Charging says to charge a 12 hour period before 1st use...there is no indication of when it is fully charged so, how do you know when to unplug it? Then it says to charge at least one time every 3 weeks. Still don't know when it's fully charged. Charging says to charge a 12 hour period before 1st use...there is no indication of when it is fully charged so, how do you know when to unplug it? Then it says to charge at least one time every 3... » Read More Charging says to charge a 12 hour period before 1st use...there is no indication of when it is fully charged so, how do you know when to unplug it? Then it says to charge at least one time every 3 weeks. Still don't know when it's fully charged. « Show Less
1756712
I actually called the manufacturer about this and that is exactly what they recommended. Thanks to Siri, I just set my alarm and calendar and to schedule and time the charges. For some reason, I charge it for only eight hours every three weeks. I am not sure where I got that from. I agree that there should be some kind of indicator, especially that somewhere it recommends not to overcharge. You have probably noticed that there are different directions in different places. That is why I called.
1756713
You cannot overcharge the battery so don't worry about it. Also no harm done if you undercharge. I have had mine for years, and to be honest do not charge it regularly, and have not had any problems. These are really just guidelines.
1756714
The charging is complete after 8 hours. The charger is smart and shuts off when it is finished charging - so we recommend charging overnight once every three weeks if you are using it regularly.
1399013
Just charge it for eight hours and it will be fully charged. There is no indicator light. There are some helpful videos on YouTube
1015869
i think the first time to charge was 2 hours, but we don't use it everyday, only every 4 weeks( i got it for my son who is in the Army)so it seems to last a long time. love the convenience of charging in the computer!
2003197
I charged it for 12 hrs and it was fully charged. after that initial charge it depends on how long I use it. I do not charge it after every use because I have always read that is not good for rechargeables. and I do not leave it plugged in either.
935029
I didn't get a chance to find out because it didn't work properly to begin with, and so I returned it. It took maybe 4 or 5 hours to charge completely which is what your suppoosed to do before you use it for the first time.
1689126
How long will it stay on unplugged before quitting? We can usually keep it unplugged all day IF: we only have it on 2 or 3 times for an hour each AND if we charge it all night. If yours is not keeping a charge at all it may be defective. Hope that helps.
303049
Be sure to follow the instructions in the manual re: first charge of the battery-- realize that your laptop will be off-use for 24 hrs. I have found that how long a charge lasts depends on what I an doing online; e.g., if I have been viewing a lot of video, charge goes faster. I mostly monitor by mousing over the power icon. Be sure to go down to 11% (ck manual) at least once/week for about 4x, as directed in manual, to extend battery's lifespan. Hope this helps. BTW: Anker's cust service is great too.
1106477
I re-charge until the green light goes off. This is only when I know I'm going to need it soon. Obviously if it will be weeks or months before needing it, I don't re-charge.
172965
I think it takes 3 or 4 hours to charge completely. I don't wait on it. I use it in my living room & kitchen, then put it back on the charger until the next day.
237073
Like the others have said, it does NOT have an indicator to tell you when it needs charging, other than a dimming of the light output. The company does publish a table that tells you how many hours a charge will last, depending on what light setting you use. If you use the lowest light setting, like I have started to do, it lasts 10 hours!
1437849
I'm not sure how long it takes to fully charge; I've left it charging for up to two days and the charging light never shut off. My guess for how long actually it takes to charge is like half a day or something, but that's pure speculation. And to answer the other question: Yes, as long as you're reasonably careful.
2080089
Before the first use it needs to charge for approximately 48 hours to prime the battery for future use. After the initial charge plug it in over night and it is ready in the morning; usually 6 to 8 hours. It has indicator lights that will let you know when it is fully charged. When all three lights are illuminated it has a complete charge.
1156837
It takes quite a while to charge it from completely drained to a full charge. It took me about 8 hours the first time. I have charged it the last few times with one light still showing and it took about 5 hours. However, it gave me over 10 hours of additional use on my iPad Air. I have totally charged my iPhone 5 twice on one charge of the battery. I have had one that I did not use for almost a month and it still had three out of four lights showing and was able to completely charge my iPhone. I believe the information said the battery would hold a charge for 60 days, but I have not personally left the battery unused for that long. It takes quite a while to charge it from completely drained to a full charge. It took me about 8 hours the first time. I have charged it the last few times with one light still showing and it took about 5 hours. However, it gave me over 10 hours of additional use on my iPad Air. I have totally charged my iPhone 5 twice on one charge of the battery. I have had one that I did not use for almost a month and it still had three out of four lights showing and was able to completely charge my iPhone. I believe the information said the battery would hold a charge for 60 days, but I have not... » Read More It takes quite a while to charge it from completely drained to a full charge. It took me about 8 hours the first time. I have charged it the last few times with one light still showing and it took about 5 hours. However, it gave me over 10 hours of additional use on my iPad Air. I have totally charged my iPhone 5 twice on one charge of the battery. I have had one that I did not use for almost a month and it still had three out of four lights showing and was able to completely charge my iPhone. I believe the information said the battery would hold a charge for 60 days, but I have not personally left the battery unused for that long. « Show Less
1214325
None of these answers look right to me.. From the manual: "It takes at least 24 hours to fully charge the battery". From the quick start guide: "Before you start, charge for 2 hours minimum". Basically: 24 hours for a full charge. If you can't wait to use it, make sure you charge for 2 hours before using it the first time.
1525965
If you just got it, you may need to charge it longer than that for the first initial charge. I let mine charge for about 12 hours or more. Not the goal, I just didn't need it right then and I forgot about it. It worked fine when I used it about 3 weeks later after being in my purse all that time. And it fully charged my cell that was at 10%. Be sure to recharge it after use though. The light indicator should work also......And like the others replied, be sure to hold the button once you connect it to what you are charging.
1446387
The instructions tell you how long to charge it initially. I've only recharged it once since then.
444659
When you turn it on, it flashes red 1-3 times (?). I believe that 3 times indicates the highest level of charge. There is no way to determine the level of charge when it is in use, except that it gives a beep descending in tone when it is out of charge and cuts off. Then when you charge it, a small red light comes on and remains on until it is fully charged, at which point the light turns off.
1240374
I threw mine out because I could never get it to charge again after the first time. The first time, you should charge it for about 12 hours.