BlackBerry® Bold™

[PamW]

I have had a Bold 9900 since April 2012, the battery life on it is incredibly short and my patience with it is beginning to match.  For example, it was fully charged at 0930 this morning, and now at  17:50, the battery has a quater left.

I have closed out of the internet, my apps are logged out, there is nothing running on it out of the ordinary, I dont understand what is happening.  It has been like this since day 1.  Initially I put it down to me using th ephone so much because it was my 'new toy' but now I rarely pick it up.  I misplaced it today for approximately 4 hours so it had no use what so ever yet the battery is still nearly flat!!!

At this stage I would warn anyone away from this phone. Does anyone have any ideas why this is happening, or is this the norm?

All help appreciated.

Thanks,

Pam

[BillJ]

There are many reasons for why the 9900's battery life is not as spectacular as one might hope.  Firstly, OS 7 is a big machine to run and the 9900 is BlackBerry's thinnest phone to date.  A thin phone equals a smaller battery which equals less power. 

The good news is that BlackBerry devices use Li-Ion batteries which can be topped up at any time for any length of time without affecting the overall life of the battery.  I suggest plugging in for a few minutes here and there when you have a chance to do so; it'll do your battery some good.

It's not a great solution I've offered you, but maybe it will help a bit? 

[PamW]

Thanks ever so much Bill, I will give it a go.  Its just so frustrating, I thought the battery on my old Bold was bad but this!  Well...anyway, I will give it a go, I didint realise that regular charging didnt affect these batteries so I dont feel as cautious now

[andy9852 · Accepted solution]

Hey there!

Make sure you do the update to 7.1 latest version. Then go into Options>Device>Battery Saving Mode. Make sure that "Turn On Battery Saving Mode when battery power is low" is checked, on. The Make sure "Start when battery power is at or drops below" is set at "Always On." 

I had the same problem as you, i even purchased my 9900 in April 2012 too. It would die before the day is done. Since i updated, i get two days, one and a half at least of battery life. Last time i charged my phone was on Friday early morning and i am at 43% right now (Saturday afternoon).

Hope this helps!!

[PamW]

Thanks Andy, I have done exactly as you have said and will wait with baited breath!
Fingers crossed!

[BillJ]

Just keep in mind that not every version of OS 7.1 contains the battery saving mode, so if you can't find it using the path suggested by Andy, don't lose too much sleep over it. 

Cheers. 

[PamW]

Option was there, I found it

Thank you!

[darylm]

Get on the most recent version of of the OS. I've tried almost every version of 7.1 and found that they are increasingly better on battery. Currently, I'm using 7.1.0.391 which is from Rogers in Canada. It's much better on battery than earlier versions. Also, use the task switcher to see what apps are running. Get in the habit if closing any apps that you aren't using.

[andy9852]

Hey Darylm,

Do you have a link to the leaked OS (v7.1.0.402)? I would love to install it on my 9900.

If you do, would you mind providing some instructions on how to install it?

Thanks!

[darylm]

I'd recommend the 7.1.0.391 since it's official, rather than the leak. Most people who have tried .402 and .391 seem to prefer the latter. You can download it from RIM: http://us.blackberry.com/support/downloads/download_sites.jsp and if you go to crackberry.com, there is a long thread about it which explains how to install it in gory detail. If you don't want to download it from blackberry.com, the threads on crackberry or blackberry forums provide other links.

The quick instructions are the following:

Install DM (make sure it's talking with your phone and that you can back up your phone with it)

Install the OS (reboot your pc after)

Delete both of the vendor files (manually or using vendelete or bbsak or bbhtool)

Start DM

Connect your phone

DM should tell you the upgrade is available. Just follow the instructions. It's really quite easy.

If you're unsure about this, I suggest you go to the thread on crackberry and read it from beginning to end. Good luck.