This is my first cold season of riding with a smart phone (iphone in my case). I know the dreaded lithiumxx batteries don't work well at low temps, but I noticed if my phone has charge of anything of 30% or less, then after a ride at < 10deg, it will just switch off!! At first I though the battery was the culprit but found out if I warmed up the same phone to a 15+ temp, the it was all back to normal. Glad I bought a regular Yuasa for my bike instead of the likes of shorei. How do you guys cope with your phone or even handle bar mounted satnav without permanent connection to the bike's battery??
Simple mate, I charge my iPhone overnight and during the day at work if it needs it, any time my iPhone shows 30% it's likely to become erratic after that in any temps let alone in winter commuting
+1. I make sure I go out with a full charge as I stick it in a clear pouch at the top of my tank bag so I can check at junctions etc. The phone itself will play a major part in battery life though. It's not an iPhone 5 by any chance is it?
Had my Samsung Galaxy S5 for 2 years now and I work outside regular. Never noticed mine playing up even at single digit battery levels.
Seriously though....... You need to get yourself a phone which supports quick charging. My LG G4 was just bleating at me that it needed some spark about an hour ago. It's now full and won't need charging again until tomorrow with moderate use.
I read samsungs are better at coping with low temps than apple. sounds like we are doomed ( I have asked more than once in a shop if I they had a USB charger). my nokia N95 just worked outdoors no matter what temperature. TBH never had any issues with it in the winter on the bike (I may start using it again!!!) I guess some people call this progress !??
I went for the final solution and ordered a PAYG sim from 3 (old system: buy credit when you want and use it. have to use the card once/ 6 month min) and will now carry my dependable phone as well as the fancy one
Nah, my iPhone lives in the vertical pocket of my jacket so I can feel it vibrate on my chest if it rings. Granted, I don't think I've ridden in -10 ambient, but I've definitely ridden in -5, plus wind chill and never had an issue.
a quick update for anyone interested once the outside temp got close to 10 and above, the phone battery behaviour is back to normal. Warmer than that, it just lasts and lasts! And glad I didn't replace it! Here is lithium battery for you I guess. I am so glad last year I didn't buy to put on the bike I must say I wear it in my jacket pocket which does not benefit from body temperature
2 completely different technologies you're confusing,this'll help you get it right http://shido-batteries.com/html/FAQ/index.html#19
Didn't mean to sound they were the same as there are a number of different lithium based batteries for different applications and agree the technologies are different. I was drawing a parallel between the two in terms of cold weather performance. Maybe there is no link. I was aware of the bike application shortcomings in terms of cold weather cranking, battery maintenance & charging not to forget the low capacity. thanks for the link. Interesting read. hadn't heard of shido. Hopefully by my next battery change, the technology would have overcome the important (for me anyway) shortcomings above
Out of interest has anyone come off with a phone in their jacket pocket ? I read a jacket review where they stated not to carry a phone in said pocket as it almost guarantees cracked ribs....
I carry my phone in my left breast pocket in me Leathers. This way if I should get shot by a Sniper whilst out riding I'll be fine and dandy!
I had almost exactly the same issue this past winter. I'd keep my phone in my pocket near my chest between the Zips. Had to commute up and down the M1 for about 50miles each way in sub zero temperatures. It will kill the battery on my iPhone 6 every time. Wouldn't switch on until either the phone warmed up or I got it connected to a charger. If you move the phone to a less exposed / direct spot you should be fine (like in your bag or something) Tell you what...I'm not looking forward to the winter. Let's not talk about this again and just enjoy the summer! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Big off, as in ended up 100m away from impact big. Had phone, n95 IIRC, in a breast pocket. Phone survived, ribs weren't broken, but were sore. As both sides of my chest were sore I doubt it was the phone.
We I finally found my answer! I was given a new iphone last summer so drew some comparison the new one did not seem to mind any temperature I rode in during Oct/ nov (lowest was 3 deg!) The battery life has been very good & dependable. I decided that my older iphone battery was the culprit. I think it was weak since the day I bought it and cold temperatures just made it worse. So sent it away to have a new battery fitted and now it is reliably operating in the front pocket when riding in cold weather without the sudden dip in charge. IT was £36 well spent
