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[dannaswolcott]

Here's a list of tips, tricks and hints to get the most out of your Lithium-ion iPod Touch or iPhone battery.

New Device There is NO need to prime your battery with a full charge when you first open the box. The first full or partial charge of a Lithium Ion battery is the same as every other charge it will have. Despite this it is good practice, and in line with the 'frequent charge' rule below, to give it some charge asap as it is has most likely been shipped partially charged. Feel free to play with your new toy while it is charging and to remove it from a charge while only partially charged. Don't waste a moment in enjoying your new gadget  
Top up the charge frequently! Charge your device often to prevent rapid erosion of the Lithium-ion battery's capacity. Never let your battery run down to zero. Your battery will fast charge for 1.5 to 2 hours to reach 80% charge and then 'top-up' charge for 2 to 4 hours more to reach 100%, so try to charge a weak battery for at least 2 hours. Lithium-ion batteries lose capacity as soon as they are manufactured but a properly maintained battery is designed to retain an average 80% of its capacity after between 400 to 500 charge cycles.
Leaving On Charge You can leave your device on charge for as long as you want. There is a protective mechanism in all Lithium-Ion batteries that prevents 'overcharge'. i.e. don't worry about those long overnight charges.
Recalibrate Your Battery Meter - If you charge your device regularly and also use the 'Numerical Battery' you may want to consider running down the battery once per month followed by a full charge. The battery meter tracking the battery's capacity will lose accuracy over time and this full discharge will recalibrate it. If you use the stock Apple battery icon then there's probably no need for such accuracy unless you start to get strange readings.
Keep your iPod Touch cool! Lithium-ion battery capacity rapidly decays if exposed to high temperatures. Don't leave your device in the car. Maximum operating temperature suggested is 35° C (95° F). Don't charge when hot as this can further damage the battery's capacity. Remove any cover/skin when charging to help prevent overheating.
Maintenance in storage - If your don't use your device regularly, try to complete one full charge cycle per month to slow battery degradation. This can be staggered, e.g. use 50% of battery, charge full and then use 50% again. When not in use store your device below 45° C (113° F) to prevent heat damage to the battery's capacity. Store your device with a partial (~40% best) charge.
Stay updated - new firmware and software updates often include more battery-efficient code so update and keep current if you can.
Manage Your Apps - conserve your current battery charge by turning off 3G, WiFi, Edge, SSH and/or Bluetooth when not in use. Other functions such as GPS & Push Email will also cause the battery to drain faster. Turn off the WiFi function 'Ask to Join Networks' as this can leech the battery. Update email manually. Use 'Airplane Mode' in areas of low coverage to prevent continuous scanning draining the battery. Turn off 'Location Services' in Settings when not in use. Hold the home button for 5 seconds to kill any applications running in the background.
Equalizer - turn the EQ off if you don't need it.
Backlight - Turn the brightness down as low as possible (~10-25% is good) and enable 'Auto Brightness'.
Screen Lock - Use a short 'Auto Lock' time. Turn the screen off whenever it's not in use by a quick press of the power button.
Beware of daemons (Jailbreak only) - A number of applications on Cydia run 'daemons'. These are processes that run in the background and leach CPU, memory and battery life constantly. Some, such as OpenSSH, are thin and don't pose an issue, while others are battery hogs. It is best to avoid Intelliscreen, Kate, Video Wallpapers or Winterboard themes that change the background in any way. Also note that other apps install low level daemons, e.g. MXTube. Backgrounder and Categories leech battery when in 'Background' mode. Best practice is to avoid apps that run daemons unless you really need them.

Safety note: If your battery ever becomes too hot to touch while charging then remove from charge immediately and leave to cool [note that it is normal for the device to get warm while charging but it should never be too hot to touch]. If this happens on a regular basis you may need to speak to Apple and possibly return your device and/or USB cable as one or the other may be faulty. Also be aware that cheap USB charging cables and wall adapters should be avoided. It's worth the expense of buying brand names.


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Battery Technical Info

iPhone 2G - Lithium Ion Polymer Battery 1400mAh 3.7v - APN 616-0290 / APN 616-0291
iPhone 3G - Lithium Ion Polymer battery 1400mAh 3.7v - APN 616-0320 (also replacement APN 616-0366, 1600mAh)
iPod Touch 1G - Lithium Ion Battery 900mAh 3.7V - APN 616-0343 / APN 616-0337
iPod Touch 2G - Lithium Ion Polymer Battery 739mAh (unconfirmed) 3.7V - APN 616-0399, VPN P11G74-01-S01

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Quote [Originally Posted by spoonforknife]