The phone battery is draining faster: what causes this and how can you fix it?

Every phone user may eventually face the issue of their device's battery no longer holding a charge like it used to. This raises the question: is there any way to prevent this?

If you're looking for a brief answer, it would be "no, you can't." However, battery degradation can be slowed down, and "Telegraph" will explain how.

A Bit of Theory: The most commonly used batteries today are lithium-ion batteries, which operate on the principle of lithium ions moving between the anode and cathode. Ions travel through the electrolyte from the cathode to the anode during charging and in the opposite direction when discharging. Each cycle of charging and discharging gradually wears down the battery material, reducing its maximum capacity. Lithium-ion batteries are designed for 300-500 such cycles, after which degradation begins to accelerate.

The reasons for rapid degradation are typically linked to careless usage. Therefore, to quickly damage the battery, you only need to:

• overheat the device, disrupting the properties of the electrolyte;
• constantly discharge the battery to "zero" or charge it to 100%;
• use non-original chargers that are not intended for your device.

To extend the life of your battery, you should avoid doing anything from the list above, as well as regularly update your phone's software and enable power-saving mode when high performance is not required.

This will help your device last longer, but it still won't make your battery everlasting. If you notice that:

• the phone discharges faster;
• charging takes longer than usual;
• the device shuts down even with a charge remaining.

Then these are clear signs that the battery's lifespan is nearing its end, and you should consider replacing it. Generally, most manufacturers recommend replacement if the capacity drops below 80%.

Previously, "Telegraph" also reported on the top ways to use an old smartphone effectively. There are several ideas for how to make good use of such a gadget.