!@#$%^&*() Phones!

[Old Greenhorn]

I have replaced batteries in more stuff than I can count, electric forklifts, excavators, boats, trucks, cars, watches, computer backup memory boards, dozers, you name it. BUT I have never worked so hard to change a battery as today, GEEZ!

 Background: I use an Android phone by Motorola called the Moto G7 Power. I like it, it works fine and the battery charge lasts a long time which is handy when I am at festivals where charging is not always available. In fact I am on the second one of these. The first one had the battery swell up and split the case open. It was 3 years old at that time so I just replaced it.
 So about 10 days ago I noticed this new phone is swelling and splitting also after 2 years use. Now I'm a bit ticked. Turns out (although Motorola does not admit this) that the charging circuit in the phone does not shut down when it it fully charged and it overcharges. I also found out that the battery is replaceable with a bit of careful surgery. At dinner that night I mentioned it to my wife who has a Moto G7 Play, which is nearly the same. She says hers is swelling and splitting ALSO. Now I'm super ticked. I am not buying 2 new phones, let alone one if I can help it. 

 So I ordered a battery off eBay which came with some tools. Since I had my first G7, I could play with that and make sure I understood the process before messing with my current phone. The battery came today and after my real work was done I started by taking my old phone apart and getting the battery out.  Very tricky but do-able work however, the double sided tape they use to hold that battery in could hold a wing on a plane at Mach 1 ! It took me 15 minutes to get that battery peeled off the tape. You cannot risk bending these batteries lest they short out inside and start on fire. So 1 closed back up the old phone and took my good one apart, same thing but the tape was even worse on that one. Another full l15 minutes carefully working my way around a peeling a little at a time. I finally got it out, managed to get the new one in and the microscopic contacts lined up and the clamp cover on. The dang thing works just great but man I have never worked so hard to change a battery and I was in a nervous sweat the whole time.

 Now that I know the issues, I will just charge it when I can monitor it and take it off when it hits 90% or so. Now I have to get another battery and do the wife's phone. This is not a skill I wanted to develop.
 Now I have to figure out how to get rid of these old batteries, any ideas?

[Ianab]

Fortunate that the battery is even replaceable. 

Many devices now are so well sealed up that taking them apart basically destroys them. This is another side of "Right to Repair" laws, that devices should be able to be repaired. 

Locally at least the local rubbish transfer stations accept small lithium batteries (and devices) for free. Mostly to avoid them getting tossed in the general trash and setting the rubbish trucks alight when the compactor squashes them. Larger quantities, say from a repair shop, get charged for, but one or 2 small batteries you can just drop off. 

[Hilltop366]

I've changed a iPhone battery and a few screens for my daughter....it was not much fun. Heating up the case and battery with a hair drier seemed to help with the glue and tape. (a tip I got by watching a how to video)

I'm still using an old samsung s4 that is at least 6 years old and out dated as far as phones go when I got it. I can remove the back and change the battery with my thumb nail in about 30 seconds but it still working fine with the original battery. I turn off all the things that use up the battery and only use it as a phone and it goes for 4 or 5 days on a charge. Its original release date was 2013.

[GRANITEstateMP]

Tom,

That story makes me happy that I still have a flip phone!  My phone I use at work is one of them fancy ones, but if it breaks I can hand it in and they fix it!

[beenthere]

When I visited the iPhone store to get a new battery, I learned that it was cheaper to accept their new phone upgrade deal which was also less "rent" per month billing. They left me with the old phone which just sits in the drawer. 

[Old saw fixer]

I recently replaced my Samsung S8 phone, not because it broke but because some apps were unable to be updated.  After 8 years it certainly didn't owe me anything.  I bought a Samsung S25 to replace it.  I was unable to transfer the data so I made an appointment at a Verizon factory store in Chesterfield.
The technician tried the same method of transfer which stopped partway like it did for me.  He showed me where the case had started to split from the battery swelling.  One more try with the USB cord and the transfer was done.
The new phone has a max battery charge setting so I set it at 90% charge.
The old phone was smarter than I am, and now I am really behind the times with the new one!

[Magicman]

Apple just replaced my SE iPhone with a 16e a couple of weeks ago.  Some kinda program.  I am 'bout to figure it out and so far, I am pleased.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well in general these phones and companies annoy me. They play that trade in game and have stupid prices on many of these phones. The phones will last a reasonable time, but the battery's can be another story. They charge labor for changing them out and that is why they say 'it's not worth it'. Of course they want to turn that into a new sale and billing at the same time. Ever figure out what your phone actually costs with those monthly rent fees? I buy mine outright, no nonsense. Also, the replacement battery for my phone cost me $12.00 and 45 minutes of my time. I did not have to go through reloading apps and contacts and all that nonsense.

[SwampDonkey]

You're better at battery replacing than I am. I never had a watch that would work right after replacing a battery. Now I have a Timex watch that the stem seams to pull out too easy or something because the time will change and it might be an hr behind. So I ordered a new one like I now do if the battery goes. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Watch batteries were never my favorite. My wife takes her watch to the jeweler who will not charge her to put in a new battery, I always had to get a watch to use for EMS work because for some reason I can't check pulses with a digital readout watch. I needed a watch with a second hand. So I would buy cheap walmart $5.00 watches with a largish face and hang in on my leg bag that had my kit in it so everything was all together and ready to go. The batteries would last 1-2 years, then I would just get another watch rather than mess with it. Besides, that watch was pretty war weary after a year or two of banging around on my bag.
 But there i a big difference (for me) between a $5. watch and a $150 phone.

[aigheadish]

My buddy had a phone battery he was getting rid of, so of course we took it out onto his big concrete parking pad and tried to get it to explode. I don't remember all we tried but we couldn't get it to do anything other than sit there. We were reasonably safe and reasonably aggressive. 

[SwampDonkey]

Well you have one leg up on me with them cell phones. I don't want anything to do with them. 

[thecfarm]

I had a watch that the back came off somehow. I tried many times to get it back on, And I do mean many.
Took it to walmart and they get in seconds.
They said its hard to put a back onto a watch.

[SwampDonkey]

Walmart in this area won't touch watches or attempt any work at all on them here. Right now I think you won't even find one in our Walmart.

[Resonator]

The phone companies don't want to fix an old phone. Last time I had a cracked screen, they said they didn't even do repairs. Their standard answer is get a new phone. Next question? Get a new phone. 
I have a bunch of my old phones from the last 20 years that all turn on and function, but none have the right digital signal - rams - gigs - big G's - or whatever to work. As someone I know in the electronics design industry told me years ago: Once you buy it, before you even get home, it's already obsolete.

[Magicman]

My old iPhone that I just retired will still take and store pictures.  Matter of fact, copies of all of my pictures are still on it I reckon because the sim card is still in it.  My new iPhone has eSim so it simply synced to the old iPhone and they did their thing.  It took probably 24 hours for the new iPhone to completely download all of it's updates and whatever else.

I don't know stuff so I followed the instructions.

[Ianab]

Matter of fact, copies of all of my pictures are still on it I reckon because the sim card is still in it.

The picture files and all that stuff are stored in the phones memory.  The Sim or E-Sim is just to authenticate it to the phone network. Without, it's a small hand held computer that can still talk via wifi / bluetooth / USB cable, it just can't make phone calls or send/receive data from the Mobile network. 

I don't use Apple gear, but I assume the update process is similar to the Samsung / Google one. Your configuration / contact list etc are backed up to some place in the "Cloud". When you get a new phone and sign in again, it can fetch most of your data back from the cloud, install the same apps you had on the old phone etc.

I guess the thing is many people still think of them as "Just a phone". Lil's got a late model Samsung, and it's basically desktop computer specs. 8 core CPU, 12 gb of Ram, 1 tb of storage, multiple cameras with photo processing, 8K video camera etc. All in a hand size titanium case. Camera is so sensitive that it can capture faint aurora, handheld. I'm not sure exactly what video processing it's using, but I think it's stacking multiple exposures for 5 -10 sec, and correcting for any camera shake. It then stitched 4 pictures, taken from the same spot in different directions into one panoramic shot to get 180 deg view. 

I'm sure the high end I-phones have comparable features, but they are really "pocket computers", and even my cheapo Samsung us a pretty capable device. 

As someone I know in the electronics design industry told me years ago: Once you buy it, before you even get home, it's already obsolete.

Before it leaves the factory they have the next model being prototyped. 

There isn't much you can do to improve a "mobile phone". I think Nokia perfected that in the 2000s with the 3210. Since then it's been about the camera / computer / storage. (and not catching fire). Maybe the only "new" phone feature that's coming out now is mobile via satellite. The new Starlinks have 5G cellphone capability, which once it's fully operational will mean no real dead spots. It's operational here in NZ, but only on some high end phones and plans, and only for text at first. But it's actually a working system. 

I guess I remember (like a lot of other members), the time when you had to call the operator to make a toll call to someone in the next town, and you got charged by the minute. Now we think nothing of video calling someone on the other side of the World (for no real cost, above your monthly net bill). Dick Tracy might have had his video phone watch, but even Star Trek didn't have video phones. They had to put the bad guy on the big view screen to talk to him. 

[Magicman]

Thank you Ian for that quick overview of either what I did not know or had forgotten. 

[lurk]

At dinner that night I mentioned it to my wife who has a Moto G7 Play, which is nearly the same.

Interesting, I wasn't aware of the battery swelling issues on these.  I also have the Moto G7 Play, I use it every day and it's 5-6yrs old now. I use it for all the YouTube shorts on my channel. 

Must admit though, I don't leave mine on charge once it's charged so perhaps that's why it survived. 🔥

[SawyerTed]

[Ianab]

I grew up on a dairy farm, the idea of a shoe phone never really appealed 

[Ianab]

Lil's playing with her new toy, it's a hand held gimbal mount for her phone. Not sure all it's functions, but it's "space ship" stuff. Basically if you walk along filming, it tilts and swivels the phone to keep the camera steady. Or you can set it to track the thing you are filming, or.. well lots of magic stuff. 

First challenge was getting the box open. 

[SawyerTed]

I grew up on a dairy farm, the idea of a shoe phone never really appealed 

That's funny!  

[WhitePineJunky]

I've been impressed with how long my phone has lasted a iPhone 6. Made around 2014 IIRC, I bought it 5 years ago for 40$, still typing on it now.

Only issues are that the cold or heat will drain the battery fast. But all is good if at room temp.

[Ianab]

Update on the phone gimble. Yes it's space ship stuff. 

Watching Lil with it on her desk, swinging side to side on her chair.. "Hey, it's following me!!"

Nek minute, "I pushed a button and took 62 picture of myself in 2 seconds!!" 

Anyway, she's got the tutorial videos now, so the buttons are starting to make sense. The little joystick on the front spins and tilts the gimble. There are mode and power beside that. Knob on the side control the camera zoom, and the trigger will flip or change portrait / landscape etc. It also has pull out feet to make it into a mini-tripod, and built in extension rod to make it into a selfie stick. 

It's worth about as much as my whole phone cost new, but I can see the uses for it.