TIL: Cold Weather Effect on Old Phone Batteries

[nevets88]

The old iPhone 6S I use, ~3 years old, if using to take videos outside when weather is in the 30s and below, will lose its charge so quickly. A newer phone I have, this doesn’t happen. I did not realize just how old batteries are susceptible to weather. Just a PSA maybe this might help someone out. Wonder if the same is for hot weather. 

[dennyjones]

You're from NY....A cell phone battery acts no different than a car battery.   In sub zero temps a car battery doesn't perform as well as when the temperature is in the 70s.     

Not a bad PSA though.   thanks for sharing.

[Missouri Swede]

1 hour ago, nevets88 said:

The old iPhone 6S I use, ~3 years old, if using to take videos outside when weather is in the 30s and below, will lose its charge so quickly. A newer phone I have, this doesn’t happen. I did not realize just how old batteries are susceptible to weather. Just a PSA maybe this might help someone out. Wonder if the same is for hot weather. 

Just out of curiosity, what's your battery maximum capacity?  I'm using my 6s, and it's still showing 92%.

Summertime, I can make it through a full round of golf (using GameGolf app, Golfshot app, and connected to my Apple Watch tracking my walking distance) with no problem.  When I golf in the winter here (temps in the 40s and 50s) I carry an external battery because I usually don't get through a whole round (~3 hours), even if I use Low Power Mode.

Aside from the age of the battery, is there a significant difference in the newer iPhones (battery capacity, power drain)?

[nevets88]

3 minutes ago, Missouri Swede said:

Just out of curiosity, what's your battery maximum capacity?  I'm using my 6s, and it's still showing 92%.

Summertime, I can make it through a full round of golf (using GameGolf app, Golfshot app, and connected to my Apple Watch tracking my walking distance) with no problem.  When I golf in the winter here (temps in the 40s and 50s) I carry an external battery because I usually don't get through a whole round (~3 hours), even if I use Low Power Mode.

Aside from the age of the battery, is there a significant difference in the newer iPhones (battery capacity, power drain)?

Mine is showing 75. Yeah, I usually bring an external battery in cases like this. But was only out for a short bit, thought 55% was enough, it dropped to 10% in like minutes. Was using MirrorVision.

[dennyjones]

10 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

Was using MirrorVision

Have you tried the app in warm weather, indoors?  It could be the app is a huge battery drain.

[boogielicious]

13 hours ago, nevets88 said:

The old iPhone 6S I use, ~3 years old, if using to take videos outside when weather is in the 30s and below, will lose its charge so quickly. A newer phone I have, this doesn’t happen. I did not realize just how old batteries are susceptible to weather. Just a PSA maybe this might help someone out. Wonder if the same is for hot weather. 

I went from the 6s to the 8s recently and I notice a huge difference even in cold. We both film our swings a lot. With the 6s, I had to use an external battery pack even in warm weather. With the 8s, I can keep it going with the Mirror Vision app for an hour without running down. I still use the pack most of the time just in case.

[chspeed]

Interesting. I haven't noticed the charge dropping in cold weather, although I have the iPhone X. My phone/golf swing filming issues happen in summer when the phone overheats if it's in the sun. But Apple does discuss performance in cold weather:

From Apple's support site: "In order for a phone to function properly, the electronics must be able to draw upon instantaneous power from the battery. One attribute that affects this instantaneous power delivery is the battery’s impedance. A battery with a high impedance may be unable to provide sufficient power to the system that needs it. A battery's impedance can increase if a battery has a higher chemical age. A battery’s impedance will temporarily increase at a low state of charge and in a cold temperature environment. When coupled with a higher chemical age, the impedance increase will be more significant. These are characteristics of battery chemistry that are common to all lithium-ion batteries in the industry.

When power is pulled from a battery with a higher level of impedance, the battery’s voltage will drop to a greater degree. Electronic components require a minimum voltage to properly operate. This includes the device’s internal storage, power circuits, and the battery itself. The power management system determines the capability of the battery to supply this power, and manages the loads in order to maintain operations. When the operations can no longer be supported with the full capabilities of the power management system, the system will perform a shutdown to preserve these electronic components. While this shutdown is intentional from the device perspective, it may be unexpected by the user."

It has more info on how to optimize here:

iPhone Battery and Performance

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Understand iPhone performance and its relation to your battery.

 

[RandallT]

Any of you northerners own an electric car? 

AAA: Cold weather can cut electric car range over 40 percent

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Cold temperatures can sap electric car batteries, temporarily reducing their range by more than 40 percent when...

 

[Missouri Swede]

7 hours ago, chspeed said:

When coupled with a higher chemical age, the impedance increase will be more significant.

Yup, that’s my problem right there, I think. 

[iacas]

4 hours ago, RandallT said:

Any of you northerners own an electric car? 

I did.

[Pretzel]

Cool temperatures are good for storing batteries. Not so great for discharging them, unfortunately.

[Yukari]

Yeah.  Temperature has a huge effect on battery. 

I hear XR is suppose to have the best battery of all iPhone to date.

[mchepp]

On 2/9/2019 at 10:13 AM, RandallT said:

Any of you northerners own an electric car? 

AAA: Cold weather can cut electric car range over 40 percent

---

Cold temperatures can sap electric car batteries, temporarily reducing their...

 

Yes, and temperature dings your range in 2 ways. One, the total range drops for me about 20-30 miles on a full charge. Second, I need to run the heater which lowers your range also. Double whammy. My gas backup will need to run in the coldest months.

@Pretzel got it right, cold is best for storing, in fact I've read articles recommending storing your iPhone in your refrigerator overnight for best long term performance. Hot is best for operation but not too hot.