No Power Off While Charging Up?

[dalydose]

Can someone explain why this is a "feature" and why Microsoft seems stubborn in making it impossible to leave the phone OFF while charging?

 

[iamtim]

Unless someone here works for Microsoft in the Windows Phone division, probably not.

I suspect it has something to do with insuring the battery doesn't overcharge, which is a function of the OS. So the OS must be running in order to do that job.

 

[Pete]

If you don't want to be disturbed, why not just put the phone into airplane mode?

 

[spazzmaster]

Typical WP answer, "You don't need that function/that app"

 

[philpeeps]

typical <insert os here> user answer, "you don't need that function/that app"

ftfy...

 

[gsquared]

Typical WP answer, "You don't need that function/that app"

Ya know, that's what they told me when I was new here and asked where the fart machine app was. They said "Boy, you don't need that app. You already have that function."

 

[TaliZorah]

Typical WP answer, "You don't need that function/that app"

Typical hater response.

 

[TaliZorah]

To answer the OP, I believe it's also better for your battery. Batteries being charged while being used at the same time have a better battery life on average.

Putting the phone in airplane mode and silent is very easy to do and takes less time than a boot-cycle. I don't see why it's THAT big of an issue.

 

[SinisterDuck]

My friend's Android can charge while off, but not my old iPhone. Besides, I use the alarm to wake me up, so it's better for me that it's on.

 

[spazzmaster]

@philpeeps

Touch?.
Hopefully this is fixed in WP9.

 

[ARVI_SD]

Typical WP answer, "You don't need that function/that app"

very true. others ignore or does not worry about missing these important features..

 

[ARVI_SD]

@philpeeps

Touch?.
Hopefully this is fixed in WP9.

and hopefully the current phones also gets updated to WP9

 

[WindowsRich]

This site, <http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries>, among many, claim the device should be off while charging.

> A portable device should be turned off while charging.
> This allows the battery to reach the threshold voltage unhindered and reflects the correct saturation current responsible to terminate the charge.
> A parasitic load confuses the charger.

 

[eruptflail]

Your phone shouldn't be off while charging. Your battery should never reach 100 percent. It was the vase that with older phones, with older batteries, that you should have your phone off, but battery tech has evolved enough that that isn't the case. Next time you charge your phone watch your battery. It will drop from 100% to 96-93% within 15ish minutes. It isn't good for your battery to stay at 100%.

 

[OzRob]

Your phone shouldn't be off while charging. Your battery should never reach 100 percent. It was the vase that with older phones, with older batteries, that you should have your phone off, but battery tech has evolved enough that that isn't the case. Next time you charge your phone watch your battery. It will drop from 100% to 96-93% within 15ish minutes. It isn't good for your battery to stay at 100%.

How do you define 100% charge? It's actually a bit arbitrary and depends on how the charging and monitoring circuitry is configured. 100% as shown on one phone operating system may by shown as 97% on another. It really depends on the specs you're designing the charger to.

In respect of the title of this thread, no phone is completely powered off when charging because, as others have pointed out, the phone has a role to play in the charging process. The difference is that with Android (I don't know about iOS), plugging the phone into a charger while it's switched off turns on the phone, but with the GUI not operational. With WP, the GUI is operational.

From an engineering perspective there's no huge advantage or disadvantage to either method (notwithstanding the myths that people continue to propagate about battery charging). With WP, putting the handset into flight mode and not turning on the screen while charging probably closely mimics what's happening with Android. So in the end it's a design and usability decision.

So for those on WP that want to have their phones charge like Android handsets do, plug the phone in, turn on flight mode, and leave the phone alone until it's charged. To all practical intents and purposes this is exactly what Android is doing.

 

[WindowsRich]

Looks like the behavior is now changed with Windows Phone 8 Update 3 (GDR3).

 

[Sebsweden]

I really don't understand why this would be an important feature. What is the scenario where this function would save the day?

 

[Kavu2]

I really don't understand why this would be an important feature. What is the scenario where this function would save the day?

With the phone mostly powered down/off, it allows a larger amount of the recharge current to go directly toward a full recharge of the phone. ie recharge TIME. Just as using the wall plugin/adapter charges faster than a strict USB recharge or a wireless recharging plate.

A perfect example is at the airport...you're connecting flights and you have your 30 min window to dash from the North Concourse to the South and your phone is half dead. Those 5-10 minutes or so that you can devote to a phone recharge are fleeting and a faster rate recharge can give you more phone usage on your upcoming connector inflight(music or whatever). jmho

 

[OzRob]

With the phone mostly powered down/off, it allows a larger amount of the recharge current to go directly toward a full recharge of the phone. ie recharge TIME.

I think the difference between "off" charging and the current way of charging a WP8 device would be minimal. Even though the device is on while charging, if you leave it alone the screen will be off and the processor will be all but idling in sleep mode. While the GSM radio would be active, current draw would be minimal. And if you put the phone into Flight Mode when charging, even the radio would be off.

So in your airport scenario you'll give pretty much the same amount of top up charge with the phone in Flight Mode as would if the phone was "off" during charging (no phone is completely off during charging).

 

[blegs38552]

My Android tablet (actually a Kindle Fire HD converted to an Android tablet) turns on when I plug the USB cable in, as does my Lumia 521.

May some Android phones do not turn on when a cable is attached, but I can't speak for them.