Battery Myths Busted: Charging Your Phone Overnight

 

A lot of people have questions concerning mobile phone batteries. Is it safe to leave your smart phones plugged in all night? Is it damaging to the phone? Is it dangerous to your health? What is the proper course of action?

 

How much should you charge your phone, in fact? When is the best time to connect? Should it always be set to zero? Up to a hundred percent? How do you get the most life out of your smart phone's battery? Is it really important if you're just going to keep the phone for a few years before upgrading?

 

Many business listings some individuals are concerned about "overloading" a smart phone battery, which goes beyond the danger of minor equipment damage. That concern appears to be legitimate, given that Samsung's Galaxy Note 7s exploded into flames owing to battery difficulties only a few years ago. But, as we've previously stated, unless a gadget has major manufacturing flaws, such as that phone, a fire in your pocket (or on your bedside) is uncommon.

 

The difficulty is that some of the available studies and viewpoints are starkly contradictory. The myths and realities of iPhone or Android phone charging, particularly when plugged in overnight, are presented to you.

 

My IPhone's battery will be overloaded if I charge it overnight: FALSE

 

One thing that all experts agree on is that smart phones are intelligent enough to prevent overloading. Extra security chips ensure business listings that this won't happen in a tablet, smart phone, or even a laptop. Charging ends when the internal lithium-ion battery reaches 100% capacity.

 

If you leave your smart phone plugged in overnight, it will consume a small amount of energy to keep recharging the battery every time it reaches 99 percent. That shortens the life of your phone.

 

What is the Best Thing to Do?

 

Don't get too worked up over it. When you go to bed, plug your phone in or lay it on the wireless charger. Unplug it or reposition it if you wake up in the middle of the night to avoid continual trickle-charging. Alternatively, you may put your phone into a smart socket that is set to turn off on a schedule.

 

Potential issues that may arise when charging overnight include:

 

1 - Is it really so hot in here?

 

Heat may be generated via trickle charges. Many experts advocate charging a phone overnight by removing it from its cover. However, with a sophisticated protective case, this isn't always possible.

 

At the absolute least, don't put a bunch of stuff on top of a charging device, such as books or other electronics. Don't put that under your free listing pillow, for the love of God. If you do any of the above, the phone will get heated—not hot enough to cause spontaneous combustion, but hot enough to harm the battery.

 

If you're worried about fire, some people in the UK propose keeping the charging item plugged in on a dish or saucer, or putting it on something metal that can disperse heat, such as a heat sink on a computer's processors. If you utilize a wireless charging pad, this isn't much of a choice, so don't worry about it.

 

2 - Cables with defects

 

It might be an issue if you're using a knock-off cable that isn't from the manufacturer or at least "certified" in some manner (iPhone Lightning cables, for example, should be MFI approved). It's possible that the cord and connections don't meet the phone or tablet's requirements. Don't scrimp on quality by purchasing flimsy wires.

 

To avoid battery problems, should I freeze my phone: FALSE

 

Intense cold and extreme heat are two things that lithium-ion batteries despise. Frequently charging a smart phone in sub-freezing temperatures might result in a permanent "plating of metallic lithium" on the battery anode. You won't be able to remedy the problem, and trying so will simply make the battery die quicker.

 

The battery isn't the only one who despises heat: any smart phone's internal components loathe it as well. It's a computer in there, and computers and hot air have a long history of being lethal enemies. If you leave your black-screened smart phone in the sun while relaxing by the pool, don't be startled if it issues a warning that it needs to cool down. Put it beneath the towel in such case. Keep it off the dashboard of the car in the summer, ideally in the shade.

 

Apple clearly states that charging iPhone over 35 degrees C/95 degrees F would permanently destroy the battery; any current smart phone will suffer the same fate.

 

The Worst Thing You Should Never Do

 

When your phone is too cold or too hot, don't charge your phone. Also, avoid putting your phone in the freezer.

 

Before charging, my battery should always be at zero: FALSE

 

With contemporary lithium-ion batteries, using a smart phone until it's dead—a full discharge—is not the way to go. Don't allow it go even close to zero percent. A lithium-ion battery will be worn down considerably faster than usual as a result of this. The best option is partial discharge.

 

From the start, the batteries are on borrowed time. The insides are in an unstoppable state of deterioration. The materials within will simply lose their ability to hold electricity over time. That's why, if you have an older iPhone and it only lasts a few hours instead of the practically full day (or two) it did when it was new, it's because of this. Over time, capacity decreases.

 

Only intentionally drop a smart phone battery to zero to re-calibrate the internal sensor that shows the battery level on your phone. It's far from guaranteed—in fact, many people don't believe it works at all—but it's suggested by some, especially if your phone reaches 10% (or even 20% or 30%) battery life before unexpectedly dying.

 

Even if you use the phone all the way to auto-shutdown, it doesn't always indicate the battery is dead. If you think it's worthwhile, let the phone alone for a few hours. Then, for good measure, reset it.

 

What is the Best Thing to Do?

 

Connect the phone before it asks you to enter low-power mode; IOS will prompt you to do so when you reach 20% battery life. When the phone is between 30 and 40% charged, plug it in. If you conduct a rapid charge, your phone will reach 80 percent soon. When utilizing a high-voltage charger, pull the plug around 80-90 percent, since pushing to full 100 percent might put strain on the battery. To extend the life of your phone's battery, keep it charged between 30 and 80 percent.

 

Apple says that fast charging the iPhone 8 and higher may boost battery life by 50% in only 30 minutes. This necessitates the use of a USB-C power adapter, which necessitates the purchase of a particular USB-C-to-Lightning cable, or the use of a higher voltage charger, such as one from an iPad or even a Mac Book.

 

My Battery Has Acquired a 'Memory': FALSE

 

With earlier nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries, forming a "memory" was an issue. That's where the phrase "completely deplete the battery" comes from. It isn't required for lithium-ion batteries, as previously stated.

 

So, why don't lithium-ion batteries appear to last as long as they should? It isn't about "memory," but rather about "capacity." Your smart phone battery decreases with time to the point where a new phone can charge to 100% in the same length of time as an older phone can only charge to 82 percent.

 

Another perspective is that modern batteries are just more eager to consume all of that energy.

 

"Apple lithium-ion batteries are intended to keep at least 80 percent of their original capacity for a high number of charge cycles," according to Apple, but the quantity varies by device.

 

Apple iPhone batteries also offer "rapid charging," which means they'll charge up to 80% in no time. After 80, you'll notice a gradual rise in capacity, which is partly to minimize heat buildup and so improve battery life. What's more, guess what? Fast charging is also detrimental to lithium-ion batteries. It accelerates the rusting process.

 

Older iPhone came with a 5-watt (that is, 5 volts at 1.1 amps) charging block, which works well, but a 10W charger, which has an output of 5 volts at 2.1 amps and is the one that comes with an iPad, can charge it quicker. Keep in mind that most Qing-based wireless chargers support 7.5W and wireless rapid charging is already available.

 

What is the Best Thing to Do?

 

Don't be concerned about "memory." Don't fast charge if you're intending to charge overnight. Use a slow charging method. That implies you'll need a lower-voltage charger.

 

Phone Batteries Have a Limited Lifespan: FALSE-is

 

The longevity of a phone battery is measured in "charge cycles." This implies that every time you discharge up to 100 percent of the capacity, you've completed one cycle, but it doesn't imply you've completed all of them.

 

For example, if your phone's battery capacity is 80 percent, you may reduce it to 30 percent (half the capacity), charge it back to 80 percent, and then utilize that 50 percent up again in one cycle. You may utilize 75% one day and 25% the next, for a total of one cycle. IPhone are expected to last 400 to 500 charge cycles (but again, not necessarily 400 to 500 times the phone is actually plugged in to charge.)

 

If the phone's capacity has depleted sufficiently, you may need to perform the 50 percent charge-and-use procedure many times a day—and that's when the battery lifespan begins to deteriorate even more quickly.

 

While your phone battery doesn't have a "memory" that reduces capacity with time, its short lifespan means you'll probably need to replace it.

 

Apple admits in late 2017 to deliberately slowing down older iPhone batteries in the name of "overall performance and extending the life of...devices." The slowdowns were originally applied to iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, and first-generation iPhone SE smart phones, but they were later extended to iPhone 7. Following the controversy, Apple temporarily discounted battery replacements for some phones.

 

The best way to replace a battery is to hire a professional. The not-quite-mainstream Samsung Galaxy Xcover Pro and the Moto E6 are two of the few new smart phones with a user-swappable battery.

 

Why are there so few? Most lithium-ion batteries last two to three years before needing to be replaced, which is when the makers prefer you switch to a new phone. Why bother with making it simple to replace a battery? According to Strategy Analytics, the typical Smartphone user in the United States maintains their phone for 33 months or longer, a statistic that appears to be rising all the time. This means that phone manufacturers have even less reason to assist you kept it functions.