3 Ways to Revive a Cell Phone Battery

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Easy steps to revive a dead cell phone battery and avoid buying a new one

Co-authored by Josef Storzi and Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: April 19, 2024 Approved

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Reviving a Non-Removable Battery

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Jump-starting a Removable Battery

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Freezing a Removable Battery

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Expert Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

When cell phone batteries have reached their limit or are left discharged for a long period of time, they eventually lose their ability to hold a charge. If your phone battery dies, there's no harm in trying to revive it before you throw it away. You've got nothing to lose! The battery may just need a little push to make it functional. This wikiHow article shows you a few ways that you can revive a cell phone battery.

How to Fix a Dead Phone Battery

Try cleaning your phone's charging port or using a new charger to make sure they aren't causing the issue. If you can remove the battery, try jumpstarting it with a 9V battery or freezing it to revive it. If that doesn't work, have the battery replaced at a service center.

Section 1 of 3:

Reviving a Non-Removable Battery

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Where you plug the charging cable into your phone is called the charging port. If this has collected a lot of dust, dirt, or debris, you may not be able to charge your phone. You can get a can of air or a small tool, like a toothpick, to clean it. Some electronics contact cleaner might work here and remove any corrosion.
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Sometimes all you need to do is check your power outlet to make sure it's working. Try plugging a lamp into that same switch. If the light comes on, then you know the outlet works and is not causing the issue of your dead battery. Continue using this outlet to charge your phone's battery.
- If the lamp light doesn't turn on, you know there's an issue with the outlet and can try plugging your phone into a different outlet.
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Try another charger. A broken or incompatible charging cable or adapter could be the reason for your dead battery. In that case, use a different charger or adapter to see if your battery charges. You can purchase adapters or cables from almost any retailer like Walmart, Amazon, or the corner shop.
- You can also borrow your friend's charger to see if it will work for you.
- You can try changing the cable first, but if your phone still doesn't charge, try your old cable with a new adapter (if you use one).
- If your phone charges with a new cable or adapter, you can skip the rest of these steps and instead charge your phone for a while.
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Use your charger with another phone. You want to make sure your phone battery is dead and not charging by making sure your charger works with a different phone. If it doesn't, you know that the cable, adapter, outlet, or your phone's charging port might still be the issue.
- If moisture has gotten into this port, it may cause damage to your phone or prevent you from charging the battery until it is dry. You can set it upright with silica gel packets so the moisture drains out and dries.
- Make sure the pins here are intact. If they are broken, you may not be able to charge your phone's battery. Fixing this yourself might damage the phone, so take it to a service center.
If none of the previous troubleshooting steps worked for you, you might actually have a battery that's past its lifespan and needs to be replaced. Go to a service center to replace your battery since you can't easily remove it and replace it yourself.

Section 2 of 3:

Jump-starting a Removable Battery

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First, gather a 9-volt battery (any brand will do), electric tape (you’ll need no more than five inches), and electrical wire (basic thin electrical wire will do, but red (+) and black (-) are preferred).
Take note of which wires go to which terminals of the battery, as not to connect a positive side to a negative.
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Connect the wire coming from the positive terminal of the cell phone battery to the positive terminal of the 9-volt battery.
- Do the same with the negative wire.
- Do not connect opposite polarity, positive to negative, because this can short out your cell phone battery.
- Most cell phone batteries have more than two terminals, use the ones that are furthest from each other, or the ones on the outside. The center terminals are not to be used.
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Secure the connection of the wires and the terminals of the batteries with electrical tape.
- Place them in a cool, dry place, away from any water or heat.
You should check the battery every 10-seconds or so for heat.
If the level is low, plug the phone into a charger and wait until it is fully charged.

Section 3 of 3:

Freezing a Removable Battery

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Place it inside a sealed plastic bag in addition to a sealed plastic container. This will prevent it from getting wet.
- Do not use paper bags or foils as water can easily penetrate these materials.
- For the sealed plastic container, think of a Glad or Rubbermaid container.
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Place the sealed battery inside the freezer and leave it overnight or at least 12 hours.
- By exposing the battery to low temperatures such as the inside of a freezer, it allows the battery cells to recharge a little, enough to hold sufficient charge to be connected to a phone charger.
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Remove the battery from the freezer. Allow it to warm up to room temperature.
- Do NOT use the battery while it’s still cold.
Plug the phone into the proper charger and allow the device to charge for 48 hours.
You may find that your once-dead battery is revived, and is now able to hold a charge again.

Expert Q&A

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Question

What should I do if my phone has water damage?

Josef Storzi
Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist
Josef Storzi is an Apple and Mobile Phone Repair Specialist and the Owner of Imobile LA, a mobile phone repair company based in Los Angeles, California. Josef specializes in repairing screens, charging ports, batteries, water damage, speakers, and microphones on all mobile phone brands including Apple, Samsung, LG, Nokia, and Sony. He also specializes in tablet, laptop, and computer repairs as well as the pros and cons of recent mobile software updates.

Josef Storzi

Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist

Expert Answer

The first thing to do for any electronic device that has liquid damage is to remove its power source. This will stop your device from becoming damaged further. For phones, this includes both the charger and the battery. In many cases removing all power sources successfully may prevent damage from occurring to your device. For many newer devices, the battery is not user-removable. In cases where the battery is not user-removable visit your local repair shop as soon as possible in order to have the device professionally disassembled and inspected.

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Question

Will putting my phone in rice fix water damage?

Josef Storzi
Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist
Josef Storzi is an Apple and Mobile Phone Repair Specialist and the Owner of Imobile LA, a mobile phone repair company based in Los Angeles, California. Josef specializes in repairing screens, charging ports, batteries, water damage, speakers, and microphones on all mobile phone brands including Apple, Samsung, LG, Nokia, and Sony. He also specializes in tablet, laptop, and computer repairs as well as the pros and cons of recent mobile software updates.

Josef Storzi

Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist

Expert Answer

In most cases, this will not help. Modern mobile devices are well sealed, which prevents the rice from making its way inside the device in order to absorb the water.

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Question

What can you do if the battery has expanded?

Community Answer

If the battery is bulging, consider getting a new battery. Using the bulging battery can cause damage to your device and other unwanted problems.

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Tips

When you leave your battery inside the freezer, make sure the plastic bag is sealed and placed far from any food to avoid contamination in the event that your battery leaks. Also, properly label the bag so other people won’t mistake it for food.

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If you’re having issues with your battery, you should try using a different charger first to isolate the problem. Most battery issues can be traced to using the wrong charger and/or charging cable.

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Do not attempt to recharge your phone battery using a 9-volt battery, because this may cause your cell phone battery to burn out or even explode. This method can only be used to revive a battery.

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Warnings

Do not leave your phone battery connected to a 9-volt battery. Doing so may cause it to explode.

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Your battery may explode as well if you leave it inside the freezer for too long. Remember that extreme hot and cold temperatures are bad for batteries.

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