by Staff writer
Every day we complain that our smartphone batteries are bad and can barely last a day.
But do you know poor performance of smartphone batteries can be partially our fault?
A major reason why our smartphone batteries could suddenly start misbehaving is because we’ve been charging them wrong the whole time.
If you want to keep your smartphone battery in top condition and go about your day without worrying about battery life, you need to change a few things:
1. Don’t keep your phone plugged in when it’s fully charged
According to Battery University, leaving your phone plugged in when it’s fully charged, like say overnight, is bad for your battery in the long run.
Once your smartphone has reached 100% charge, it gets “trickle charges” to keep it at 100% while plugged in. This keeps the battery in a high-stress, high-tension state, which wears down the battery chemistry within.
Battery University goes into a bunch of scientific detail explaining why, but it also sums it up nicely: “When fully charged, remove the battery” from its charging device.
“This is like relaxing the muscles after a strenuous exercise.”
Even a human being would be pretty miserable if they worked out nonstop for hours upon hours.
2. Try not to charge your phone to 100%
At least when you don’t have to.
According to Battery University, “Li-ion does not need to be fully charged, nor is it desirable to do so. In fact, it is better not to fully charge, because a high voltage stresses the battery” and wears it away in the long run.
This might seem counterintuitive if you’re trying to keep your smartphone charged all day, but the best thing to do is to just plug it in whenever you can during the day, and all will be fine.
3. Only plug in your phone whenever you can
It turns out that the batteries in our smartphones are much happier if you charge them occasionally throughout the day instead of plugging them in for a big charging session when they’re empty.
Charging your phone when it loses 10% of its charge would be the best-case scenario, according to Battery University.
Obviously, that’s not practical for most people, so just plug in your smartphone whenever you can. It’s fine to plug and unplug it multiple times a day.
Not only does this keep your smartphone’s battery performing optimally for longer, but it also keeps it topped up throughout the day.
4. Keep your phone cool at all times
Smartphone batteries are so sensitive to heat that Apple itself suggests you remove certain cases that insulate heat from your iPhone when you charge it.
“If you notice that your device gets hot when you charge it, take it out of its case first.”
If you’re out in the hot sun, keep your phone covered. It’ll protect your battery’s health.
5. Only charge your phone with a specified charger
All cell phone chargers are not the same and neither are they interchangeable.
Since most phones these days have the same micro-USB connector people typically find any charger that fits and assumes it is okay.
However, what you might not know is that not only could you be damaging your phone’s battery but you could be doing such serious damage that it voids the phone’s guarantee!
The charger that comes with your device supplies it with the ideal amount of power.
If you need a second adapter, check that the input and output levels match the one that your phone came with.
