How to check battery health on Android phones
Battery life is something most people think about, but what about battery health? This is important for the long-term usability of your phone. Unlike the iPhone, Android devices don’t have a super-easy way to check this.
What is battery healthy, anyway? The term “battery life” typically refers to how long the battery will last on a charge. Battery health tells us how much the battery is deteriorating. Low battery health means the battery will perform worse discharge faster, get warm, etc.
How to check battery health on Android phones
In this tutorial, TheGhanaTech.com will be showing you some simple ways of checking the battery health of your phone.
Samsung is one Android manufacturer that includes a method for checking the health of your battery. It does require an app, but it’s an app that is most likely already on your phone. If you don’t have the Samsung Members app, you can download it from the Play Store.
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal the Quick Settings tiles
- Click on the gear icon to open Settings.
- Scroll down and select “Battery and Device Care.”
- Under the “Additional Care” section, select “Diagnostics.”
- Click on the “Battery Status” icon to proceed
Now you’ll see some information about the battery. The “Life” reading is what refers to the health of your battery. It will either be “Good,” “Normal,” or “Weak.”
Other Methods to Check Battery Health
If you don’t have a Samsung Galaxy device, there’s one method you can try that doesn’t require third-party apps. This method uses Android’s hidden diagnostic menu that can be accessed by entering codes in the phone dialer. However, these codes do not work on all devices and mobile networks.
Open the phone app and enter *#*#4636#*#*. This will open a “Testing” menu that may include a “Battery information” section.
If that didn’t work there’s a good chance it won’t you’ll need to use a third-party app. Thankfully, the Play Store has a really great app for this called AccuBattery.
Unfortunately, you won’t get answers right away. AccuBattery can’t access the historical information on your battery. It will start recording data after you install it. After a few charge/discharge cycles, you’ll be able to see a reading for the battery.