Or, how I learned to not rip open phones on a messy desk.
My S2 was my first android phone, and man has it been an incredible phone. Really the only issue was some lockups with an att update, wherein I switched to ParanoidAndroid.
Unfortunately, recently the phone began having power button issues. It wouldn't wake from power presses, it would wake and work, or it would wake and suddenly restart the phone.
I figured it was the power button, so like a true fool, I got to work ripping open the phone to clean the inner guts.
Attached are a few bad pics I got. Good lord these phones get dirty as hell inside!
After spending 15 minutes cleaning the phone and the crap out of the power button, I went to re-assemble it.
When I realized that it was the volume button I was cleaning.
When I realized the power button dropped when I ripped it open.
The lesson here for me:
Open your phone as a last resort
Open your electronics in clean areas, so when you drop things...
and be careful!
I get these a lot. I can solder a new power button on for $50 including return shipping. You can email me @ seivad17 [at] msn.com if interested.
What's the problem? You just need to replace the power button. If you're not afraid of opening up your phone, then you can surely buy a cheap soldering kit and learn how to solder using youtube videos. That's what I did. You'll fix your phone and learn a very useful skill for a very, very small price.
I opened up my phone to fix the power button, and it started working, even though I didn't do much other than blowing some canned air into the area where the actual switch is. But in taking it apart, the vibrator motor got pulled off of its ribbon cable, so it doesn't work anymore. I've taken it apart a couple other times to look closer and see whether it's something I could just solder back on, or if I could buy a replacement part, but every time I open the case I get one or two new cracks in it, so I don't think I'll open it again to finish the job. I'll just live without the vibrator motor until I get a new phone.
Mine also failed recently due to the power button. It's nearly two years old, so I replaced it anyway. Think I'm going to buy a replacement power switch and see what I can do--maybe give it to a friend or something.
The strange thing is, when I pull it apart and use the phone without the actual power tab (rubber) in the slot, it will work. But not every time. So I'm thinking the button itself was being pressed too firmly while in the case/my pocket, which caused the switch itself to fail.
GiSS88 said:
Mine also failed recently due to the power button. It's nearly two years old, so I replaced it anyway. Think I'm going to buy a replacement power switch and see what I can do--maybe give it to a friend or something.
The strange thing is, when I pull it apart and use the phone without the actual power tab (rubber) in the slot, it will work. But not every time. So I'm thinking the button itself was being pressed too firmly while in the case/my pocket, which caused the switch itself to fail.
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I had something very similar. Used it for a few days after I switched on the Volume as screen activation (on CM). Then it stopped charging. Ended up being a ribbon cable from charging port to main board was bad. Got it replaced and it's as good as new.
Mine acts strange. When I put the battery, it automatically turns on and power button doesn't work, also USB but if I push USB really hard it gets working but works too bad. I cant make factory restore because of the power button, but also the battery is replacement battery, I charged it outside of the phone with the charger and in 30 minutes dropped from 21% to 10%, even doing nothing. So is it battery problem or my charging dock needs to be replaced? battery is 2200 Mah.
I had the same problem with my Cappy. I was able to get by still because I could still get into recovery. I just downloaded an app from the Play store that allowed me to have advanced reboot option. When I wanted to turn it off I just removed the battery.
I had seen a guy use a type of cleaner for electronic equipment that he sprayed inside a few times and operated the button. He said he was able to fix the problem. I don't remember the spray though.
seivad17 said:
I get these a lot. I can solder a new power button on for $50 including return shipping. You can email me @ seivad17 [at] msn.com if interested.
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Click to collapse
I'm going to fix my s3 and captivate. I looked up how easy it is and I was very pleased. Hoping to get it done soon.
Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk 4
My power button died a few months ago and I've been using an app called "Wake Up Screen!!!" that let's me shake the phone when I want to turn it on.
It's getting a bit old, so I'm thinking of rooting it so I can map the power button to the volume button. Anyone know if I'll need to use the power button during the root process? This stuff is all new to me.
Related
Hey guys, don't get me wrong. I still love my note. I bought the note from Wireless Wave outright. It's just the power button is getting more and more wobbly by the day and it feels like it is sinking into the groove a bit more.
I know Samsung warranty is 1 yr and I have also bought extended warranty from Wireless Wave which is a store in Canada that I bought my Note from. I hear a lot of stories of how it is almost useless. What I want is either a new Note from warranty or be able to sell the note off for another Note. THE PROBLEM IS THAT I have a small dent from bumping the corner of the phone into a stone wall, right in the corner. I sanded it down and recoloured it black with permanent marker. LOL ALLMOST looks like new, slight discolouration and of course indent. Everything else on the phone is A-OKAY except the power button of course that annoys the hell out of me. Anyways my options are:
1. Try to get Wireless Wave to send it off and "exchange it" though what I think they do is send it off to a person that does repairs for them only to tell me that it's from wear and tear and they won't exchange it for me. OR they'll see the dent in the corner and say I was abusing the phone.
2. Try to get Samsung to exchange it, but this requires me sending it off and having to pay shipping and handling probably not to mention they might send it back saying it's just normal wear and tear again.
3. Sell it off in Kijiji (Canada's Craiglist) and buy a new phone
4. BE EVIL AND CHEAT THE SYSTEM BY TYPING IN ALL CAPS TO HARD BRICK MY PHONE AND PLAY DUMB TO THE PEOPLE TO EXCHANGE MY PHONE. Course this also has the drawback of them noticing that dent and saying YOU DROPPED THIS PHONE THEREFORE IT NO LONGER WORKS, DERP. Then I would **** out of luck. This is much more risky but absolute. I would like to avoid this method LOL.
Any input would be awesome! Thanks!
Or you could repair it yourself.
Have you actually called either WW or Samsung to see if this is something they would bother fixing? They should be able to tell you over the phone if they advise you to send it for repair. If they did instruct you to send it, I'd think they would be obligated to fix it since you came out of pocket for shipping.
Personally I never use the power button on a phone.. maybe.. 5% of the time. I use Volume Wake to wake the phone up and a Lock shortcut to power off.
I am using AOKP, so I have a lock in its navigation bar... But previously I used an app called Power Off and Lock and has it in my dock in my launcher.
I got into this habit when I heard about the power button failures on the Nexus 1 and I never wanted my power button to fail, so I used trackball wake and the method above (in launcher dock) to sleep.
This way when you really need to use the power button (when the phone is off, hard power-offs, etc) it's okay.
khaytsus said:
Personally I never use the power button on a phone.. maybe.. 5% of the time. I use Volume Wake to wake the phone up and a Lock shortcut to power off.
I am using AOKP, so I have a lock in its navigation bar... But previously I used an app called Power Off and Lock and has it in my dock in my launcher.
I got into this habit when I heard about the power button failures on the Nexus 1 and I never wanted my power button to fail, so I used trackball wake and the method above (in launcher dock) to sleep.
This way when you really need to use the power button (when the phone is off, hard power-offs, etc) it's okay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So then your volume buttons wear out quicker.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
joe3681 said:
So then your volume buttons wear out quicker.
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Click to collapse
And I really don't care if the power buttons wear out. I'd much prefer one of them wear out than my power button.
That said, hasn't happened yet. But I also tend to use a soft power off on the phone, my tablet has a magnetic switch in the case, etc etc..
I thought mine were loose and had to get my phone replaced for another issue and using a new note is amazing, the buttons are so responsive! They really messed up button durability on the note.
Get it fixed at a Chinese cellphone store (or usually, a cluster of them) 'cuz they simply rock the cost and performance ratio LOL.
Has anyone else had a problem similar to this? I've figured it's due to wear and tear, but I know I don't use my phone half as much as many people do here, yet I can't seem to find any information on this.
The same thing happened to my Captivate last year, which I had owned for about 20 months. Ironically, it's the reason I got my Note back in March and now I'm having the same problem, just sooner. Basically, my phone will sometimes reboot itself sometimes if the button sticks. It is noticeably more pressed down than when I first got it and even more than the volume keys.
Try opening it up and re-sit the button. You may need to clean out some gunk/dust. Or, you may need to replace the button. Replacement parts cost only few dollars from ebay.
ddochi11 said:
Try opening it up and re-sit the button. You may need to clean out some gunk/dust. Or, you may need to replace the button. Replacement parts cost only few dollars from ebay.
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Thanks for the response. Do you have a link or something that will instruct me on how to safely deconstruct my phone? I've never done and I want to make sure it's carried out properly.
I'm having the same problem. The phone isn't even a year old. I tried removing the screws in the back hoping the white cover would come off so I can see the internals but I couldn't pop it off. (then again I didn't try pulling that hard) I just press the button a bunch of times and the phone eventually turns on again. I saw on eBay a power button repair service for $45. If i knew how to open the phone I would probably try to do it myself.
hoang83 said:
I'm having the same problem. The phone isn't even a year old. I tried removing the screws in the back hoping the white cover would come off so I can see the internals but I couldn't pop it off. (then again I didn't try pulling that hard) I just press the button a bunch of times and the phone eventually turns on again. I saw on eBay a power button repair service for $45. If i knew how to open the phone I would probably try to do it myself.
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Click to collapse
look it up on youtube "how to take apart samsung galaxy note" by durapower
hoang83 said:
I'm having the same problem. The phone isn't even a year old. I tried removing the screws in the back hoping the white cover would come off so I can see the internals but I couldn't pop it off. (then again I didn't try pulling that hard) I just press the button a bunch of times and the phone eventually turns on again. I saw on eBay a power button repair service for $45. If i knew how to open the phone I would probably try to do it myself.
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Click to collapse
If your phone is less than a year old .... This is a known hardware issue. This is an example of when it is acceptable to return to AT&T or whoever for an exchange. I am strongly against all the return for operator inflicted issues, but this is an issue with these phones and you should be calling for a replacement.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
If you need to you can always disable the button and use the volume keys to turn the screen on
Okay, so, embarrassing problem here.
A few weeks back, I was shopping for bourbon and broke my phone screen while it was in my pocket. I'm not sure of the exact mechanics of that, but its what happened, and it was odd. Anyway, I ordered a new screen, because I've replaced screens before, so I felt pretty confident I could handle it.
So, today was the big day. I took my tool kit, pried the sucker open, and (aside from losing track of the front camera momentarily), everything went rather smoothly. I put everything back in its place, and attempted to boot the phone.
Nothing. Naturally. Prying it back open and examining it closely, I notice a small tear in the ribbon cable that connects the power button to the phone. I may be wrong here, but there doesn't seem to be a way to replace the power button, because the ribbon cable that connects it also connects to the headphone jack, which is soldered to the board. So I'm left with a phone without power button that is, in theory at least, otherwise perfectly functional. Frustrating.
Anyway, all of this brings me to my actual question. Is there any way I can boot this sucker without a power button? My tablet (asus transformer) boots when connected to power, but not this phone. I've read some phones will autoboot when connected to power without a battery, but obviously that isn't really feasible with the hox+. And of course, I can't connect to adb without the phone being on to begin with. So I'm stuck, and any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.
Hey everyone,
I'm experiencing random shut off, power off on my vibrant. The problems are as follows:
Phone may shut off while booting up
Phone inconsistently shuts off moved around
sometimes even shuts off while just sitting idle in sleep
Pressing the volume down button will cause the phone to shut down (similar to a battery pull)
With the said some things to note. The phone has a broken GPS antenna, the power button flex cable ribbon is slightly torn.
There are no other internal components with physical damage. The phone has been dropped.
THE PHONE HAS BEEN TESTED ON STOCK ECLAIR WITH EMPTY INTERNAL SD CARD, NO SIM IS IN USE
Are there any apps I can use to test hardware? What are you guys recommendations? Thank in advance!!
--------------------------------------------------------------
I tore the power ribbon in the phone when trying to fix the phone GPS. gonna buy repair parts and fix it soon anyone find guides for soldering small parts send that my way!
drago10029 said:
Hey everyone,
I'm experiencing random shut off, power off on my vibrant. The problems are as follows:
Phone may shut off while booting up
Phone inconsistently shuts off moved around
sometimes even shuts off while just sitting idle in sleep
Pressing the volume down button will cause the phone to shut down (similar to a battery pull)
With the said some things to note. The phone has a broken GPS antenna, the power button flex cable ribbon is slightly torn.
There are no other internal components with physical damage. The phone has been dropped.
THE PHONE HAS BEEN TESTED ON STOCK ECLAIR WITH EMPTY INTERNAL SD CARD, NO SIM IS IN USE
Are there any apps I can use to test hardware? What are you guys recommendations? Thank in advance!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to be sure, are you positive you have the T959 and not the T959v? Assuming you have the T959, have you tried wedging a small piece of paper or something between the bottom of the battery and the phone? I have seen a few people have a problem with the battery wedging loose and causing it to cut off, it was fixed by this. If this doesn't work it could be the battery itself, it may be time to buy a new one. I have no idea why pressing the volume button cuts the phone off, that is rather strange......
100% sure which model i have. and none of the things you mentioned are the problem unfortunately. I tried a new battery & getting the battery in tighter. and it is strange, I have theories but nothing I can prove.
I noticed you said the power button cable was slightly torn. Maybe it is shorting out and causing the phone to shut off? That would be the only logical thing I could think of other than the battery, which you said isn't the problem.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk 2
iTz KeeFy said:
I noticed you said the power button cable was slightly torn. Maybe it is shorting out and causing the phone to shut off? That would be the only logical thing I could think of other than the battery, which you said isn't the problem.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, that's the same conclusion I came to and will be ordering and soldering a new one. I know there are some very talented people on XDA, fortunately, with more experience than myself and that's saying a lot. I was hoping I could get some nugget of wisdom, kinda like something I overlooked An outside opinion don't hurt.
I had this same issue a couple months ago. What i did was tape the back with the battery cover off with scotch tape. I used 3 strips across the battery to keep it in place and it seemed to resolve my problem. I change the tape out like every 2 weeks though. Hope that helps
Brianzdman said:
I had this same issue a couple months ago. What i did was tape the back with the battery cover off with scotch tape. I used 3 strips across the battery to keep it in place and it seemed to resolve my problem. I change the tape out like every 2 weeks though. Hope that helps
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Click to collapse
I already confirmed above I don't have a battery problem My issue is/was with the flex ribbon power cable has torn slightly, it caused random reboots.
bought a new one on ebay and boom!
I've just taken delivery of an LG V30+ LGH930DS and although the finger print scanner works the actual on/off power button doesn't (or at least seems intermittent)? Can't recall if it was initially OK and then stopped after updating to Pie, but noticed when I'd installed a dark theme which then froze and I couldn't restart the phone.
Of course, all tips suggest doing a soft or safe mode reset.... which requires a working power button combo?!
Can't help but feel (hope!!) it's a software issue/setting somewhere, only I've now done a hard reset and it still doesn't work.
Any suggestions, massively appreciated.
Thanks.
The fingerprint scanner is a separate part, with its own contacts; the entire thing actually sits on top of the power button. It's not unusual that one goes out while the other continues working.
If you can't do a hard reset (hold power+vol down until the phone reboots, takes at least 6 seconds iirc) then I would suspect either the power button has gone bad or the contacts are no longer...er...making contact. Try pressing the back glass around the power button as you press it to check the latter.
If you can make the phone reset with the above, it's a software issue.
Septfox said:
The fingerprint scanner is a separate part, with its own contacts; the entire thing actually sits on top of the power button. It's not unusual that one goes out while the other continues working.
If you can't do a hard reset (hold power+vol down until the phone reboots, takes at least 6 seconds iirc) then I would suspect either the power button has gone bad or the contacts are no longer...er...making contact. Try pressing the back glass around the power button as you press it to check the latter.
If you can make the phone reset with the above, it's a software issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Will see how I get on with your suggestions above. Meanwhile, quick update: started working again... then stopped again. Also last night the restart screen came on several times by itself (flickering awake from standby, as if I'd put my finger on the back). Only thought I have is that it may be a lose part inside that's occasionally causing trouble - specifically DIM tray eject 'bit' which was broken when I got it?
Thanks again.
pinkmoon said:
Only thought I have is that it may be a lose part inside that's occasionally causing trouble - specifically DIM tray eject 'bit' which was broken when I got it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't check to make sure, but the SIM eject mechanism is most likely all-plastic. The only think that might be metal is the pivot (assuming the eject is a lever mechanism), but something like that should be fixed in place pretty well and unlikely to ever come out.
The power button contacts are pretty widely-spaced anyway, it would take something long to bridge them and something that long would find it very difficult (if not impossible) to work its way in where the contacts are.
The problem is, just about everything you'd do to confirm it's a physical issue rather than something electrically wrong with the mainboard, involves taking the back off.
pinkmoon said:
Also last night the restart screen came on several times by itself (flickering awake from standby, as if I'd put my finger on the back).
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Click to collapse
Hmm. This sort of thing actually happened to my first "powerful" android phone, a Motorola Droid 4.
It also had a mostly-inoperative power button, and I ended up physically removing the button from the mainboard in order to stop it from randomly going to sleep or, more annoyingly, restarting because it sometimes "thought" someone was holding the power button in. This actually didn't work, it was a board fault somewhere else and I ended up getting a busted phone to pull a replacement board from.
Not saying that is what's going on here, just that it sure does resonate.
Unless you feel really good about your chances, or got an exceptionally good deal, I'd see about returning the phone and finding another.
Otherwise, you can get a power button off ebay for around $12, if you're in the US.
This video shows it's fairly easy to replace, but you'll need a suction cup, a plastic card (credit cards work well), and ideally an adhesive sticker or rubber cement to close it back up properly (not strictly necessary, I ran mine for a while just tacked together with the old gasket while I searched for a new battery, no problem aside from intermittent fingerprint scanner disconnects). B7000 adhesive is well-regarded for this type of work and useful for other things, if you're the crafty sort.
pinkmoon said:
LG V30+ LGH930DS
although the finger print scanner works the actual on/off power button doesn't (or at least seems intermittent)?
Any suggestions, massively appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Place the phone on a Qi wireless charging pad. If it's off, it will boot up/power up.
Once booted up you can install a software app workaround, for rebooting, etc.
If you don't have one, go to a carrier store and use one being displayed for sale. Then buy one for home.
Not only will Qi wireless pad charge a phone, it will TURN ON a phone if it's placed on the (plugged in) pad.
I've given many people this advice who have wonky power buttons with phones that have Qi wireless charging:
_______
From another post on the subject two years ago:
This Qi wireless charging pad automatic turn on feature is great for when your power button malfunctions. Phones get older, things break.
On the Motorola Quark series (Droid Turbo/Moto Turbo/Moto Maxx) several people were able to figure out whether it was their power button that had jammed or whether their phone had actually died. Phone wouldn't turn on.
We told them "Go to a carrier store. Put the phone on one of the Qi wireless charging pads on display. " If it turns on, it's the button. If it doesn't, you've got bigger issues.
Powering off and on Droid Turbo with broken power button
and a testimonial from another thread:
POWER BUTTON PROBLEM -- QI CHARGER WORKS
N7FALCON said:
aven1357 said:
I've read in another forum that a Qi wireless charger will turn the phone on to charge it- does any know if this is how it works? If the phone is off, the Qi charger will turn it on and then perform a charging? What if it is drained completely?
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Click to collapse
The Qi Wireless Charger works whether your phone is charged or not.. I went to the Verizon store and asked to see the charger demo'd... I placed my powered off, Fully Charged, Broken-power-button-Droid Turbo on the charger and it Came to life.
I immediately configured the phone with an alternate power button app to control the screen on/off. FYI None of the apps I found will actually power the phone on from off, but will control the screen once it is powered.
I actually tried everything in this forum, short of the disassembly of the phone but that was next...
The program download.. Reboot Fast Boot; I couldn't get it to download correctly. after about 3 hours I quit... drove to the store and the rest is history. So Glad Not to have Lost everything!..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Luckily for many, it was "just" the power button.
Many people then actually bought a pad for the first time to keep their phones on until they could get the power button repaired.
Hi. My power button was dead for about a week. Then I tried pressing the spot on the screen opposing the power button while pressing the button itself for a few second (with a little bit more pressure).
Then it just came back to life. I doubt this would permanently fixed the problem. But I'm relieved to have my power button back!
I will update later if the button gone bad again in future.
I've had this suddenly happen with the V30+ that I've had for nearly a year. Here's how I'm living with it, in case it helps anyone else who stumbles upon this thread.
For turning the screen off and on, I double tap the screen. I happen to use Lawnchair launcher, which supports the gesture, so I set its Double Tap gesture to Sleep. If you use another launcher, see if it supports that gesture and action. If it doesn't, you can try the Double Tap app in the Play Store, which I used before switching launchers. In both cases, you need to be on your launcher's home screen to turn off the screen, but it's an easy habit to get into.
For rebooting, I use one of the many apps available in the Play Store. They all require root. I think that I like Super Reboot the best, since it's not a fullscreen app and, so, looks like a popup menu.
If you happen to not have root and need to reboot into recovery in order to install Magisk (which seems like a catch-22), do the following:
1. Open Settings.
2. Enable developer options by going to About and tapping on "Build number" 7 times.
3. Go to System->Developer options, scroll down to the "Debugging" section and enable "Local terminal"
4. Go to your app drawer and launch Terminal.
5. Type "reboot recovery" and hit Enter. You could also do plain "reboot" and, I think, "reboot bootloader", but you probably want to enter recovery to flash Magisk so that you can use one of the store apps from now on, instead of Terminal.
That last tip is the main one that I wanted to share because it's not easy to figure out on your own and because I found myself in that situation. I thought that I had flashed Magisk while I was in recovery, but I guess that I didn't or did it in the wrong order. I was stumped for half an hour and wasted a lot of time trying lots of different reboot apps, only to discover that none of them worked without root, until I tried this Terminal method and found that it worked, surprisingly.
Following up on my last post (just above), I now know why my power button stopped working a month ago. Today, I removed my case to try out another and the glass back of the phone has come off on two sides. Looking inside revealed a familiar friend: a swelled battery. On a hunch, I tried the power button again and, with extra pressure, discovered that it still works. What must've happened is that, a month ago, the battery started swelling and lifted the back cover just enough so that the power button no longer made contact, but not enough for me to notice any swelling with the case on. It's funny that I was concerned, when I was choosing this phone, with how I would ever remove the battery and, here, when the time came, the battery removed itself.
Anyways, if your power button has stopped working, rather than it being because the button has gone bad, it might be an early warning that your battery is swelling and will need to be replaced soon. Fortunately, replacement batteries that even include all of the tools needed are as cheap as $10 on eBay or $15 on Amazon. Search for "BL-T34". Some compatibles on Amazon even have up to 500 mAh higher capacity. I'm going to order one ASAP and, hopefully, that'll solve my power button issue (in addition to the slightly more serious issue of carrying around a bomb 6 inches from my crotch).
Edit: I got the battery today and finished the job in about half an hour. It wasn't bad. It helped that the battery did half of the work of removing the back cover for me. I didn't need to use heat to loosen the glue. In fact, I didn't even need to use any glue to put everything back together, because the existing stuff was still sticky enough. I could've reinforced it, but I didn't want to because I may have to do this again in a year or two (and even if I've upgraded by then, having a working spare or giving it to a loved one will be nice). Oh, yeah, as predicted and hoped for, my power button now works again! I'm happy. For $15 and a half hour of labor, my phone is as good as new (maybe even arguably better, since it now has a 3800 mAh battery in it instead of the stock 3300 mAh one).
Edit #2: I discovered a cool app called Battery Charge Limit (root required), which stops charging at a pre-set percentage (I'm setting it to 80%). Hopefully, this will increase the new battery's lifespan and, particularly, avoid the overnight overcharging that I suspect is what caused the last battery to swell.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/help/battery-charge-limit-lg-v30-pie-t3975433