Fire safety
If your device feels extremely hot, or smells awful, don't attempt to remove the battery. If your device is actively emitting smoke, clear the area of anything flammable and don’t breathe the fumes. Ventilate the area if possible as batteries contain a cocktail of chemicals that are harmful if inhaled.
If the battery catches fire, treat it like any other small fire. If you can’t move the device, smother the fire with sand, cool the reaction with a foam, ABC, or CO2 fire extinguisher, douse it with lots of water, or cover it with a fireproof container–and then stand clear.
If safe to do so, use fire-resistant tools like a metal spatula to push the device onto a fire-resistant surface like a metal baking sheet or concrete floor. Move the device outside to a safe location where the battery can burn itself out, while monitoring from a safe distance.
WARNING
Whether swollen or not, lithium-ion batteries may catch fire or explode if handled improperly. Proceed with caution and at your own risk when removing a battery from an electronic device. If you have doubts about your ability to do so safely, power down and isolate the device, and consult a professional repair technician.
Removing a swollen battery can be hazardous, but leaving a swollen battery inside a device also poses risks. To prevent potential device and bodily harm, don’t operate your device with a swollen battery. These guidelines offer best practices for removing swollen batteries, but can't guarantee a safe repair. If you have doubts, power the device down, place it in a fireproof container, take it to a repair professional and ask them to remove the faulty battery. Don't delay battery removal. If your swollen battery was purchased from iFixit, take photos of the battery before and after removing it, then contact our customer service team for warranty claims or replacement.
What happens when a battery gets swollen?
Lithium-ion batteries use a chemical reaction to generate power. As the battery ages, this chemical reaction no longer completes perfectly, which can result in the creation of gas (called outgassing), leading to a swollen battery. Additionally, if the battery’s internal layers don't maintain proper separation (due to damage or defect), outgassing, swelling, and even fire can occur. Other common causes of outgassing include flaws introduced during the manufacturing process, overcharging, and excessive temperatures - all of which can lead to unwanted chemical reactions inside the cell.
How to identify a swollen battery
Inspect the device
As batteries swell, they expand and push other components out of the way. Oftentimes a display, button, or trackpad will be pushed out of normal alignment. You may have a swollen battery if your phone case doesn’t fit as well as it used to, or there’s a new gap between components, or buttons have become stiff or hard to push, or your device has more give than usual and feels “squishy.”
Identify by smell
Practice safe sniff testing! Never stick a dangerous substance near your face and inhale deeply—rather, waft the area near your battery. You may notice a sweet, metallic, or acetone smell, which could be battery gas escaping a swollen battery.
Inspect the battery
Image Credit: George Christidis
If your device is easy to open without disturbing the battery (check the battery replacement guide to see!), like a MacBook or iPhone, you can open the device and visually inspect the battery for puffiness. If the battery has a loose or wrinkly wrapping, is more rounded than square, or appears lifted out of its recess, it is swollen.
How to safely remove a swollen battery
Before you begin
If you suspect your battery is swollen, don't charge your device. Run the battery down as low as you can—this reduces the risk of fire.
Protect yourself
Work in a well-ventilated area to help diffuse fumes. Wear eye protection—ideally full goggles, but safety glasses are better than nothing. Wear gloves to prevent skin contact with battery chemicals. Have a pair of long, blunt tongs available to help safely move a damaged battery.
Prepare your environment
In the event that the battery does begin to combust or leak, you need to have a safe place to store it. Work on a non-flammable surface and outside if it’s cool and dry. Prepare a fireproof container, such as a sealed metal can, metal bucket of sand, or equivalent. Water isn't the most effective option, but can be used in large quantities to extinguish a small, cellphone-sized battery (less than 15 Wh). If you work indoors, have a clear path to a place outside where the battery reaction may safely run itself out.
Remove the battery
Once the above precautions have been taken, you can start removing the battery. For the most part, you can follow your device’s battery replacement guide, but extra care should be taken to avoid damaging the battery during removal. If the battery is glued in place, we recommend starting with a solvent like iFixit’s adhesive remover, high-concentration isopropyl alcohol, or acetone. The solvent will minimize the need to pry against or flex the battery. Keep in mind that acetone may cause damage to plastic parts, and all solvents should be used as sparingly as possible—they are flammable. Only use plastic tools, and avoid anything sharp enough to puncture the battery wrapping—puncturing the battery can lead to dangerous fires. If at any point the smell increases, the device begins to heat up, or any smoke appears, put the device outside, or in a fireproof container, and wait for the symptoms to dissipate before trying again.
How to dispose of a swollen battery
Once the battery has been removed, it needs to be safely disposed of. Do not throw batteries into trash or recycling bins. Do not put/store the battery in water. If the battery is warm, smelly or smoking, put it outside away from flammable materials, or in a fireproof container, and wait for the symptoms to dissipate. When safe, take the battery to a local e-waste collection site; refer to our e-waste page to find one in your area. Do not mail the battery to an e-waste processing facility—there are strict regulations against this as the battery could cause damage in transit. In fact, never ship a battery without specific authorization and instructions as there are safety protocols that must be followed according to law.
How to take care of your battery
Batteries are consumable, and no matter how well you take care of them, they will eventually need to be replaced. That said, below are some best practices to help keep your battery healthy for longer. But, it is important to note that you cannot heal a swollen or defective battery; you can only remove it. These hints can only help prevent battery degradation.
Batteries do best with slow, controlled charging and discharging, use in moderate temperatures, and protection from shocks or damage. Though a phone or laptop battery isn’t usually being charged or discharged quickly enough for it to pose an issue, rapid charging and discharging can wear a battery out prematurely and result in some outgassing. Avoid using low quality or damaged charging cables or adapters as they risk uncontrolled, uneven, or excessive power management that can cause damage or even result in fire. Leaving your battery 100% charged or completely empty for a long period of time can also shorten your battery’s lifespan, so if you plan on storing your device without using it for a few weeks or more, charge/discharge it to about 40% and turn it off beforehand. High temperatures can also reduce battery efficiency, so try not to leave your phone in the car on a hot day. And most importantly, dropping your phone hurts your battery, too, not just your screen. Just like cars, phones are meant to flex during an accident, so even a glued-in battery can bump into nearby components when dropped, resulting in a puncture. Replace your battery if it’s damaged or no longer holds a proper charge.
TL;DR: be nice to your battery. Use it gently, and replace it if it becomes damaged or no longer holds a proper charge.
74 Comments
Leaving your device plugged in forces it to drain and charge many times an hour, which can degrade the battery - this is rubbish. If the device is plugged in the battery will usually end up fully charged - which is not ideal as about 40% charge is best for battery longevity - but it won’t drain and charge continually. Instead, once the battery is fully charged it is essentially removed from the circuit and the charger powers the device.
Using a non-certified charging cable or adapter risks uncontrolled, uneven, or excessive charging that can cause damage or even result in fire - this is not quite true. All devices contain a charge controller that prevents overcharging regardless of the charger used. However, cheap chargers may subject you to the risk of electrocution, may produce ‘noisy’ DC that reduces the performance of the touchscreen, or may themselves catch fire. A damaged charger cable can also overheat and cause a fire.
Andrew - Reply
perfectly true "thumb up "
Iti Tech -
Depends on the design of the charging circuitry. While your statement of “battery being decoupled if fully charged” might be true on some devices, the usual (because simpler to design and cheaper due to less parts) approach is to power the device through the battery. Even if a charger is connected.
Yannik -
I feel that when battery is full-4.2v phone stops
current from the charger to discharge battery to
4v let's say.then again charges it to 4.2v and so on.effective way to unnecessary cycle the battery to lower its lifetime on purpose.
daniel1 lungu -
This is not true for mobile phones - my understanding is that they run off the battery regardless of whether they’re plugged into a charger or not.
The reason for this is that the battery is capable of delivered much greater transient current than the charger is, and there are several devices in a phone (the radio transmitter for a start) that demand high transient currents from their power source. So the phone is wired to charge the battery from the charger & power the phone from the battery - it cannot run itself from the charger. I don’t know whether the same is true for modern laptops.
Phil Armstrong -
Io ho un Xiaomi note 2 e già da un mesetto che sto usando il telefono con la batteria gonfia .ancora nn emana nessun odore metallico o fumo .ma se mi dovesse sucedere ho vicino al mio letto la porta della veranda di camera mia .se farà fumo mentre lo uso sono pronto a lanciarlo in terrazza .
Domenico Sardegna - Reply
Hi Domenico, a swollen battery won’t necessarily catch fire but is at much higher risk of doing so. Many house fires have been started by batteries catching fire. Why risk it? Take your phone to a mall repairer and have them install a new battery for peace of mind.
Andrew -
Actually Andrew, I thought the same as you about constant charging but we both appear to be wrong! According to Battery University, constant charging may in deed be stressing the battery. In my case, my Wife and I got iPhone 6s Plus models at the same time. I am mostly at home and have kept my phone pretty much on the charger all the time. My Wife uses hers normally, charging overnight. My battery seems to be failing while hers is still working normally.
https://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/...
Roger Randall - Reply
As Andrew mentioned, the charge controller inside the phone disconnects the power coming from the charger when battery is fully charged (this information is coming from the battery microcontroller).
Coming from my personal experience with old phones and smartphones:
I have kept some old Nokia phones and Samsung smartphones connected day and night to their chargers for weeks.
All this time they were on, equipped with SIM and connected to the mobile network or WIFI.
I didn't notice any major changes on battery lifespan for months or even years.
As long as the charge controller is doing its job, I will not worry about.
I will be suspicious if I notice the phone heating during charging as long as the WIFI, MOBILE DATA or LOCATION are disabled or the device is in IDLE and/or FAST CHARGING is deactivated on the phone.
I'm no expert in Li-Ion battery, just sharing my long time experience using them.
Iti Tech -
What that Battery University article claims depends on various factors. A properly designed charging circuit does not continue trying to push charge into a fully charged battery. It is technically true that fully charged is more stressful for a battery, but then so too is running the battery down. A charge cycle is also a complete discharge and recharge, so it takes many small topping up charges to make up one charge cycle. So I think it is complicated and really not easy to determine what real world scenario actually works best.
Ian -
Very interesting, Roger!
Experience with my iPhone 6, which has just 4 hours daily off-charge use, is that 2 years after Apple replaced the phone with a brand new (but old stock?) one due to a faulty charging circuit the battery health is still showing 100%. On the few occasions I haven’t charged it at all during the day but used it heavily, it typically has about 25% of charge remaining at the end of the day.
Maybe it helps that my phone is kept in an air conditioned office all day, and a cool bedroom at night while it charges, and I rarely use it while it’s plugged in to charge.
It wouldn’t be very difficult technically for Apple and other phone manufacturers to have a charging circuit that disconnects the battery once charged (optionally to a user-set level between the 40% optimum and 100%) and powers the phone directly from the charger. Batteries in phones that are mostly plugged in would last forever, but then there would be less incentive to replace your phone every few years, so it would hurt sales.
Andrew - Reply
Ciao, una informazione per favore:
può una batteria perfetta di un MacBook Pro Early 2011 gonfiarsi da sola durante un lungo periodo nel quale il computer è rimasto inutilizzato?
Lo chiedo perché ho portato il primo a farlo riparare (non funzionava più la scheda video) e dopo tantissimo tempo (oltre un anno) mi hanno restituito un computer mezzo distrutto con la batteria gonfiata….
Marco - Reply
Hi Marco, yes, a battery can become swollen during storage. The swelling is due to gas build up in a battery that is deteriorating. It’s possible your MacBook Pro battery had started to deteriorate - particularly given its age - prior to or during the repair period.
Andrew -
Thank you : )
Marco - Reply
Merci pour ces précieuses informations
jpmoll - Reply
Reevaluate this for newer USB-C (Type-C starting at USB version 3.1 and up) which supports much higher Watts/Power than older USB types (A, micro, etc.). Non-compliant USB-C chargers have destroyed equipment.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB-C#Powe...
* https://www.theverge.com/2016/2/4/109162...
* https://www.theverge.com/2015/11/5/96744...
user53956 - Reply
my state [MA] is not listed on the e-waste page, not sure why.
does it cost me $ to dispose of the battery?
I guess I have to contact local waste management.
thanx
km design - Reply
Surprisingly enough, Massachusetts STILL doesn't have an e-waste recycling law, even though people have been advocating for one – and various bills have been born and died in the state legislature – for more than a decade already. The only exceptions are landfill bans on CRT (tube) display screens, and on devices containing mercury. The second law would cover most older flat-screen displays, due to the fluorescent backlight. Newer, LED-backlit screens wouldn't even necessarily be prohibited under that law, so you can still just throw 'em out like yesterday's newspaper. (Actually, no - those you have to recycle!)
Of course, for anyone in MA who's left holding a swollen battery, that's BAD news because, even if you could apparently just chuck it in the trash, you for sure shouldn't. But, options for safe disposal are likely pretty limited, given the uncharacteristically permissive legal situation that somehow still persists in such a bastion of New England granola-liberalness... liberalhood... liberalty?
FeRD -
What is the exact gas produced? Can we remove the gas and continue to use the battery?
Anil Raghu - Reply
Please do not do this! If your battery is showing signs of damage to need to replace it. You do not want lithium ion battery to start fire in your pocket.
Sherman Pope -
The question I’ve yet to see answered is over what period of time does a battery swell? My laptops have cases that can easily be opened and I can inspect the battery to make sure it is still in good shape and not swelling, but I don’t know if the swelling is something that happens in a day or two (or less) or gradually over time, like an electrolytic capacitor. Anyone know?
Asc aris - Reply
Unfortunately, the not-entirely-helpful answer is, "It depends". Most swelling is gradual and minor -- but as Arthur Shi says in a reply farther down, that's also not the type of swelling you have to worry about.
Catastrophic, major swelling (like you see in the photos accompanying this article) is the real danger. That sort of swelling can come on very quickly indeed, especially if it's caused by an event like a device drop, or exposure to water or excessive heat. By "very quickly" I mean in a matter of hours or days, up to perhaps a week or two.
In those cases, generally a battery inspection won't be your first indication of it happening — you'll see a sign like the ones described in the article: deforming of the outer casing, changes in the feel of buttons, keys, or trackpads, etc.
The first sort of swelling won't necessarily ever develop into the second, nor is it a prerequisite for severe swelling to develop. So, regular battery inspections probably aren't really all that useful, TBH.
FeRD -
The real concern is when there's a situation that might cause you to miss those secondary battery-swelling warning signs. In those instances, inspections for signs of swelling may be warranted. They don't even need to necessarily go as far as inspecting the battery itself.
For example, I had a Samsung Galaxy Note8 that developed severe battery swelling. Because I had the phone in a rubberized wraparound case, that case hid the signs of swelling so well that I didn't notice anything amiss until the swelling had already gotten way out of hand.
How out of hand? The swollen battery pushed the (glued-on!) back cover of the phone completely off, breaking the phone's rear camera in the process!
So, in situations like that, popping the phone out of the case every few weeks and checking it for signs of swelling is something I'd recommend, more than worrying about inspecting the battery itself.
FeRD -
Well I wish I read this awhile ago. I punctured a battery with some tweezers. It burst into flames. I ran into the bathroom and threw the whole phone into water. The phone survived! I was really surprised at the chemical energy and how fast that released, so I urge everyone to take this very seriously. I’m an electrical engineer so I should have known better and been more patient. I’ve wondered how many years I may have lost by inhaling the caustic smoke that was coming from that. I wished that my wife and daughter hadn’t witnessed that event, because my “mr. fixit” rep was seriously tarnished that day.
Michael Conway - Reply
Well, you shouldn't wish that your wife didn't witness it. Your children are supposed to think you're capable of anything and everything, but it's okay for our spouses to know our limitations and embarrassments. Your "rep" shouldn't mean anywhere near as much as sharing.
Autumn West -
I just left a product review for a battery I purchased for a 2015 MacBook, but I’d like to mention this here as well:
When replacing batteries that are adhered to the casing of a device, make certain that the battery is completely depleted before removing it. I didn’t do that and mine caught fire and exploded. I was carefully (but firmly) sliding a credit card under the old battery when it caught fire. That most likely wouldn’t have happened if I’d drained the old battery first. No damage done, but definitely was not a fun experience.
Jeff Thomas - Reply
Can i cut the paper cable of battery instead of removing it with screws
Malhari Joshi - Reply
‘All batteries are hazardous waste’ - to all intents and purposes, and as far as any member of the general public is concerned, this is exactly what batteries are, and should be treated as such. they are NOT something you just throw out with household rubbish without batting an eyelid. better safe than sorry.
damian - Reply
I usually dispose my fully charged and puffy batteries in the RVM(reverse vending machine) by putting the battery in a bottle and then inset it into the machine, it will then be compressed or crushed
Rockstar Game - Reply
I just left my MacBook at Apple to replae the battery, after 1.5 years of using a monitor that also charges my laptop (through USB-C). I thought that would be a good thing for the battery longevity, but according to the Apple guy, the opposite is true (for MacBoks at least) and they see this problem a lot since so many people work at home because of Covid-19. Can we conclude that Apple batteries have a flawed design, as it wuld be better if the battery would be ‘decoupled’ when fully charged?
Iris Hartog - Reply
?+?=⚡ do not use water unless it is your only option!
Euan Green - Reply
C’est un Androïde et je l’ai acheté chez Koodo
Y a-t-il un recours?
Merci
Renerob60 - Reply
Unfortunately, Apple (and most manufacturers) does not appear to disconnect the battery, but keep it ‘topped up’ indefinitely.
Fortunately for Mac users, there are a couple solutions to control our charge levels!
For newer Macbooks, https://apphousekitchen.com/ provides a battery control app.
For older Macbooks, use a piece of thin paper or plastic to cover three pins of the MagSafe connector. See the second answer here: https://superuser.com/questions/463187/h...
Matthew Podowski - Reply
Merci beaucoup
Jonathan Ngomashi - Reply
為になりました、ありがとう
takahiro_shizuki - Reply
is it ok to leave the my swollen battery in the storeroom. I don't use the laptop anymore and I just leave it there with the swollen battery. will the battery explode one day?
Apple Tech - Reply
If you don't charge or energize the battery, the swollen battery probably won't explode. Don't use the battery—it's irreversibly damaged. The battery electrolyte has partially decomposed into gas.
Arthur Shi -
Hi, I just realized that my Surface Pro 4 battery is beginning to swell. The screen is bulging in the middle. I contacted MS but their solution was just to purchase another Surface Pro. This machine has a BIOS option to only charge the battery to 50% (when the device is used as a kiosk). So, I set it up only to charge to 50% while I am using it and at the end of the day I unplug it from the docking station and shut it down. I wish I would’ve known about his feature when I bought it from the reseller. I also have a Dell Inspiron laptop that has a battery management tool. Which limits full charging of the battery when the device is always plugged in. So, I’m not sure what to do regarding the SP4. I should start using the Dell and recycle the SP4 to avoid any potential fire hazard. My Mom has a HP Pavilion that is always plugged in but unfortunately HP only provides a battery management tool for business devices but not personal devices which is ridiculous. I told her to occasionally use it in battery power.
fivan - Reply
Hi Fivan!
The battery swelling is a result of the battery electrolyte decomposing into gas. Very minor swelling is OK—you'd just experience decreased battery capacity. But, if the battery's pushing the screen up...it's time stop using it. Batteries inevitably wear out. Take a look at this guide and see if you want to try to replace the battery yourself.
Arthur Shi -
When I replaced the original drive in my refurbished 2012 Mac Book Pro, I noticed that the battery is swollen a bit and feels soft when touched. From outside nothing indicates this and MacOS still thinks that the battery is ok. So I left it inside and had no problems with it since several years until now.
MEX - Reply
"A bit" of swelling isn't unusual as batteries age, and isn't necessarily a cause for alarm. The thing to watch out for is severe swelling (bad enough to potentially deform the case / surrounding components), or swelling that occurs suddenly and/or in response to some outside event — if the device got wet, or was dropped, that sort of thing.
The OS is unlikely to ever notice anything amiss, even for severe swelling. The battery's performance typically isn't affected until (that is to say, if) it goes nuclear. Meltdowns aren't guaranteed, either, they're just a very real danger and can happen with little to no warning. So it really is a risk continuing to use a device with a (severely) swollen battery. Plenty of people still take that risk, and statistically most of them won't end up having any problems... but enough people DO that it really can't be considered safe.
If your laptop's using the original 2012 battery, it's probably just dying of old age.... totally unrelated to any swelling.
FeRD -
(Actually, if you have a battery from 2012 that still holds any charge, then it is a miracle device that lasted far longer than anyone could've ever expected it to. Heck if the battery's from any year before 2016, that's %#*@ impressive.)
FeRD -
In the how to remove section it says "Run the battery down as low as you can" - My question is how do you do this, that does not take hours or days?
Anthony - Reply
There's no easy way, you do basically have to just run the battery down through use. Sometimes, you can use software that taxes the system, and drains the battery faster — things like benchmarks, graphics demonstrations, etc. that just naturally consume a lot of battery power — and that can speed the process along. But for the most part, the answer is simply, "just keep using the device without charging it until it runs out of power."
FeRD -
If the battery is already prying apart the the device in which it is used, give the device to a PROFESSIONAL, or remove it as soon as possible yourself and put it in a metal bucket with SAND below the battery because of fire hazard !
If the device doesn’t show any signs of bloating, just discharge the battery by viewing Videos or other tasks which use much energy until the device shuts down itself because of low battery. Then disassemble the device and remove the battery, storing it in a fireproofed metal container which you put into a bag ( don’t keep this battery in a pocket of your clothing because of fire hazard ! ) and bring it to a store or waste facility which knows how to handle bloated LiIon batteries as soon as possible.
MEX - Reply
ok but how do I get rid of it
Ed Sheeran - Reply
Usually the company which SOLD you the device with the battery is responsible for recycling it !
If you bought the device ONLINE, it is usually better to look for a shop in you area wich was selling these product, or is selling newer versions of the same BRAND and ask them if they take back the defect battery. I live in Vienna, Austria, EU and here these shops usually don’t charge extra for taking back single defective LiIon-batteries. Otherwise ask a repair shop in your area if they take the defective battery cheaper.
MEX - Reply
Many towns have a hazardous material disposal, either all the time, or once a week, or once a month, you bring the swollen battery to them. I heard Best Buy will take old Laptop Batteries for safe disposal also. Your mileage may vary on that though. It might take a little research. But you absolutely can't just put the batteries with the regular trash.
Anthony - Reply
Best Buy definitely does offer electronics recycling, and for the most part free of charge — there are certain exceptions, like LCD screens (which they charge a hefty recycling fee for). Most of their locations have a battery drop-off bin right at the entrance, in fact. (Other electronics recycling, you have to go to the customer service desk to drop off your items. There's also a limit of like 3/day, IIRC.)
However, all that being said, I don't know what their policy is about taking swollen batteries, and I would check with them on that before going in. Definitely don't just drop it into the battery bin, that doesn't sound safe at all.
FeRD -
I power my laptop with no battery inside. So yeah, just the charger works fine and I keep the battery separate on case of really using the device mobile
Alex Trusk - Reply
If you keep you battery separate and it doesn’t show any signs of bloating, you should periodically check if the battery is still charged at least 50% !
Especially LiIon batteries of Laptops might get damaged if they get discharged below a certain threshold, and keeping it charged between 50-80% will be healthier for your battery.
MEX - Reply
I did a short websearch these batteries aren't safe, toxic fumes, faulty cid's, explosion, I do not take any precautions, but now I will.
lizyoungivc - Reply
My Planet computers Cosmo Communicator battery is pushing the back off the phone, but they have stuck it in with so much super powerful glue tape, I can't even get to see the model labels under it. Looking for others with same problem, I read the model as 'SX600'. I can't find anything but old pictures of it from cos that don't sell them any more or don't deliver to the UK, yet the manufacturer is still selling the phones but expect us to send them to be 'repaired' at great expense! I use the device all the time! :(
I think it ought to be illegal fo manufacture devices that the battery cannot be very quickly removed, by simply opening the back and popping it out as all devices used to be made before the infernal i-phone came along and everyone else copied it to make us throw away perfectly usable devices every year or two! Manufacturers are effectively selling us incendiary mines that can't be disabled. Why was tis ever allowed?
Can I jump the connector from an external power supply/battery?
Spamlet - Reply
(1/2) I doubt it's entirely fair to blame Apple for this; they may not have even been the first manufacturer to use a non-removable battery pack. They were certainly the first biggest company to make that switch, but plenty of others did the same, and in some cases way too quickly for it to have been a case of them "copying" Apple. They simply came to the same conclusion: Removable batteries, like physical keyboards, hurt sales more than they helped. So, out they went.
Because, the frustration of it is that device manufacturers genuinely have really "good" reasons why batteries are no longer removable. Actually, at least two good reasons: Water-resistance and miniaturization.
Today's phones are surprisingly watertight, to the point where many can survive a brief dunk with no immediate ill effects. (Though I personally suspect that water infiltration is a trigger for subsequent battery swelling.) My Galaxy Note8 once survived a complete submersion lasting 2-3 seconds. Don't try that with your Nokia 3310!
FeRD -
(2/2) All battery-powered devices are also continually getting smaller and smaller. (Or, failing that, they're packing more and more stuff into roughly the same amount of space.) And the fact is, removable batteries require MUCH more space than non-removable.
If a battery is removable, it has to have an outer, protective case of its own due to the dangerous chemicals inside. The phone would then also have to have mechanisms to align and secure the battery, a latch and release mechanism, and electrical contacts between what are now (effectively) two completely separate devices. That all takes up space.
A removable battery makes a device significantly larger (in particular, thicker), or else it has half the capacity of the non-removable design. Either way, 999 out of 1000 consumers will choose the smaller, thinner, lighter fixed-battery device with twice the runtime between charges, over a bigger, thicker, doesn't-last-as-long alternative with a removable battery.
FeRD -
Actually, now that I think about it there's a third reason that's even more damning:
Removable batteries were never about extending device lifetime.
Manufacturers will tell you, and they can provide reams of consumer data to back it up: The percentage of consumers who keep a device long enough to wear out the first battery is TINY. Laughably tiny. The overwhelming majority of mobile-device owners want to replace their device with a newer, faster one every 2 years or less — long before the battery is even starting to degrade. (After all, until very recently the technology was advancing so quickly, a 2-year-old phone was nigh-unusable, given its limitations compared to newer models.)
Removable batteries were always intended for power-users who needed more runtime than they could get from a single battery. They'd own two+, and swap them out as needed (charging externally). In the end, rapid charging, larger capacities, and improved power-management software provided a better solution to that problem.
FeRD -
“Phones have come a long way”
Noah Deyck
Noah Deyck - Reply
How'd you store laptop that is opening up with swollen battery until you take it to professional? It's been happening for a while but with not being expert I assumed it was the cover. Would inside 2 baking trays keep it safe? The battery dropped to less than 10% charge
LaptopUser - Reply
Keine Panik wenn du die Akku-Außenhaut beschädigst.
Der Tipp einen Metalleimer mit Sand bereitstehen zu haben ist gut und richtig, aber Angst oder Panik sind selbst bei einer beschädigten Außenhaut des Akkus nicht angebracht.
Und wenn es passiert, dann womöglich das ganze Gerät in den Sandeimer zu legen ist vielleicht dann doch nicht die beste Lösung.
Ich hatte eine kritische Reparatur eines 15“ MBP Retina (Late 2015) mit aufgeblähtem Akku. Beim Lösen das Akkus, bereits bei der ersten der vier Akku-Zellen ist es passiert, dass ich die Außenhaut des Akkus beschädigt habe.
Für diesen Fall hatte ich mir bereits vorher passende Abschnitte eines hitzebeständigen, gasdichten Alu-Reparaturklebebandes bereitgelegt. Einfach den Akku kurz mit einem Küchentuch vom Aceton getrocknet und einen Abschnitt des Alu-Bandes über die Beschädigung geklebt und ich konnte in Ruhe weiterarbeiten.
Den beschädigten Akku habe ich dann, gut luftdicht verpackt, beim Recyclinghof abgegeben.
Ulrich - Reply
Bought a replacement battery for a 2011 MacBook Pro in 2020. Since then, the machine has barely been used, maybe 100 cycles. The rest of the time it lives under the coffee table. But last night I took it out to play a DVD and the whole mouse pad was almost pushed out by a swollen battery barely 2 years old. The original battery lasted 10 years and did over 2000 cycles.
So where does iFixit get their batteries? This is now the 3rd iFix battery between 2 laptops that has gone bad by swelling.
Sean Hodge - Reply
Reading THIS I am reluctant to replace my 10 year old battery in my MacBook Pro with a new one from ifixit … it already feels SOFT and looks a bit swollen since several years, but doesn’t pry my laptop apart ( noticed it when I replaced the HDD with SSD )
MEX - Reply
I have now removed the dud iFixit battery from my laptop and run it without one installed seeing as the machine doesn't go anywhere anyway. It is only used as a coffee table DVD player. So no, I don't think I trust iFixit batteries anymore. 3 strikes, and you're out!
Sad thing is I threw out the original battery which still worked for 2 or 3 hours. No swelling whatsoever after 10 years of solid use.
Sean Hodge -
This is not the place to complain about the ifixit 3rd party batteries. There are no ifixit employees here.
Anthony - Reply
It isn't? Then what is this comments section for? But ok, what to do with a swollen battery? Don't get one from iFixit and you won't have the problem of wondering what to do with it. Maybe some iFixit employees want to keep an eye in here to see what ex customers think of their products. Anyhow....
Sean Hodge -
Actually I can’t complain about iFixits batteries as I haven’t bought any until now ;-P
MEX - Reply
@seanhodge76 , we're really sorry to hear about your experience, if you're interested in connecting with our support team, please send an email to support@ifixit.com so we can follow up on this.
Kris Rodriguez - Reply
Yea, I guess I was just unlucky as a majority of iFixit batteries don't do this? Either way, I don't think I care to take this further as even though this particular battery was hardly used, it was over 3 years old so I would think the warranty is over anyway, and I have since got rid of the evidence, I really don't need any fire-starters lying around. Also, I don't actually need a battery anymore in this machine as it is now only used as a coffee table DVD player.
On the other hand, maybe this is happening more than anyone cares to admit. I have some old cell phones from the 1990's, and while the batteries don't work at full capacity anymore, they do still work a bit, but most importantly, they are not swollen, at all. Of all the Li-Ion batteries I've ever handled, iFixit laptop batteries are the only ones that have done this.
No, I'm not fishing for any kind of compensation or the like, but hopefully this prompts better quality control going forward. Imagine aircraft or even electric car batteries did this...
Sean Hodge -
Sean Hodge wrote, in a reply above:
(Disclaimer, up front: I'm just some random nobody on the internet spouting personal views with no hard evidence to back them up, so nobody should accept what I say at face value. I may be lying, crazy, or a troll.)
That being said, there's no question in my mind that battery swelling is on the rise, across the industry. (There are only like six factories that manufacture all the world's battery cells.) The cause of death of four of my last five cell phones was swelling of the OEM battery it came with. (#5, I dropped face-down on a ceramic toilet rim. Oops.)
FeRD - Reply
All I can do is guess why that might be the case, but there are some factors that seem likely to be contributors:
• Much, much higher power draws. Modern mobile devices are hard on their batteries, running them hotter and draining them faster than devices ever did in the past. There's gotta be a reason the other big epidemic of battery failure was with "hoverboards", which also have insanely high power consumption.
• Internal, non-removable batteries' "soft" shells are poorer protection from the environment. Your typical Nokia 3310 had a 900-1000mAh battery (!!), encased in a hard plastic shell of its own, and its connection to the phone consisted of a few flat metal pads. It didn't get hot (even if the phone did), it didn't get wet (ditto), its chemistry wasn't subject to being screwed up by exposure to the elements.
• Fast-charging systems likely tax batteries more than older, slower chargers. Being "designed" to accept higher charging currents doesn't mean there isn't longer-term damage being done.
FeRD -
부풀어 오른 배터리를 카메라 플래쉬를 켜놓고 저절로 꺼질때까지 방치한후 휴대폰으로 부터 분리했습니다. 분리된 리튬이온 배터리의 비닐커버에 바늘등으로 구멍을 내면 어떻게 되나요?
James Henry - Reply
Lieber James, leider bin ich nicht in der Lage deinen Beitrag zu lesen. Versuchs doch mal mit Englisch ;-P
MEX -
I would like to add some point:
Simultaneously battery-charging whilst using the device: been safely doing this for years with laptops. Reliable electronics at work, but phones have limited space. Hopefully, not too compromising. Battery status is only an assessment. Demands very accurate monitoring during charging and discharging. Found only in quality products with quality design.
Battery life: Batteries die due to chemical deterioration of its anode. This is minimised when the battery is maintained at full charge. This has been for years in our cars with modern day alternator etc+electronics. Working a charge/discharge cycle between 80% to 100% capacity can many times increase the life cyle figure. As in electric-cars Lithium cell voltage is 3.6v. Phones are 4.0 to 4.2 to increase capacity but shortens its life if at 3.6v
Water: Lithium is reactive in water like but less than Sodium. Plunge in big bucket of water for a small battery. Problem becomes contaminated water. Please! NOT in sewer or land drain!!
PthDe - Reply
Do you sell hp14-cf0013dx batteries
Debi Stevenson - Reply
I do not sell batteries ...but look at green cell on https://www.ebay.com/itm/325417297797 for your HP 14
I've used green cell's replacement battery for my old Sony laptop for a couple of years now and ... I am very satisfied with it.
PthDe - Reply