If you have a laptop, you will notice that it still works without a battery as long as it stays plugged in. You don’t have to worry about losing or damaging the cell because you can still use the device, but it will shut down immediately if you unplug it. Observing this, you may wonder whether your iPhone has the same working principle.
So, can you use an iPhone without a battery? An iPhone cannot work without the Lithium-ion battery inside. If you connect an older model to a power outlet, the logo will show up on the screen for some seconds before shutting down. The system will check for the battery’s existence and close down if it doesn’t detect it. However, the newer iPhone models will not boot without a cell. Their batteries will need a minimal percentage before the phone turns on.
As with any other phone, the iPhone battery can fail due to swelling or other hardware complications. You may have shelved some old iPhones because they have battery issues, or your current phone’s battery is damaged, but you cannot find a replacement yet. Your first thought is to check whether you can operate the phone without the battery when connecting it to a power source. If it works for laptops, it should also be possible with phones.
Your iPhone cannot work or even boot without a battery inside. The logo will pop up for a few seconds for older models before the phone shuts down when you plug the charger. It will keep doing the same thing, repeating the cycle as if checking for the battery’s presence.
The phone will automatically shut down If there is no communication with the battery’s microcontroller. Therefore, there is no way to bypass the system to power your phone without the battery as you would do with laptops.
Batteries are the devices’ energy reserves, storing chemical energy to power the iPhone. When the phone connects to a power source, the electricity resets the reaction inside the battery, transferring charges within it.
The battery’s electrons move through the phone’s circuit when powering until they all move between the anode and cathode. The Lithium-ion batteries in phones follow this principle to power up the gadget.
Unlike other battery types, Lithium-ion versions are pretty complex to charge. Generally, the process is a fire hazard and is susceptible to damage, explaining why the circuit must power up carefully.
If the voltage is too low, the cable will utilize minimal charge and wait for the power reserve to reach a minimum amount before the speed increases for faster charging. Otherwise, a power surge can cause the cell to excessively heat or explode in some cases.
Therefore, the power to facilitate the current flow is never enough without a battery. Similarly, if the battery is not within the circuitry, the iPhone will not run on the low initial current from the charger.
When you plug an old phone into the main socket, the minimum charge will only be sufficient for the logo to show up momentarily as the system waits for more power to flow through the cell. However, the device will shut down since it is missing, and the on/off cycle repeats itself.
This attempt is to help the phone detect the battery’s state, but it won’t last long as the rebooting will keep failing with each trial. As long as there is no communication with the battery, it will never go past the booting.
There are also instances where the logo doesn’t show up, and there is no rebooting loop. When this happens, you may be using a newer iPhone model; if not, there are high chances that an internal charging component has damages, probably during the battery removal.
The Lithium-ion iPhone battery needs a charge percentage to start the device or run it. However, if it is missing, the non-existent cell can’t reach the minimum required level, preventing the iPhone from turning on.
Ultimately, the battery is the device’s primary power source regardless of the iPhone charging through the main outlet. The charge will still flow through the cell and gather enough power before powering the entire system.
How Do I Turn on My iPhone Without a Battery?
iPhones use Li-ion batteries, some of the best cells you can find on the market, thanks to their impressive performance and durability. However, improper handling can kill the battery faster to an extent where it stops working entirely. Therefore, if you have vital data in the handset, you must be troubled trying to find ways to switch it on without a functional cell.
There is no way to turn on your iPhone without a battery and use it while plugged into a power source. The phone will boot and show the Apple icon for a few seconds before the screen turns dark again. This loop continues until the system shuts down when you remove the charger.
Overall, an iPhone without a functional battery is unusable unless you find a cell replacement from an Apple outlet. Therefore, there is no other way out if you have an old iPhone without a battery but purchasing a new one would be too costly.
If you plug an iPhone into a wall outlet without a battery, it will run a battery search for some seconds first. The phone automatically shuts down when the communication proves impossible after unsuccessfully trying to boot the system. You may believe that the iPhone is turning on, yet it is trying to link to its cell; if unavailable, the device powers down. Note that the boot loop may not happen with all iPhone models.
The most recent iDevices may not turn on while the older versions accept power and show the Apple logo, but they will only light up for a few seconds and go off. You may wonder why your iPhone cannot function without a battery, yet you have it powered using an adapter. There are some logical explanations for this. First, iPhones carry out a boot test to connect to the battery whenever you turn on the gadget.
Therefore, once the battery detaches, the process will be incomplete. Besides, iPhones have an in-built battery, which is quite tasking to disassemble, and its terminals are also unique compared to phones with removable cells.
While detaching the cell, the chances are high that you may interfere with the soldering system on the motherboard and terminals. Even if you are tech-savvy and can remove the cell meticulously, you cannot go past the boot test.
Furthermore, the circuits in newer Apple iPhones are such that they only run by drawing power from the device’s battery. Once the circuit detects that the flowing current isn’t from a cell, the phone will try to boot by showing the Apple icon and turn off again in a vicious cycle.
There are two primary reasons you want to power up your iPhone with a dead or missing battery. First, your gadget went off and failed to turn on due to a faulty cell, and you need to retrieve some vital data from the device.
Additionally, you may have old iPhones with failed but relatively new batteries and wish to make the shelved iDevices useful. Since you cannot power them using a direct wall outlet or a USB port, remember that it is possible to switch on the iPhone if it has a dead cell.
A dead battery on an iPhone can still have a full boot and link the device to iTunes for information backup. Insert the battery into the circuit and power the device. Hold down the home button and the power down key until you see the Apple logo. However, the steps will differ depending on your phone type. Some users only have to press down the power/ wake button until the Apple icon appears, link the phone to a computer, and restore crucial data using iTunes.
Can a Phone Still Work Without a Battery?
Batteries play a crucial role in ensuring that your phone stays on all day. However, if the cell starts failing, it cannot hold up power, making it unreliable for your daily needs. If your phone’s battery dies or stops working altogether, but your gadget is still in good shape, it may be tempting to find out whether you can use your phone without it.
Most phones cannot work without a battery inside, but some Android brands can work when connected to a wall adapter or a USB cable linked to a charged laptop or PC. Most of these phones have removable batteries that you can detach and check whether they still run when powering.
Gadget models such as Infinix, LG, Samsung Galaxy, and Redmi are some top brands that users have tested and confirmed that a direct connection to a power source will boot the phone, allowing you to run it normally.
Most older phone brands have a powerful circuit system that keeps powering the gadget directly from the wall without the battery. If you remove the cell and connect the phone to a USB, it will charge using the direct current to continue operating. Immediately after removing it from a power source, the phone will go off, and you will have to turn it on afresh.
However, there are some aspects to consider when using your phone without a battery successfully. First, this setup can only work with other phone brands besides Apple. If you have an iPhone, it will be impossible to run it unless there is a battery inside, and you will notice that it will enter into a boot loop. You will see the logo on the screen once you switch it on, and the cycle continues as your phone keeps shutting down.
Secondly, your phone should have a removable battery. Otherwise, a fixed cell will require detachment from the phone first, which may be tasking or impossible without the needed tools and skills. Furthermore, your cable should transmit sufficient charge for the phone. Sometimes your phone takes up more power than the actual current it needs, especially during the starting/ booting process. Here, you will need a robust USB cable if you are charging through a USB port.
Your adapter must also be powerful enough for a consistent power supply. A 5V USB only has 0.5 amps, allowing it to transmit up to 2.5 W, which may not sustain the phone during intensive power usage. Your safest bet is to find a 5V option at 10.5 W. On the other hand, note that charging a phone directly without its battery can sometimes go wrong, especially when there are incompatibility issues between the charger and the device.
Therefore, it is best to take the necessary precautions to avoid extensive damage to your device. If you have a suitable cable, the next question is how to charge your phone without a battery inside. Initially, you will remove the battery, check and mark the terminals to know which one is positive and negative and strip the micro end of your USB cable.
After revealing the wires, mark the red and the black ones only, tape the remaining cables and find out how to plug them into their respective terminals. You can either solder them or reinforce them using other insulating materials, although it is still ok if you find it impossible to tap them on the terminals. Note that soldering would be ideal only if you need a more permanent task.
After firmly embedding the USB wires on the terminals, you can plug the other end of the cable into a power source. It can be a wall outlet through a charging adapter or any other device that can charge your phone.
Next, set the gadget in position and check if it runs as usual. You can browse the internet, make calls, and perform other typical tasks. You can unplug the charger when done, and the phone will die instantly, showing that you have disrupted the connection.
Wrap Up
The Lithium-ion battery in phones is one of the most advanced rechargeable cells. It is a crucial component in a device such that there is no way to power up an iPhone without it. The charges must trickle through the cell when connected to the main outlet before powering the entire system.
Therefore, if you have an old model, you will notice that it will keep rebooting trying to detect the battery, but newer versions will never power up with a missing battery. However, some Android phones with removable cells can bypass this system and run by plugging into a charger. You only have to tweak some wires and connect the terminals, and the system will work as long as it stays plugged in.
