Have you ever been completely bamboozled by sudden changes in percentages shown by your battery indicator? This is quite a common thing after you’ve used a handset for an extended period. “But, why?”, you might ask. Why is the battery indicator erratically showing the wrong battery percentage on Android? Well, we made sure to explain it below.
Even better, we provided you with a way to get precise readings on your device without too much hustle.
Why does my Android show the wrong battery percentage?
The reasons behind these inconsistent battery readings are mostly the battery being uncalibrated. Namely, after some time of use, batteries will degrade. The initial mAh capacity value will fall over time. The device sensors would not be able to pick up on that and that’s why you’ll get a fixed percentage.
So, for example, your battery might be at 90% and then it suddenly, in a matter of minutes, switches to 80%. And then it’s stuck at 80% for an extended period. A battery can’t deplete that fast, which points toward false readings.
Certain third-party apps can give you better wear details about battery degradation. But that’s of no big importance in the grand scheme of things.
How to calibrate the battery on your Android
The important thing to do is to recalibrate the battery. We explain how to do it below.
- Discharge your phone fully until the phone turns off and the battery drains completely.
- Turn it on again and wait until it turns off.
- Plug your phone into a wall socket, without turning it on, and charge it until the on-screen indicator says ”100 percent”.
- Unplug your device.
- Turn your device on. If the battery percentage is not at 100%, plug the charger again until the UI shows that the battery is 100% full.
- Unplug your phone and restart it. If the battery is still not at 100%, plug in the charger and charge it until the battery is 100% full.
- Repeat this cycle until it says 100 percent.
- Now, discharge your battery until the phone turns off by itself.
- Fully charge the battery one more time. Don’t turn on the device or disrupt charging.
After that, readings of the battery percentage should be more on point and you can check detailed battery stats in Settings > Battery. To keep battery readings precise, we recommend recalibrating the battery every couple of months by following the aforementioned procedure. On the other hand, if you don’t have calibration issues, there’s no real need to do it.
In case you have any questions or suggestions concerning battery calibration, make sure to tell us in the comments section below.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in November 2019. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.
