What should be recorded about power and battery state?¶

Record whether the device is on, off, asleep, locked or restarting; the visible battery level; and every source of power before changing a connection.

Power state affects access and volatility¶

Power loss can remove memory, unsaved work and live sessions, re-engage storage encryption or leave a device locked. Continued power can retain that state while allowing remote activity, updates, synchronisation or malicious processes to continue.

Note the screen and application state alongside the power observation. Photograph chargers, cables, docks, battery packs, uninterruptible supplies and removable batteries in place. A low-battery warning may create genuine urgency, but do not navigate merely to find a percentage that is not already visible.

Connecting power is also an intervention¶

A cable or port may carry data as well as power, and the device may react to a new accessory. Before attaching a charger, identify the expected benefit, possible change and safer alternatives. Seek specialist advice where available if losing the live state could be important.

Attribute every transition: who connected or removed power, when, why and what the device then displayed. Record accidental loss honestly. The objective is not to claim an unchanged state, but to allow later examination to understand which evidence may have survived or disappeared.