Additionally, there is no longer any realistic need to be concerned about overcharging.
cellpower.com offers the following advice:
- You should fully charge your new battery before using it.
- For the first 3 charge cycles, fully charge the battery and then allow it to nearly fully discharge before fully charging it again.
- Overcharge protection capability is built into the power management functions of most phones, and most chargers also have overcharge protection capabilities built in to them. It is very unlikely that leaving your phone or battery on a charger for an extended period of time is going to cause any harm or damage; however, a good common-sense guideline is to not leave a battery on a charger for more than 12 hours.
- Avoid letting your battery sit dormant for long periods of time. If the battery is to be idle for an extended period (a month or more), store it in a cool, clean, dry location. Charge and re-condition it upon re-use.
- As a battery nears the end of it's productive life (typically considered 50% of its original capacity), the talk and stand-by times of the battery will be noticeably shorter. It is interesting to note that a Lithium-ion battery will, over it's useful lifetime, maintain more of a full capacity charge and then "die" rather suddenly.
- You should discard your old batteries to an entity that is set up to handle and dispose of batteries in an environmentally responsible way. Such companies or organizations exist in most every community. Many retail stores now offer battery disposal. For a list of disposal sites near you visit Call2Recycle.
