then less as they start reaching +80%.

It’s still fast, but each individual cell / battery is not actually charging that fast.

Optimising and tweaking existing tech:

Some of the improvements come from tweaks to technologies we’ve been using for years. For example, moving some components from the device to the charger is not a new idea and the same could be said about multiple cell setups, but they’ve been adapted and improved.

Some of the technologies managed to increase speeds by using different voltages and amperages. OnePlus’ WARP and OPPO’s VOOC charging require thicker cables because they push more amps to the device, while Quick Charge from Qualcomm uses higher voltages, allowing for thinner cables. Again, not an innovation per se, but different ideas allow for different advancements with different upsides and downsides.

When it comes to batteries, while our devices usually use Lithium Ion batteries, not every battery is created the same. Some are optimised for capacity, while others are optimised for speed and lower resistance. This allows manufacturers to use different philosophies when thinking about charging problems.

Some devices now use cooling heat pipes, thermal pads, etc, to transfer excess heat away from the battery. Previously this was mostly used to cool down the processor/SoC and motherboard.

Wireless Charging and Heat

Wire-free charging is still behind wired charging. While some brands have already passed the 100W line, sometimes using fans, multiple chargers, and even magnets to properly align the charger with the device, the only real reason to use wireless charging is convenience.

Wireless charging generates more heat (heat and batteries are a bad combination) and wastes a lot of electricity. Some tests have shown that compared to wired charging, wireless charging uses 40-50% more power to charge the same phone.

If you’re going to fast charge and long term battery life is in your mind, then use wired charging instead. It’s superior in almost every way.

How to take care of your battery

A good rule of thumb is to avoid the extremes: don’t discharge too much or stay fully charged for too long, avoid very low or very high temperatures, fast charge only needed, etc.

Read our Tips to Prolong Your Long Term Battery Life article for a complete list of tips and explanations about long term battery life.

Your feedback

Since there are lots of different phones, many charging technologies and different usage patterns, it’s hard to form a proper opinion about these hyper fast charging solutions. That’s why it’s important to share your opinion about this.

What are your experiences with WARP, VOOC, DART, USB-PD, etc? Leave a comment below!

The post WARP, SuperCharge, SuperVooc: The Effects on Battery Life appeared first on droid.tips.

Snapchat is a very popular app for iOS and Android, but it can also be very battery hungry. How does one mitigate this and what causes the battery drain?

That’s what we’ll look at on this article about Snapchat’s battery usage, which features use more power and how to improve battery life.

Why does Snapchat use so much battery

Part of the problem is some of the features offered by Snapchat and the they have been implemented.

The camera view:

Using the camera uses more power than normal and Snapchat defaults to that view. If you open Snapchat lots of times, you also end up enabling the camera lots of times, which results in higher drain even if you don’t take a snap.

The camera also remains activated in the background for a few seconds after switching to a different feature (eg: stories). They do this so there’s no delay if the user switches back to the default camera view, but it also increases the energy usage.

If you use this mode to take snaps/pictures/videos, that will use even more battery.

Videos and Voice:

Recording or playing videos or voice memos/notes are more energy intensive that just sending or viewing text, so if you use video or photos for streaks, talk with your friends using voice, spend a lot of time looking at Stories or Spotlight, that might be why your battery is draining fast.

Maps:

Sharing your location with your friends may be funny and even useful, but that means that the app will check and update your location every couple of minutes. For this to happen, the app needs to be active and running in the background, which results in higher battery consumption.

Games:

Gaming is usually battery intensive because games force your phone’s processor to work harder.

How to improve battery life while using Snapchat

While Snapchat is probably one of the main reasons for your bad battery life, there are a few things that you can do to make your battery last longer.

Use text when possible:

Since normal text messages use less power, if battery life is important, consider using text instead of videos instead of pictures/snaps, voice notes or normal voice or video calls when chatting with someone else.

Avoid media in general, especially videos:

When compared to text or photos, playing videos is a more resource intensive task. If you spend a lot of time watching videos from stories or spotlight, your battery won’t last as long as it could.

Don’t share your location:

This applies to all apps, not just Snapchat. Guessing your location increases battery consumption a lot because your phone looks at everything from WiFi networks around you to signals from satellites orbiting the earth. Since it needs to repeat the process every couple of minutes, it adds up.

Unless you really need it, don’t share your location with Snapchat (or any other app). This will improve your privacy and battery life.

Avoid games:

Gaming is a resource intensive task, so the more you play, the higher battery usage will be.

Sadly the only real fix for this is play less games or simply stop playing games at all.

Battery saving mode:

Most phones have a battery saving mode which restricts everything from background checks to how fast the phone’s processor/SoC runs. Try it!

Depending on the phone, battery saving mode can give you an extra hour or so of usage.

Lower your screen brightness and volume:

The display is responsible for a big chunk of energy use, so lowering the brightness always helps. This is not always possible (eg: if you’re outdoors in a sunny, bright day), but can be done if you’re indoors or in bed.

Playing sounds / music loudly also uses more battery. Keeping it low also helps with battery life.

Stop the app from running in the background:

You should only do this if you don’t mind missing notifications, but it can really help with all apps, not only Snapchat.

All you have to do is stop Snapchat from running in the background. Usually it’s always trying to check for new messages and sharing your location, even when you’re not using the app.

This is available on iOS, iPadOS, and Android:

Use a battery case:

If you’re okay with the extra bulkiness and weight, consider getting a battery case.

These cases are usually cheap and on top of offering extra protection against drops, they also have a built in battery that allows you to expand the original battery capacity.

The alternative is to get a normal power bank, however that requires you to carry it (and a cable) around separately.

Final words

These suggestions should help your phone’s battery last longer when using apps like Snapchat, but at the end of the day, there’s only so much you can do.

If you use your phone a lot, consider getting one with a bigger battery or something that expands the built-in battery. If you have access to fast charging, that may also help with the higher drain from apps like Snapchat or TikTok as you can get as much as 50% in less than 30 minutes.

If you have any other ideas, leave a comment to help other users too!

The post Why does Snapchat drain my battery? appeared first on droid.tips.

Batteries are everywhere – mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and even cars – and with time they start losing capacity. In this article, you’re going to find a list of suggestions that should help your phone’s or laptop’s battery in good shape in order to avoid the dreaded battery or device replacement.

Why do Batteries Age?

Lithium Ion batteries, which are used by most mobile phones, tablets and laptops, rely on a reversible chemical reaction to charge and discharge the battery.

This a complicated process, so to keep things simple, imagine moving a liquid from one side of the battery to the other and transforming that liquid into a “solid”. This is what happens when discharging a battery. Charging reverses the process and the “solid” stuff turns into a liquid that is moved back its original position.

This process works fairly well, but it’s not perfect and some of that solid stuff remains solid. Essentially you end up with this “gunk” clogging up the entry/exit points of the battery and it gets worse with each charge/discharge cycle, affecting the overall battery capacity, how fast it can be charged, and the available “peak” power available.

This last part is the reason why ageing devices shutdown when doing something more resource intensive: the battery is able to deliver stable low power, but as soon the device demands more from it (when making a call, playing a game, etc), it can’t deliver and the device shuts down.

How to take care of your battery?

When talking about Lithium Ion batteries, it all comes to avoiding the extremes.

• Avoid going too low (this is very bad).
• Avoid staying at 100% for long periods of time.
• Avoid extreme temperatures.
• Avoid fast charging and wireless charging.

Avoid discharging the battery too much:

The lower you go, the more stress you put on the battery. Remember the gunk build up mentioned above that happens on each charging/discharging cycle? It’s worse when the battery is too low.

Modern electronics have protections to stop batteries to be fully drained, but even with those protections, every time you let it go too low you’re causing irreversible damage to the battery. If you really drain it to zero (or close), the battery may even not charge again…

The “happy place” for batteries is usually between 20% and 80%, so if possible, don’t go lower than 15-20%.

Avoid fully charging or staying at 100% for long periods of time:

This is not as bad as going too low, but remember the simple rule of “avoiding the extremes”. If possible, don’t go past 80%, especially if you’re going to be plugged in for long periods of time.

Many modern devices offer manual controls or automatically manage charging to improve battery life. Some devices detect if you’re charging overnight, slow down speeds, stop at 80% and then only start charging again to 100% before one or two hours before you awake. Others let you manually slow down charging or set a limit to charging.

If you charge your phone overnight or keep your laptop plugged in for extended periods of time, consider doing something to avoid being at 100% for long periods.

Some Android phones have a setting to control this (check your battery settings), while all iPhones have battery optimisation ON by default. Some Windows laptops allow you to control this, while all modern Macs automatically manage your battery (for older Macs or if you want manual control, there’s the AlDente app).

Avoid extreme temperatures:

Heat is terrible for Lithium Ion batteries, so avoid leaving your phone, tablet, smart watch or laptop exposed to the sun, inside a car on a hot day or close to heaters.

A very common mistake is to keep electronic devices inside a vehicle on a sunny day. Temperatures can easily reach 80ºC/180ºF inside and that’s very bad for your device and batteries. Unless you’re able to keep climate control/air conditioning ON, take your devices with you.

Maybe you game a lot? Avoid playing and charging at the same time as the heat build up won’t be good for the battery.

Do you use your phone as GPS while driving? That’s usually a demanding task that usually heats up the device. An easy fix is to use the car’s AC to keep it cool.

Equally, avoid cold temperatures. Not only the battery will drain faster, but the current that the battery is able to provide will be reduced, which may lead to shutdowns. Again, avoid the extremes.

And as you may have guessed, the negative effects are even worse when extreme temperatures are combined with extreme state of charge (too low or too full).

Fast charging? Only when necessary:

In general, the faster it charges, the more heat it generates. Heat is bad because it affects the chemical process that happens when charging and discharging, so you always want to avoid that.

While very useful, fast charging isn’t always needed. For example, if you charge (or can charge) overnight, it doesn’t make sense to charge a phone in 30 minutes when you have seven or height hours of sleep. Not only you put some stress on the battery, but the device then stays at 100% for hours.

Use a slow charger (5V/2A or lower – there are debates about how fast is too fast, but if you have the time, it doesn’t really matter) for long charging sessions and consider charging overnight instead of fast charging in the morning.

With this said…

… fast charging can also be useful to avoid going too low. Especially inside the 20-80% range, its effects won’t be as bad as going down to 5%. A quick top up during the day may actually help with your long term battery life.

It’s also important to note that there are different types of fast charging. Some devices use multiple batteries, so while the device is charging quickly, each individual battery is actually charging slowly. Some charging technologies move certain components that generate heat from the device to the power brick/charger. Sometimes low resistance batteries are used, which also helps reducing heat.

While you should avoid fast charging, it’s not always a bad idea to use it and how bad it is depends on the device and technologies used.

Avoid Wireless Charging:

Wireless charging has become more popular in the past few years due to it being more convenient than cables. However, that’s where the benefits end as wireless charging is slower, generates more heat and wastes more energy than a cable.

The main reason against this type of charging from a battery life point of view is… heat. Having something “cooking” your battery multiple times a day isn’t a good idea.

Consider using a cable when possible, especially when leaving your devices charging for long periods of time. Your battery, wallet and the environment will appreciate that.

Don’t forget to enjoy your devices

While it’s possible to do lots of things to improve the longevity of a battery, it’s important to understand that batteries are “consumables”. They will age no matter what and all we can do is delay or minimise that ageing.

With this in mind, a battery only needs to last for as long you’re using the device, so if you change phones every two years or so, perhaps it doesn’t make sense to cripple your usage too much when it’s still new. On the other hand, you probably keep other devices for years (eg: a laptop) and that’s where it makes sense to be more careful.

Try to find a middle ground that works for you and enjoy your devices! Don’t cripple the performance of create too much inconvenience, after all that’s not why you bought them.

The post Tips to Prolong Your Long Term Battery Life appeared first on droid.tips.

Why does this happen with Apple cables but not with cables from other brands? And how to avoid it.

Apple uses a different plastic

As old time users may remember, before 2009 cables used to last longer and wouldn’t turn yellow like they do today. What changed in 2009? Apple stopped using PVC on lots of their products for environmental reasons and with it the colour also changed from light grey to white.

While the reason was good, in practice the replacement material doesn’t seem to last as long. It also doesn’t seem to deal as well with the bending, pulling, and finger touching that comes with normal usage.

The touching bit is important here. The parts that usually fail are close to the part that connects to your device (or charger), or in other words, the part we hold with our hands. The sweat and oils our skin produce doesn’t seem to play nice with the type of plastic Apple uses, nor do some cleaning (eg: wipes) and skin care products.

The result is a plastic that turns yellow and (sometimes) green-ish after some time. The next step is the failure of the plastic itself, which usually exposes the cables underneath.

3rd party cables – even cheap ones – usually last longer because they use different materials (eg: PVC). Braided cables, which often use nylon or other type plastic, seem to particularly endure heavy usage well.

Apple uses a weak design

This is s very old complaint.

If you look at 3rd party cables, they’re often a bit bulkier and the bit that connects to your iPhone or Mac is longer/wider. A bigger/longer connector allows users to better hold it, while smaller connectors force users to hold more of the cable.

Apple also likes to make products that look good and reduces or completely removes the strain relief bits (the part between the connector and the cable itself) from their cables. This puts the junction between the cable and the connector/port under stress when we bend or pull the cable.

On the left: The original iPhone lightning cable. On the right: a 3rd party braided cable made with a long stress relieve area between the connector and the cable.

Looking at this side by side comparison, it’s easy to understand why the cable on left doesn’t last as long as the cable on the right.

Hardware failure (be careful)

While this article is about why the cables fail, it’s important to be aware of the dangers of using damaged cables.

In their page about chargers, Apples warns about the dangers of using damage cables. If under warranty, you may be able to receive a replacement cable.

Please be very careful and seriously consider replacing your cable or charger if they get yellow, overheat, have exposed wires or spark. Contact Apple or go to an Apple store if you need guidance.

Tips for your cables to last longer

For the original Apple cables:

• Avoid pulling the able. Try to hold and pull on the connector/port.
• Avoid bending the cable too much as this creates some stress.
• Buy attachable cable stress relieve bits to the cable.
• Clean your fingers before touching the cable.
• Avoid using cleaning products and wipes to clean the cable as they may damage the plastic.
• Don’t leave the cable in the sun, inside hot places (eg: a car in a hot day), cold or rain.

In case you decide to buy cables from other brands (probably easier):

• Pick a trustable brand. Sometimes they’re more expensive, but you get what you pay for.
• Choose cables that are reinforced in areas prone to damage (eg: both ends of the cable).
• Consider using a braided cable. They’re often thicker, but also last longer and don’t visibly age as fast.
• Like the original cable, try to reduce bending and pulling.

Conclusion

In this article we mentioned a few reasons why Apple cables don’t last long, turn yellow and start disintegrating.

If Apple is truly interested in protecting the environment, making long lasting cables would be a great step in that direction. While this is an old problem, we hope they make an effort to improve this.

The post Why do iPhone and Apple Cables Turn Yellow appeared first on droid.tips.

The short answer is… only if you really need it.

In this article, we’ll look at why and when to and not to charge past 80 per cent.

Batteries vs Gas / Petrol

First things first. If you’re moving from a traditional ICE (Gasoline and Diesel) vehicle, it’s important to understand that:

1. The “refuelling” process is different.
2. Both Electric and ICE cars have downsides and upsides.

When it comes to charging, electric cars are usually behind because current batteries can not charge at full speed until they are fully charged. To protect battery life, speeds are often reduced after the state of charge reaches 70-80%.

In practice, it’s sometimes faster to go from 5% to 80% than from 80% to 100%. This is true for cars, computers and even mobile phones.

Another limitation of the current battery tech is that most batteries don’t like the “extremes” and perform better when not too empty or not too full. Discharging the battery too low is especially bad (way worse than keeping it at 100%) and that will affect the long term battery life.

Why avoid fully charging the battery?

While your car can charge to 100%, there are reasons to avoid doing it. Usually we can group all concerns into two categories:

• The time it takes to charge the last 20 or 30%.
• Long term battery life.

Let’s expand both points.

It takes too long:

This is the main reason. As explained above, batteries charge slower as the state of charge increases and often it doesn’t make sense to go past 70 or 80%. It’s too slow and takes too long. It’s often faster to stop twice than to wait for the battery to reach 100%.

If you’re in a hurry, consider charging up until the point charging speeds start dropping (this information if usually available on your car or on the charger itself). If needed, stop again. It should be faster this way.

It helps to think of your battery as two separated batteries. There’s the main big battery that charges quickly (0% to 80%) and a small battery that gives you 20% (80% to 100%) that should only used when needed because it’s too slow. Think of it as an extra fuel tank for extended trips.

It can be bad for the battery life:

All batteries age and lose capacity with time. How fast this happens and how much capacity it loses depends on things you can’t control (temperatures, chemistry, charging curves), but also on how you use them.

Be it a car, a laptop or a mobile phone, it’s always a good idea to avoid what makes them last less.

Keeping batteries at 100% is bad for them, so unless required, keep the state of charge under ~80%.

Other suggestions to improve long term life:

• Avoid going too low as it puts a lot of stress on the cells.
• Avoid charging to 100% if you don’t need it.
• Fast charge only when needed or a slower option isn’t available.
  • Fast charging generates heat, which helps degrading the battery.
  • Fast charging also asks more from each battery. Cars that fast charge a lot will lose capacity faster than cars that charge slowly.
• Buy cars with active temperature management. This helps keeping the battery inside a good temperature range while charging or driving in winter or summer.

When to charge to 100%?

There are good reasons to not fully charge your battery, but sometimes it makes sense to charge it to 100%.

Usually you’ll want to fully charge when you need the extra power and time isn’t important:

• Before a trip or overnight during a trip.
• Before leaving the car parked for long periods (eg: during vacations).
• When the next charger is too far away.
• When you’re doing something and it’s fine for the car to be charging.
• If you want to save money and only charge when electricity is cheaper.

A practical example:

Let’s say that you have a charger at home and that you want to go on a long trip. In this case, it makes sense to charge the car to 100% overnight so you can travel longer in one charge. This also helps reducing the duration of each charging stop because if you arrive with more charge, you’ll also spend less time charging.

And then you can use the same logic during your trip. For example, if you stay in a Hotel with charging facilities, charging your battery overnight will help you in the following day.

Look at your needs and fully charge when it makes sense. Just don’t make the mistake to still think as if you had a diesel or gasoline car!

What are companies doing to improve this?

While current battery and charging technology makes electric cars and trucks possible, it’s also the Achilles’ heel of electric vehicles. For this reason, car manufacturers and other companies are investing a lot of resources to improve this.

Current tech:

Some brands try to use more, but smaller batteries. This sometimes means that they are able to charge really fast until ~80% as they are can distribute power for more batteries at once.

Since most batteries have an optimal temperature range for charging, different cars use different battery heating or cooling solutions to keep charging sessions short.

Some cars use passive cooling, while others circulate coolant inside the battery pack and the use radiators and fans to keep temperatures down. More advanced systems even use the car’s air conditioning to help out. All this helps avoiding what people call “rapidgate”, where speeds drop because temperatures are too high.

For cold days, some cars use the heat generated by the electric motors to heat up the battery. Some cars also have heat pumps that use heat from inside the car or outdoors to warm up the battery. This avoids the so called “coldgate”, which happens when the battery is too cold to charge at full speed.

Manufacturers are also able to use different voltages and battery chemistry although there’s always a trade-off involved, be it cost, speed, range or even long term life.

Some brands have also played with the idea of a quick battery swap that takes less than 10 minutes, but since that requires advanced facilities, most seem to prefer fast charging solutions.

There have also been some rumours about using capacitors to quickly transfer power from a charger to the vehicle and then slowing charging the battery. So far, no car has used this combination to reduce the charging duration.

Future tech:

Some of the components used in batteries are expensive, hard to get or hard to recycle, so battery manufacturers want to avoid them. Brands like Tesla are working to completely remove cobalt from their batteries, for example.

In the future, we’re likely to see different chemistries used. While that already happens today to a certain extent (eg: batteries for cars vs batteries for trucks vs batteries for backup power), many players are investing a lot of money in this area, so it’s very possible that in the future batteries will use a different mix that allows either for faster speeds or higher capacity (or both!).

Solid-state batteries are likely to play a big part in future improvements as they are potentially safer and have higher energy density. However, as with many technologies, there’s always some trade-off (cost, weight, long term life, capacity). A lot of time and money are being invested in solid-state batteries, so keep an eye on this technology.

Final words

We’ve reached a point where electric cars are good enough to replace ICE cars and, in some areas, are even better (eg: when it comes to maintenance). However, charging still lags behind ICE vehicles. This is slowly being improved with new tech and the deployment of more and faster fast charger stations.

With this said, due to the way batteries work, it requires car owners to adapt and change their old habit of fully filling their tank to charging a battery to only 70-80%.

The post Electric Cars: Should you Charge to 100%? appeared first on droid.tips.

One common question among users moving from the stock ROM to a custom ROM like LineageOS, OmniROM, Pixel Experience, and others is related to the charging speeds. Do proprietary charging solutions like WARP Charging or DASH charging from OnePlus, VOOC from OPPO, DART, Super Charge or Quick Charge works?

The short answer is yes.

Let’s look at this in more detail.

Official vs Unofficial builds

Before going in to more details, it is important to understand that unofficial builds often have issues, bugs, and limitations not found on official builds. This is due to the requirements that projects have. For example, for a device to receive official LineageOS status, the developer needs to meet the LineageOS charter.

If you’re using an unofficial build, it’s possible that fast charging is broken. We’ll assume you’re using an official ROM from a more serious project like LineageOS.

Does it Work?

It does! If you use the supported cables and chargers, speeds should be similar to the stock ROM.

Since custom ROMs still use proprietary firmware, everything that is needed for the “negotiation” between the phone and the charger should be there.

But the phone doesn’t mention WARP/DASH/DART/Super Charge/etc. Why?

ROMs like LineageOS are based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), essentially the “stock Android” code. AOSP doesn’t use the marketing name each brand/OEM uses for their charging technology. It simply tells you if it’s “Charging” or not.

Sometimes the custom ROM will report it as “Fast Charging”, “Charging Rapidly” and/or use a different icon when faster speeds are detected (example: the battery icon has a “+” or “++” over it). The text and icon used depends a lot on the ROM and the Android version it is based on.

Custom ROMs also don’t hide the negotiation process that happens behind the scenes. While the stock ROM will report WARP/DART/etc Charging right away, the custom ROM will often report what’s actually happening:

1. Phone starts charging at low speeds.
2. Phone “talks” with a chip inside the charger or cable to get faster speeds.
3. If successful, the device starts receiving more power.

While this is hidden from you by the stock ROM, your device doesn’t start charging at full speeds right away. That’s why a custom ROM will often report it as “charging” and only after 10-30 seconds changes to “charging quickly”.

How to test?

Before testing, keep in mind that you’ll only get “peak” power when the battery is at 10-50%. To protect the battery life, speeds are usually lower when the state of charge is too low or too high. The points at which speeds start to drop depend on the device, but you should get the fast speeds when the battery is between 10 and 50%.

Another thing to be aware are the temperatures. The device will throttle (slow down) speeds if temperatures increase. When comparing between stock and custom ROM, make sure the conditions are the same: similar room temperatures, no phone case, etc.

1. Compare charging times

This doesn’t require any apps or hardware. All you have to do is compare how long it takes the phone to charge with the stock ROM and with the custom ROM.

Let’s say it takes 30 minutes for a phone to go from 20% to 80% when you’re not using it with the stock ROM. It should take more or less the same time with a custom ROM in the same conditions.

If it takes 35 minutes with a custom ROM, that’s inside the margin of error and fast charging should be working fine. But if it goes from 30 minutes to 1 hour, you know that there’s a problem.

2. Measure the maximum speed

The other way of knowing if WARP, DART, DASH, Quick Charging, etc, is working is to look at the peak speeds it can reach. You can compare between the stock and the custom ROM, but you can also make an educated guess by only looking at the results of charging with a custom ROM.

Here you have two options. Use an app, which may not be very accurate or a power meter that sits between the charger and the wall plug.

Again – and this is very important – make sure that:

1. The phone isn’t very hot.
2. The battery is ready to receive peak power (between 10 and 50%).
3. Wait at least 30 seconds before measuring (so the phone has time to negotiate the faster speeds).

Measuring with an App:

You can use apps like Ampere (Play Store, APK Mirror) to tell you how fast charging is going. Apps aren’t super reliable and often don’t account for things like the power the display is using, but they will give you an idea of the speeds.

To use, plug the charging cable, wait 30 seconds, lower your display brightness and then open the app. Wait another 20-30 seconds and see what the app reports.

Normal charging often doesn’t go past 5V/2A, so if the app reports anything past 2000mAh, the phone is likely to be fast charging. Then it depends on the device, but phones should be able to go past 4000mAh while fast charging.

Here’s an example of a OnePlus 8 Pro fast charging at WARP speeds and running LineageOS:

Measuring with a power meter:

This is more accurate, but you need something to measure the electricity the charger is pulling out of the electricity socket.

These are often called “power meters”, “electricity usage monitor”, “kill a watt”, and so on. These devices allow you to know how much power something has used and, the useful feature in this case, the peak power.

While sometimes it’s not worth buying one of these devices just to see if fast charging is working, they’re useful for to measure things around your home. Is your computer using too much power? Are you going above the limit supported by a power cord or extension?

It was working, but no longer fast charges. Why?

First, make sure it’s not a hardware problem.

• USB cables can become damaged without you noticing. If it stops making proper contact with the USB port, it won’t fast charge.
• Make sure the USB ports are clean. Blow some air or brush (with something soft) the USB port on the device and cable to make sure it’s making proper contact.
• Do you have a different cable or charger that fast charges your device? Try them.

Secondly, can it be a software change?

• Did it stop fast charging after update?
  • Have you tried flashing the previous build/update?
  • Are other users reporting the same problem? (check Reddit, XDA Dvelopers, Telegram, etc).
• Did the text / icons change on Android? This sometimes happens when upgrading to a major Android update.

No one seems to be having the same problem?

• Factory reset the device. This will delete everything (make your backups!), but often fixes the problem if it’s cased by software.
• Get a new official USB cable and charger if you suspect that your hardware may be damage.
• Go back to the stock ROM and see if fast charging is working there.

How to get help:

The best way to seek help is to find a place where other users are. For example, if you got the ROM from a XDA thread, then that’s the place where you should ask for help. If you’re using an official build/custom ROM, see if the project has a support chat, forum, etc.

Conclusion

This article got a bit long, but it probably covers most questions regarding fast charging on a custom ROM.

The different types of fast charging (DART, WARP, DASH, Super Charging, Quick Charging, USB-PD) should work normally like they do on the stock OS (OxygenOS, MIUI, ColorOS, etc), but since you’ll be using something closer to “Stock Android”, the phone won’t use the same marketing names.

At the end of the day, what matters is if the device is charging quickly or not and a different text or icon doesn’t really matter.

If you have any questions, leave a comment!

The post Fast Charging, VOOC, and WARP Charging on LineageOS appeared first on droid.tips.

This GCam for Exynos phones works on the following devices:

• Samsung Galaxy S10e, S10, S10+, Note 10, and Note 10+
• Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+, and Note 9
• Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note 8
• Samsung Galaxy S7
• Samsung Galaxy A5
• Samsung Galaxy A7
• Samsung Galaxy A8

Usually Google Camera only works on devices with similar hardware to Pixel phones, specifically the processor or SoC, but a developer called Zoran was able to create one version that works on both Exynos and Snapdragon powered devices.

How does it work?

This apk is based on Google Camera 6.1 and it’s compatible with Android 8, 9, and 10+. You need two things:

• The app (apk file)
• A config(uration) for your phone (loads the correct settings)

You can find the download links below, but essentially you need to:

1. Download Google Camera apk
2. Download the config file
3. Install the APK file (how to install apk files)
4. Move the config file to the /GCam/Configs/ folder
5. Load the config

For step 4 and 5 (loading configs), see: How to load config files.

It might seem hard to do, but it only takes 3-5 minutes from installation to taking pictures with GCam.

Download GCam for Exynos:

Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, Note 10, and Note 10+:

• GCam: ZGCAM_3.8.01149_BSG_Arnova_6.1.apk
• Config: Zgcam654.xml

Note: Broken front camera. See “Front Camera Fix” for more info.

Samsung Galaxy S10e:

• GCam: ZGCAM_3.8.01149_BSG_Arnova_6.1.apk
• Config: s10ev11.xml

Note: Broken front camera. See “Front Camera Fix” for more info.

Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+, and Note 9:

• GCam: ZGCAM_3.8.01149_BSG_Arnova_6.1.apk
• Config: Rohith_Sam9_config_v19.xml

Note: Broken front camera. See “Front Camera Fix” for more info.

Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note 8:

• GCam: ZGCAM_3.8.01149_BSG_Arnova_6.1.apk
• Config: fors8.xml

Samsung Galaxy S7:

• GCam: zorangcam060s7fix2.apk
• Config: CvoltonS7v1.xml

Samsung Galaxy A5:

• GCam: ZGCAM_3.8.01149_BSG_Arnova_6.1.apk
• Config: SGT687V2.xml

Samsung Galaxy A7:

• GCam: ZGCAM_3.8.01149_BSG_Arnova_6.1.apk
• Config: SGT687V2.xml

Samsung Galaxy A8:

• GCam: ZGCAM_3.8.01149_BSG_Arnova_6.1.apk
• Config: Reksanc_A530F_V4.xml

Front Camera Fix:

Due to a limitation on Samsung’s code, the following devices need a modded system file to fix the front camera: S10, S10+, S10E, S9, S9+, Note 9. In order to do this, root is needed.

To get the files, visit the telegram group and type #libguide

The only exception to this is the Note 10. You just have to change a few settings in GCam:

• Set front Denoise Multiplier to 100%
• Set black level front to auto
• Set switch front to id 3
• Disable alternative front fix

Other devices (S8, Note 8, A7, A8, etc) don’t need any fixes.

Help and support:

The best way to get support is to visit the available telegram groups:

• Telegram group for Zoran versions
• Telegram group for phones with Snapdragon SoC

You can also check the troubleshooting page on the GCam repository website or leave a comment below.

If you want to say thanks to Zoran for his work, consider sending him a donation via PayPal: paypal.me/KoopahTManiac

Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion about Google Camera on your Exynos Samsung device.

Screenshots:

The post Google Camera For Samsung Exynos appeared first on droid.tips.

Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android are the two most popular operating systems for phones. While no system is perfect (eg: iOS apps are updated with a system update, not via the Play Store), iPhone users get better long term support (5 years) than Android users. Google, which is the main force behind Android, only provides 3 years of software support. Other brands don’t go over 2 years and those that do usually take a long time to update.

This happens for a few reasons:

• Each brand maintains their own Android fork.
• Google can only update their products.
• Brands don’t have an incentive to upgrade. They make money selling phones, not upgrading them.

While the average user doesn’t care about Android versions and software upgrades, the lack of security upgrades can be dangerous and slow upgrades to new versions means that the adoption of new features and technologies are way slower on Android than it is on iOS.

Project Treble

One of the major attempts to make system updates was introduced by Google in 2018. It was called Project Treble and aimed to give Android a modular base.

When a new phone is developed, manufacturers need to make sure that the software is able to communicate with the hardware (eg: allow apps to use the camera). This is done via HALs (hardware abstraction layer) and before Treble brands had to go over this lengthy process every time a new major Android version was released.

To speed up this process, Project Treble created a division between the operating system and the HALs. By creating an API that allows the system to talk with the modularized HALs, brands could now upgrade Android without wasting time making these HALs compatible with new Android versions. If the camera, fingerprint sensor, bluetooth, etc, was working on Android 8, it would also work on Android 9 or 10.

In order to be certificated by Google, all new phones released with Android 8 had to support Treble and pass Google tests while running a generic Android image not made for that device.

Project Mainline

While Treble was a huge step in the right direction, it still relies on manufacturers to update their fork of Android and all their exclusive features. The problem is that after they sell you their phone, there’s no incentive for them to keep it up-to-date. Most see it as an additional cost.

With Project Mainline, Google is now able to directly update some modules:

Security: Media Codecs, Media Framework Components, DNS Resolver, Conscrypt.

Privacy: Documents UI, Permission Controller, ExtServices.

Consistency: Timezone data, ANGLE (developers opt-in), Module Metadata, Networking components, Captive Portal Login, Network Permission Configuration.

These updates are delivered via the Play Store as if they were app updates and should work on all devices released with Android 10. Some brands added Mainline support with their Android 10 update, but it was an optional feature for older phones.

While a major Android upgrade or a full system security patch still needs a proper OTA software update, this small step allows Google to send security patches and support new features without having to wait for brands to update their phones.

Even in this initial state, Project Mainline will allow you to receive some updates even if your phone is no longer supported. Assuming Google keeps pushing this idea, we should expect an expansion of supported modules in future Android versions.

This is how it looks on Android 10:

China-only devices won’t benefit from this

Since updates are delivered via Play Store, Project Mainline won’t work on phones without Google Mobile Services (GMS), as it is the case with all phones sold in China. These still need regular software updates to patch problems.

This shouldn’t be a problem if you live outside China as most Android powered devices come with the Play Store and fully comply with Google rules.

For more detailed information about how Treble and Mainline work, check the following links:

• Project Treble on Android blog
• Project Mainline on Android blog

The post Android’s Project Mainline appeared first on droid.tips.

Android is an open-source project built on top of the Linux kernel. This means that anyone can look at the source code and create something better, with less clutter, or simply more up-to-date than the original OS used by your phone.

In the early 2010’s, “custom ROM” meant lots of options and new functionality. In fact, some of the features that are now part of Android started in community projects like Paranoid Android, CyanogenMod, and many others.

These days custom ROMs are way less wild than they used to be. Most are simple and close to stock Android and give users (some) security updates before many OEMs, speed up things by not using slow UIs, add privacy settings, and in many cases allow users to be on the latest Android version before the manufacture releasing an official update.

Custom ROMs are popular among users with older devices that are no longer supported. To give you an example, the OnePlus One was released in 2014 and dropped by OnePlus in 2016, yet you can install Android 10 (the latest Android version available at the moment – 2019).

Where to find custom ROMs?

One of the best places to find custom ROMs, instructions, and help is to visit the XDA developers forums: forum.xda-developers.com

1. Start by searching for your phone’s name and model. If your phone is from a mainstream brand, then it’s very likely that they have a forum for each of their phones.
2. Look for the ROMs and Kernels subforum. This area will list the custom ROMs for your device.
3. Check the Guides subforum. Usually you can find tutorials that teach you everything, from unlocking your phone to installing custom ROMs.
4. Only in very rare cases, ROMs for one phone will work on another device. DO NOT install ROMs for other devices on your phone!

Depending on the phone you have, installing a custom ROM can result in a bricked (broken) device, so backup all your data and proceed only if you can afford to lose your device.

Well known custom ROMs

Some of the well known custom ROMs are:

• LineageOS: The most popular custom ROM, a continuation to the CyanogenMod project. Clean Android with some privacy enhancing features. They also have strict quality rules, so if a phone is supported, then all basic functionality should work.
• OmniROM: Created after some disagreements with the CyanogenMod project. Stock Android with some customizability built-in.
• Paranoid Android: Also an old project and probably the smallest from the 3, but also one of the more professional out there. Sadly they support a small number of devices.
• CarbonROM: A well known name for those that have been using ROMs for a long time. Similar to OmniROM.
• Resurrection Remix: Lots of options! Probably one of the most cutomizable custom ROMs out there.

This list is far from complete. There’s crDroid, AICP, and others that might not be as popular, but are very well known.

Depending on the device, you’ll also find Havoc, NitrogenOS, PixelExperience, etc, all with their set of functionality. The quality of these ROMs will vary as they are community projects, not something created by huge companies with big budgets.

Best brands to use custom ROMs

Brands like OnePlus, Xiaomi, ASUS, Motorola, LG, Google, etc, usually allow you to unlock your device’s bootloader (the first step when flashing a custom ROM for the first time).

You need to check first if there are custom ROMs for your device though.

Brands to avoid

While some brands are happy to allow users to install whatever they want on their devices, others aren’t and you should avoid them. They usually stop users from unlocking the bootloader and/or don’t provide the code needed for developers to do their job.

If you plan to use a custom ROM, avoid phones from brands like Huawei, Samsung, Nokia, etc, as they are not “development friendly”.

The post What’s an Android Custom ROM appeared first on droid.tips.

Even though this phones uses a Mediatek Helio G90T processor, developers managed to create a Google Camera version that works well and can help you improve the quality of your photos. Features include:

• Night Sight (Night Mode)
• Portrait mode
• HDR+ and HDR+ Enhanced
• Motion photos
• Time lapse
• Panorama
• Photo Sphere
• Regular video recording
• And many more

Download Google Camera for the Redmi Note 8 Pro

Google Camera modder wyroczen is the main developer supporting this phone. To download, visit the following page on the GCam repository:

• Google Camera for Redmi Note 8 Pro

The page above is updated regularly with the best version for the Redmi Note 8 Pro.

If you have never used Google Camera and want to know more about this app, read our What’s the Google Camera Mod article. In a few words, GCam can transform your camera, giving you more detailed photos specially in low light and way better dynamic range.

Enjoy!

The post Google Pixel Camera for the Redmi Note 8 Pro appeared first on droid.tips.

The ASUS Zenfone 6 (also known as Asus 6z in some markets) is one of the best mid-range phones of 2019. Cheaper than most flagships, it features a 48MP camera, a high quality 2340 by 1080 IPS display, headphone jack, the Snapdragon 855 processor, 6GB+ of RAM, SD Card support, and a massive 5000mAh battery.

A battery this big means that it lasts longer than most Android devices out there, but bigger batteries also means longer charging times. ASUS decided to minimize this downside by supporting Quick Charge 4.0 and including a 9V 2A 18W wall charger with the phone.

From 1% to 100%

It’s hard to run out of battery with this phone with what most people would call regular usage and if you charge daily, but we managed to get it down to 1%.

Using the original charger and USB cable, and with a room temperature of 20ºC (68ºF), these were the results:

• 1-60%: 84 minutes.
• 75%: 100 minutes.
• 85%: 114 minutes.
• 90%: 123 minutes.
• 100%: 166 minutes.

Speeds are fast even at a low state of charge, but start to slow down after ~85%. This happens on all phones, but it’s more noticeable on phones with big batteries as they take longer to reach 100%.

Fast charging, but slow?

The numbers above may be confusing, specially if you never had a smartphone with a big battery. After all, a phone with a 3000mAh battery and fast charging doesn’t take 2 hours to charge. So, why does the Zenfone 6 takes this long to reach 100%?

It’s simple: bigger batteries takes longer to charge and ASUS didn’t pick the fastest charging available.

This could be minimized by supporting faster speeds. One of the main competitors, the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro, can take up to 27W while the Zenfone 6 is limited to 18W.

Can slow chargers still be used?

You can slow charge, but it will take hours to fully charge due to the battery size. This is not a problem if you charge over night, but you won’t gain a lot of battery in a short period. For this, quick charging is a requirement.

The good thing is that a bigger battery means that just 70% equals to a fully charged battery on many flagships. You may not need to charge to 100%.

How to get the ideal charging speeds

The Zenfone 6 charges quickly even with low battery, so charging when the battery is between 5-80% should give you the best speeds.

It’s worth mentioning that from a battery life point of view, we should avoid the extremes. Fast charging at low state of charge is bad and so it is when it’s almost full (that’s why ASUS slows it down). This is true for all batteries currently used by smartphones.

Fast charging with power banks and car chargers

Since this phone uses Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology, it’s easy to find power banks and car chargers that can fast charge. Just make sure that it supports Quick Charge 4 (or at least 3).

You can also use a faster charger, but the phone itself will only use 18W. Slower chargers and computer USB ports also work, but at regular slow speeds.

If you’re planing to use a fast charger from brands like OnePlus (DASH or WARP), OPPO (VOOC), or Samsung (from devices with Exynos processors), you won’t be able to get fast speeds as they use a different charging technology.

Goodbye power banks (for some)

While there are downsides to bigger batteries (weight and charging time), there are also many upsides.

If your phone doesn’t last the full day without an additional charge, maybe a bigger battery can be the solution for your problem. Let’s say your current phone has a 3000mAh battery. By using a phone with a 5000mAh battery (40% bigger), you might not need to charge again to add ~40% that gets you until you get home.

As battery capacity goes up, the need to use a power bank and charge during the day goes down.

Final toughs

The Zenfone 6 is a good phone overall, not only on paper but in real life too.

When it comes to the battery, 5000mAh makes this phone last longer than most flagships without a hit to performance. Everyone uses their phones differently, so this might not apply to everyone, but at least in our case the need to charge again to survive days with heavy usage simply disappeared. It’s common to have 8-10 hours of “screen-ON time” with some messaging, 2 or 3 phone calls, a few YouTube videos, and 2-3 hours of Spotify.

Charging speeds are good, but could be way better. If you are impatient and want your battery to be fully charged in less than one hour, then this phone isn’t for you.

Batteries with large capacity are good, but they also need very fast charging to bring the charging times to acceptable lengths. We hope that future ASUS devices improve in this regard.

The post ASUS Zenfone 6 (6z) Charging Speed and Times appeared first on droid.tips.

What’s so good about GCam?

When we take a picture with our phone, it needs to process the image to remove noise, improve dynamic range, etc. Sadly most phones, specially cheap or mid-range ones, are bad at this.

Google managed to create a very good processing technology which is superior to what brands like OnePlus, Xiaomi, Motorola, Nokia, etc, use. Even Samsung or Apple struggle to keep up with them.

To give you an idea of what it can do, look at this side-by-side comparison between the stock camera app and Google Camera on a OnePlus phone:

This shows the power of Google Camera. The camera sensor and light conditions are the same, but Google’s software does a better job than the stock camera app.

How to install GCam?

Because this is a modified version, it’s not available in the play store. We need to download an apk file (format used by Android apps) and then open it (or, “install it”) using a file manager.

Installing Google Camera only takes a few seconds and while it may seem like a hard task, it’s actually very easy to do.

How to download GCam?

Since developers (the people that mod the app) share their files in different places (forums, telegram groups, etc), the best way to to find Google Camera versions is to visit Celso’s website. The suggested versions page is a good place to start.

Help and support

This app doesn’t work well on all phones and sometimes not all features are available. If you need help to find a good version, check this list of forum threads and groups where you can find more information.

The post What’s the Google Camera Mod appeared first on droid.tips.