Treo 680 Battery Fix
Following my various Treo 680 reviews one issue which continues to elicit regular blog comments and forum threads is the one related to the Treo 680’s battery performance and debates have raged regarding both the cause(s) and possible solution(s).
Having upgraded to the Treo 680 from a Treo 650 I originally considered the ‘cause’ (slightly reduced battery life) to be pretty simple – the 1200mAh Treo 680 battery is 33% smaller than the standard 1800mAh or 50% smaller than the extended 2400mAh Treo 650 batteries – and I therefore recommended ‘solutions’ (battery optimization tips) that were primarily adjustments to certain system settings and preferences (see Treo 680 Battery Review).
However, a few days ago I began to experience the same type of issue that some Treonauts had reported. Namely, my battery indicator was extremely low – at red – but the strange thing is that it stayed at red for over 7 hours with the phone switched on. Clearly my Treo 680 should have powered off within a very short period of time if the battery had indeed reached a ‘critical’ low battery level but it didn’t.
It has therefore emerged that the Treo 680 battery ‘meter’ – not the battery itself or the power consumption of the smartphone – is the real cause and Palm Technical Support has now provided a solution via a very simple ‘battery reset’ [Thanks for the tip Wanderer].
“If you encounter a poor battery life on your Treo 680 and you have to recharge very often even if not using the Phone function, the issue might have been caused by an incorrect first charging of the device.
Please follow the steps below to solve the issue:
1. Connect your Treo to a wall charger.
2. Remove the battery from the Treo and wait for at least one minute.
3. Remove the SIM card from the device and wait for another minute.
4. Put the battery back into the device (without the SIM card) then let your Treo charge for at least 4 to 6 hours and for this duration:
- Do NOT press any key after reinserting the battery.
- Do NOT switch your TREO On or Off either, it will do so automatically after a short time.
- Do NOT enter the SIM card PIN if prompted to do so, just wait!
After this procedure, which can be performed and repeated any time, you will now dispose of the full charging capacity and the display of the remaining battery power will work correctly.”
UPDATE: Thanks to A. Davis for also pointing out the following:
“There's one glaring omission from Palm's instructions. It should be noted that if you have any apps that do anything automatically at boot up you must first disable them!!! For example, I have ChatterEmail set to turn on the radio at initialization. This must be disabled. I also have Soft Reset set to startup GoodLink at boot-up. This too must be disabled.
They tell you NOT to press any buttons or do anything during the 4-6 hour charge. Unfortunately, these auto-starting apps act as button pushers for you. So any app you have that automatically does something at bootup, whether than be to start a program, connect to the network, whatever... completely disable it, then follow the instructions above.”
Because of this, I have modified the instructions so as NOT to put the SIM card back in your Treo before the full 4 to 6 hours charge is complete in order to avoid the phone to turn the radio on at startup.
Hopefully those Treonauts who have been experiencing quick ‘low battery’ performance will be able to regain the full and normal stated battery life after performing this battery reset procedure.
Naturally, ‘power users’ (no pun intended) will like me consider that it’s always best to have a spare 1200mAh Treo 680 battery readily at hand as well.
Treonauts are always the best problem solvers… 
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Tracked on Jan 16, 2007 10:34:47 AM
Comments
I just purchased a treo 680 on Tuesday Jan. 31. It is my first and I haven't begun to discover all I can do with it. I get about 12 hours out of a battery with a couple of phone calls and a lot of texts. I find this to be ok because every evening I put it on charge. The only thing I have to compare it to is my old Audiovox SMT-5600 which lasted about two days.
Over the last two months and going through (3)cingular Treo 650's(self rebooting problems multiple times) I spent an unthinkable amount of time with Palm level1 tech support until I finally have a good report with their level3 techs. As of 02/02 I have a new Treo 680. I compeleted the camera fix and now waitng 6 hrs for the battery meter fix. I use it for my reg job and new home bus and I need some suggestions for a good blue tooth earpiece that blocks the wind and background noise. Any suggestions would be greatly welcomed.
Can someone please tell me how I can stop Goodlink from automatically starting up after a soft reset? This is preventing me from completing the recommended battery fix.
UPDATE: W O W !!! I just received the 2400mAh EXTENDED LIFE BATTERY from SEIDIO for my 680. The POOR BATTERY LIFE ISSUE IS FIXED. I really enjoy my 680 again !!!. The new battery is outstanding, I actually use it heavy for 8-10 hours and still have 90% battery life left. This battery was on back order so I had to wait a couple weeks, but it was well worth the wait. If your interested the link is www.seidioonline.com. It was only $49.00 with new battery door. I only make my 680 4mm thicker. I actually feels better to hold also, and in case your wondering, I don't work for SEIDIO or have any vested interest in that company, I'm just a dedicated TREONAUT !!!
Just note that there is NO basis for claiming that this comes from Palm. To the contrary, Palm disclaims any knowledge of this. Furthermore, as many people have claimed it HARMS their phone as claim it helps. The most likely explanation is that it is pure nonsense. But even if one disagrees with that as opinion, it is factually untrue that this is something Palm recommends. It is not. There's probably good reason.
ok this procedure has made a HUGE difference in my battery life. thanks Treonauts!! the battery meter now reacts in a more typical manner AND my phone will more than last through a heavy day of use, probably 2 even... loving my Treo 680 once again!!
I want to try the battery fix procedure, but one thing that I want to know :
Must I turn off Treo 680 before doing that procedure? or I just let the Treo 680 on and directly doing that procedure ?
thanks
I tried this battery reconditioning yesterday, then went and updated the operating system from the Palm website. Apparently they have new software that addresses some power issues.
Well this morning I've been making calls and redefining my folders and other options, so I've been using my Treo far more than usual. The battery still reads 87%, when normally with this amount of usage it would be drained down by half, if not more.
So I don't know if it was this trick or the new OS upgrade, but things look far better than before.
Thanks,
Bob
I've had my 680 for about a week now. Why do I always read up on problems only AFTER I've bought something... *sigh* --- I've installed the camera-related update on day 1. (No change in battery life, and I haven't used the camera since, anyway.) Right now, I'm doing this battery fix, so I might report in about 30 hours about any success (or not). But really...
This is an unlocked treo, so it shouldn't be half-charged because of a carrier messing around with it. Battery life was as bad as noted by others. It feels _horrible_. palm really should've tested this type a little longer. It's a beautiful smartphone, and I've had a Palm III, V, Vx, m505, Sony Clié N710, Clié TH-55 so far and have _always_ been impressed with battery life. So when I bought this, my first, treo, I expected it to perform like my earlier smartphones at least (Nokia Series 60 phones plus their communicators). This is just ridiculous. Wake up at 7 in the morning, unplug, and by the time you get home from work, it wants to be recharged. It's not a laptop playing movies or games, it's a PDA with phone function for (insert deity of choice or none)'s sake! What if I ever have to go on, say, a _weekend_? :/
I'm truly disappointed right now. I hope this solves it. If it doesn't, I'll have to talk to palm. Do I really have to switch to a Nokia E61? While I'd miss Palm OS on that, at least they get their phone functions and battery life right. Shouldn't be underestimated in a mobile phone, even a smart one.
well... did it. looks a tad better. sad thing: even though it stayed in the 90s and 80s of percentage for the first half of the day (where previously it'd have been in the 60s already), it's down to 28% now after a tad over 15 hours of battery life. which _basically_ means i'll have to seriously reduce useage on a weekend out. for everyday use it means that i _have_ to charge it overnight - or it'll fail me the next day as soon as i'm out of the house. :/ this has to be a joke. i didn't place or take many calls today (two 3-min calls, i'd say), some messaging, some e-book reading. nothing fancy. the treo was off (well, connected on GSM of course) most of the time. it's ridiculous. guess i'll have to switch to a more decent smartphone maker, though i'd really love this device without this - major, really - flaw. bigger battery is a no-go for me. i don't want to invest more money only to find out that it'll then be more awkward to carry around, less stylish and still with inadequate battery life. :/
When I try the battery reset procedure, my date/time preferences launch at start-up on my AT&T Treo 680. Will this interfere with the battery reset? I didn't push any buttons but the reset did not fix my problem. I can't figure out how to disable the launch of date/time prefs at start-up either. Any help would be appreciated.
I get the same as Ian above - any suggestions?
Also - is the camera fix the only 'battery fix' that palm have out there so far?
Come on guys. What the hell is the problem with Palm? None of all the battery procedures above should need to be applied by a customer at all! My Treo 680 should just act as expected when delivered! I tried all of these procedures found in a lot of Treo forums and none of them really worked. Still my battery lasts not even 24 hours. This is very very annoying!!! Yeah, the battery is weaker then the 650's one but not THAT weak. It should last for at least 2 or 3 days under normal usage condititons.
When will Palm finally take good care of customer's complaints and just act by delivering new firmware or whatever is needed to stop this infuriating battery issue?
Did the battery reset..... did not work..... but I just found out the my problem is the cradle.... Just one question..... Any charger would fix the problem? See I have a Treo 650.... A LifeDrive and the treo 680..... So I have like 7 different chargers... the one of the Treo 680 is gone because I gave it to a friend due to too many chargers... but I gave him the original of the 680.... Do I have to get it back or I could use someother from the ones I have? off course getting aroud the Battery problem......
has the battery problem with the 680 been resolved-I am considering buying a 680 form ATT
I think I might be having problems similar to the person in comment 18. Sometimes when I charge my phone or plug it in, it doesn't turn back on. It gets locked. I take the battery out, it launches part way and then dies again. I've tried different combinations (battery out while it is plugged in, unplugging everything and taking SIM and battery out) and nothing works until TA-DA it randomly comes back on at some point.
It's really frustrating and, since I don't have a home phone, really inconvenient.
Does anyone have a solution to this?
I think only some of the Treo 680s are affected by bad battery life. I got mine 3 weeks ago and I use the MP3 player like 3 hours a day, I send about 5 messages, Check my gmail twice a day and it lasts around 3 days for me. I find that after I check my gmail The internet connection stays on for an hour and i have to diconnect it. so if you dont need email that much I suggest you manually check it and close the connection afterwards in Prefs>Network>Disconnect. I had a Nokia N73 I was charging every night and a BenQ Siemens EF 81 which with how i used it needed charging twice a day before I bought my Treo 680
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