How to check an Android to see if its battery is overheating

Has your cell phone or its battery started to get a little warmer than usual? If you are looking for a way to check the temperature of your battery then you are in the right place. If you’re not quite sure whether it’s your phone or battery that’s heating up or getting hot then here are a few little tricks that can help you narrow things down a bit.

Accessing your batteries information

We are going to start out with one of the most powerful tools to use when trying to diagnose the battery in an Android smartphone. We are going to attempt to access your cell phones battery info menu but there may be a catch… this powerful tool may not come pre-installed or may not be available on every make and model of Android and it may also depend on what version of Android the phone is operating on and may even depend on your carrier. But this feature code is still available on many Android smartphones for checking the phones battery so I recommend that you try it and if it doesn’t work then we’ll get to that in a minute.

Start by opening your cell phones dial pad, as though you were going to dial a telephone number, and type in *#*#4636#*#*. If this feature is available on your device then a screen should automatically pop up and allow you to choose from a few options. Look for and open the option that says Battery Information.

You should then see quite a bit of information about your battery including:

  • Battery Status: should show whether the device is charging or if the battery is full.
  • Power Plug: shows how the device is charging, AC (wall charger), USB (computer) etc.
  • Battery Level: shows what percentage the battery is charged.
  • Battery Scale: should read “100”.
  • Battery Health: should say “Good”. If your Androids Battery Health shows “unknown” or “unknown error” then your phones battery might be having issues. If you see anything other than “Good” then I recommend that you power cycle (turn the phone off than on), enter the code again, open the Battery Information again and see if this option has changed. If it still doesn’t say good. Then there is a good chance the battery itself is defective.
  • Battery Voltage: really isn’t something the average phone user is going to need to worry about (unless perhaps it’s abnormally high) but from my experience I have found that the voltage for the battery of an Android cell phone is usually around 3.7V-4.2V.
  • Battery Temperature: this is the option that you want to check when your phone seems to heat up or has started getting HOT as it should allow you to check the temperature of your cell phones battery. If the batteries temperature is above normal then it would likely indicate the battery is heating up but if the battery temperature doesn’t seem to be too hot then the issue could be that the phone itself is heating up. Battery temperatures are going to vary of course but I have found that the battery in an Android cell phone often remains in the 30 °C range sometimes in the low 40s depending on the phones usage (86 °F – 104 °F)…
  • Battery Technology: usually just shows Li-ion (because of the common Lithium Ion batteries found in the majority of Android devices).
  • Time Since Boot: shows the amount of time since you last booted up or turned on the phone.

The code doesn’t work

If you type in *#*#4636#*#* and nothing happens then this feature code may not be available on your specific smartphone and if you want to have access to these battery statistics you are likely going to need to download a third party application from the Android Play Store.

When searching for an app you can simply do a search for “Battery Information”, Locate an App with good reviews (the most stars) read its description to see if it includes the batteries temperature (which many do) and then download the app and enjoy. There are many different applications to choose from and a large majority of them are free.

Physical inspection

Using the methods above are usually fairly accurate when trying to diagnose a cell phones battery but if you are concerned that your battery is defective I highly recommend that, if possible, you perform a visual inspection of the battery to see if it might be warped, or bloated, or misshapen. If your phone isn’t designed to allow you to remove the battery then hold off on doing this as you would have to take your phone apart and may void its warranty, but if your phone is designed to allow you to remove its back plate and battery then definitely remove the battery from the phone and perform a visual inspection on that battery.

If it’s hard to tell if it’s warped or bloated then try setting it down on a flat surface to see if it sits flat or if it rocks back and forth. If it doesn’t sit flat and the battery is misshapen then I recommend that you replace your battery.

Cell phones battery getting HOT!

A hot battery in a cell phone may not necessarily indicate a bad, defective or malfunctioning battery. It could indicate an issue with the phone itself and before looking into replacing your battery (which we’ll talk about some good replacement options later in this guide) you might want to consider trying some of the suggestions listed at how to fix a cell phone that’s getting hot. It could save you some time (and possibly even some money) in the process.

If you have confirmed that your cell phones battery is at fault and is getting warm or even hot to the point of overheating then you may need to consider a replacement battery. You don’t want a hot battery to cause damage to your cell phone and cause even more trouble later on.

Things to consider when dealing with a defective cell phone battery

Warranty

The good news for many people and many situations is that the manufactures warranty which covers defective or malfunctioning equipment not only covers your cell phone but it should also cover your cell phones battery. If there is no physical or liquid damage on your battery and it’s less than a year old then chances are really good that you can get a replacement battery at no cost to you. Give your service provider a call and ask them about your cell phones warranty. If necessary they can get you in touch with your cell phones manufacture for possible replacement options.

Note: most cell phones and cell phones batteries will have what is referred to as an LDI (Liquid Damage Indicator) somewhere on the device which, if exposed to moisture or liquid, will change from white to pink or red. If your battery’s LDI has been activated and contains any pink or red then that battery is no longer covered under warranty and you will likely need to purchase a new battery instead.

Purchasing another battery

Another good thing about battery replacements is that new batteries are often reasonably affordable, depending upon what cell phone you own. If you need to purchase a new battery then online is going to be the best place to shop and you can almost always find a good deal at places like Amazon or eBay.

Thanks for visiting

Thank you for visiting this brief guide about how to check the battery on an Android smartphone. I hope that you found it informative and helpful when trying to diagnose the battery in your cell phone.

If you enjoyed the article and would like to show me that you liked it then don’t hesitate to take a second to share it by pressing the Facebook Like or Google + buttons or by simply leaving a friendly remark in the comment section below.

Thanks again for reading, I wish you the best of luck with your battery and I hope you have a fantastic day.

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5 thoughts on “How to check an Android to see if its battery is overheating”

  1. Melodie Bateman

    Hot Android
    My Android cell phone gave a message that my phone was too hot to charge, which it was very hot. I read the instructional tips for a hot Android. While the Battery Info about voltage stated high voltage may cause a hot battery, no instructions were given about what to do. My Android battery voltage is very high at 3875 mV. What can be done to correct this high voltage?

    Thank you.

    1. High Voltage
      The voltage shown is in millivolts, and is in the good range. The translation of 3875 mV to V is 3.875 V.

  2. Thanks for the information
    Thanks for the information for self diagnosing the battery. The code did not work, but I found a battery app that was very helpful; cleverly the app is named “Battery”.

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