How to charge mobile phone whilst driving and navigating?
Discussion
Definitely a 21st century problem here....
I want to be able to drive whilst charging my phone (in its windscreen mounted cradle) and using Google Maps or whatever to navigate, warn me of congestion ahead etc. Problem is that I can't get my phone to charge reliably in the car and it rapidly goes flat if using satnav on battery alone. If I'm not using satnav there's a chance the battery count may be higher at the end of the journey than at the beginning. If I have satnav on then it sooner or later drains the phone battery regardless of whether I start with a full or half empty phone battery.
I've tried my phone (an LG smartphone) with three different brand chargers.
I've tried my phone in three different cars (Toyota, Mitsubishi and Rover). The Mitsubishi is especially comic - plugging into the cigarette lighter the phone charges for a few seconds then charging stops, then after a few seconds it starts charging again then stops again ad infinitum. With an annoying "beep" every few seconds to indicate stopping or restarting charging (why?). But plugged into the car's auxiliary cabin charge point it charges slowly when not using satnav and discharges slowly when using satnav.
Of course you say, it's a problem with my phone battery (unlikely as it's only a few weeks old) or even my car battery (replaced a few months ago in two of the three cars).
Or you'll say it's a problem with LG phones. Cue trying with my wife's new Samsung Galaxy. Same problem. Won't charge when using sat nav but slowly discharges, regardless of which car and which charger I use.
In which case how do people who depend on their phone being on and using satnav permanently (e.g. Uber drivers) manage to keep their phone permanently charging? Is it the car, the charger or the phone that I'm getting wrong? If the phone, what brand of phone do I need that I can plug into the charger, keep on sat nav for a long journey and expect the battery to be more charged at the end of the journey than at the start?
I want to be able to drive whilst charging my phone (in its windscreen mounted cradle) and using Google Maps or whatever to navigate, warn me of congestion ahead etc. Problem is that I can't get my phone to charge reliably in the car and it rapidly goes flat if using satnav on battery alone. If I'm not using satnav there's a chance the battery count may be higher at the end of the journey than at the beginning. If I have satnav on then it sooner or later drains the phone battery regardless of whether I start with a full or half empty phone battery.
I've tried my phone (an LG smartphone) with three different brand chargers.
I've tried my phone in three different cars (Toyota, Mitsubishi and Rover). The Mitsubishi is especially comic - plugging into the cigarette lighter the phone charges for a few seconds then charging stops, then after a few seconds it starts charging again then stops again ad infinitum. With an annoying "beep" every few seconds to indicate stopping or restarting charging (why?). But plugged into the car's auxiliary cabin charge point it charges slowly when not using satnav and discharges slowly when using satnav.
Of course you say, it's a problem with my phone battery (unlikely as it's only a few weeks old) or even my car battery (replaced a few months ago in two of the three cars).
Or you'll say it's a problem with LG phones. Cue trying with my wife's new Samsung Galaxy. Same problem. Won't charge when using sat nav but slowly discharges, regardless of which car and which charger I use.
In which case how do people who depend on their phone being on and using satnav permanently (e.g. Uber drivers) manage to keep their phone permanently charging? Is it the car, the charger or the phone that I'm getting wrong? If the phone, what brand of phone do I need that I can plug into the charger, keep on sat nav for a long journey and expect the battery to be more charged at the end of the journey than at the start?
Chromegrill said:
plugging into the cigarette lighter the phone charges for a few seconds then charging stops, then after a few seconds it starts charging again then stops again ad infinitum. With an annoying "beep" every few seconds to indicate stopping or restarting charging (why?).
Try a better cable? It may just have got damaged. Failing that, get a better quality cigarette lighter adapter - some put out very little current and some simply don't make a good connection with the contact points.Thanks my phone is an LG G4. I've tried with several different cables into several different chargers with USB cable attachment, plus a curly-up cable that's attached to a charger. I just can't get either LG or Samsung Galaxy to not discharge/lose battery percentage in any of the family cars or any charger when running satnav. Where I am going wrong and can anyone suggest how I can investigate further?
Thought: is the built in Google (Android) navigation especially battery hungry, are you all using that or are you using another app?
Thought: is the built in Google (Android) navigation especially battery hungry, are you all using that or are you using another app?
Best results would be from using a specific fast-charger plugged into the car's cigarette lighter socket (which should be rated at about 12v/10a)
Here's a Motorola one. It could be compatible with your LG, or they may have something similar on their website.
https://uk.motorolachargers.com/phone-chargers/tur...
If you're charging off a car's standard USB port you'll probably only get about 5w charging. Satnav mode with GPS and screen permanently on eats battery life...
Here's a Motorola one. It could be compatible with your LG, or they may have something similar on their website.
https://uk.motorolachargers.com/phone-chargers/tur...
If you're charging off a car's standard USB port you'll probably only get about 5w charging. Satnav mode with GPS and screen permanently on eats battery life...
Chromegrill said:
Thanks my phone is an LG G4. I've tried with several different cables into several different chargers with USB cable attachment, plus a curly-up cable that's attached to a charger. I just can't get either LG or Samsung Galaxy to not discharge/lose battery percentage in any of the family cars or any charger when running satnav. Where I am going wrong and can anyone suggest how I can investigate further?
Thought: is the built in Google (Android) navigation especially battery hungry, are you all using that or are you using another app?
Buy this oneThought: is the built in Google (Android) navigation especially battery hungry, are you all using that or are you using another app?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spigen-Essential-F27QC-Qu...
and
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-Pack-Powerline-Micr...
And it will solve your problem.
Chromegrill said:
Thought: is the built in Google (Android) navigation especially battery hungry, are you all using that or are you using another app?
I use Here Wego on my G4 which is definitely hungrier than Google Maps. Worst case I'll get out of the car after several hours of navigation with broadly the same battery level. Slow charging is usually due to a poor quality or incompatible charger or cable.
I use this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071WYF9HP/ Charges every phone I've got as fast as the phone can accept the charge. It's got the latest "PD" socket for the very latest phones and laptops, as well as a very fast charge USB socket with compatibility with pretty much every phone ever made.
You should also make sure you get a good quality USB cable intended for fast charging - this will depend on the type of connection your phone has. Make sure the cable does at least 2.4 A.
I use this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071WYF9HP/ Charges every phone I've got as fast as the phone can accept the charge. It's got the latest "PD" socket for the very latest phones and laptops, as well as a very fast charge USB socket with compatibility with pretty much every phone ever made.
You should also make sure you get a good quality USB cable intended for fast charging - this will depend on the type of connection your phone has. Make sure the cable does at least 2.4 A.
Thanks for the suggestions, I've ordered the Anker USB cable and will see if that speeds things up. The last charger I bought delivers 2.4A at 5V (12W power) which is the same as the Spigen and Anker chargers others have mentioned so I'd be surprised if the cables make sufficient difference compared to the existing cables I have which were supposed to be of good quality. Will report back - I feel a bit stuck, it's not the sort of problem I can just ask a garage to sort but there's a limit to the number of chargers and cables of different brands and even phones I'm willing to fork out for.
Anyone any ideas why in the Mitsubishi my phone was charging for a few seconds from the ciggy lighter then stopping then charging up again and so on? The red light on one of my chargers was flashing on and off every few seconds too. Yet when charging the wife's phone with the same cigarette port, charger and cable the light on the charger was on all the time and the phone charged constantly) except when using maps...
Anyone any ideas why in the Mitsubishi my phone was charging for a few seconds from the ciggy lighter then stopping then charging up again and so on? The red light on one of my chargers was flashing on and off every few seconds too. Yet when charging the wife's phone with the same cigarette port, charger and cable the light on the charger was on all the time and the phone charged constantly) except when using maps...
Chromegrill said:
Thanks for the suggestions, I've ordered the Anker USB cable and will see if that speeds things up. The last charger I bought delivers 2.4A at 5V (12W power) which is the same as the Spigen and Anker chargers others have mentioned so I'd be surprised if the cables make sufficient difference compared to the existing cables I have which were supposed to be of good quality. Will report back - I feel a bit stuck, it's not the sort of problem I can just ask a garage to sort but there's a limit to the number of chargers and cables of different brands and even phones I'm willing to fork out for.
Anyone any ideas why in the Mitsubishi my phone was charging for a few seconds from the ciggy lighter then stopping then charging up again and so on? The red light on one of my chargers was flashing on and off every few seconds too. Yet when charging the wife's phone with the same cigarette port, charger and cable the light on the charger was on all the time and the phone charged constantly) except when using maps...
Could be any number of reasons.Anyone any ideas why in the Mitsubishi my phone was charging for a few seconds from the ciggy lighter then stopping then charging up again and so on? The red light on one of my chargers was flashing on and off every few seconds too. Yet when charging the wife's phone with the same cigarette port, charger and cable the light on the charger was on all the time and the phone charged constantly) except when using maps...
Which charger do you have? I'd recommend getting a good quality one.
Does the phone charge OK from a home mains USB charger?
Does it get warm when charging?
If all else files try one of these connected straight to the fuseboard
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CHELINK-Charger-Dashboard...
Does it get warm when charging?
If all else files try one of these connected straight to the fuseboard
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CHELINK-Charger-Dashboard...
Assuming you are using "faster charging" which is 18watts or 15watts for Sam S10 then google maps and a screen brightness of 100% will exceed the 18 watts ( don't forget the ips screens in LG G series phones will go very bright even when set to auto brightness )
A LG V30 with its oled screen will just about hold its state of charge when using nav
OP : Have you got your contacts and photos fully backed up to google drive ? because its only a matter of time before this model of phone runs into trouble ( google it ! ) especially in high temperatures .
A LG V30 with its oled screen will just about hold its state of charge when using nav
OP : Have you got your contacts and photos fully backed up to google drive ? because its only a matter of time before this model of phone runs into trouble ( google it ! ) especially in high temperatures .
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