Of the
A phone may have the latest features, but these would be meaningless without a long-lasting battery that allows you to enjoy them.
Naturally, people are concerned about preserving the life of their phone's battery. And cell phone technology has also evolved at an alarming rate over the past few decades, leaving many of us in the dark. These factors have led to many myths about phone charging circulating online and even through word of mouth.
If you want to take good care of your phone and use it for as long as possible, we have all the instructions you need, along with the reasoning behind it.
The article will cover:
- The science behind charging a phone battery
- Some factors that affect the durability of cell phone batteries
- What you can do to extend the life of your phone's battery.
With that in mind, let's dive in!
How does your phone battery store charge?
Charging/discharging Li-ion batterycyclesare chemical reactions caused by electricity. Lithium ions flow from the positive to the negative electrode while charging and then from negative to positive while using your phone.
The Li-ion batteries found in modern phones today have been around for a while and were constantdevelopedsmaller, safer and last longer.
Modern batteries are much safer and more efficient than their nickel predecessors, which overheated quite quickly, changed shape over time and only required recharging when the battery was completely discharged due to"memory effect".
Factors affecting the durability of cell phone batteries
The battery life of your phone is already determined when it is manufactured. However, your charging habits can preserve or shorten the life of your phone's battery.
Charge/discharge cycles
Phone batteries usually have a fixed number of charge/discharge cycles that are somewhere between 300 and 500. A charging cycle means that you go from a full battery to a completely empty battery and back again.
Realistically, a battery takes several charges to complete a full cycle, so it's difficult to calculate how many cycles you've used. Battery life will decrease with use, and the best thing you can do is slow down that process by paying attention to your phone's charging behavior.
Temperature
Phone manufacturers recommend that you only use your phone in places where the ambient temperature is between 0ºC and 35ºC. Phones are designed to switch off when the temperature is not suitable for use, protecting your phone from damage, but if you really need to use it for navigation, important calls or even emergencies this can be very inconvenient.
Extreme temperatures can permanently damage your phone's battery after multiple exposures. Dramatic temperature changes should also be avoided as this can cause moisture to enter your phone and damage components.
Charger
Contrary to popular belief, using a charger other than the one that came with your phone or that offered by your phone's manufacturer will not destroy your battery. The problem lies with low quality knock-off chargers.
These chargers are usually much cheaper than the real ones. They are not manufactured to industry standards and lack the physical and technological security you get from a brand name charger. Knock-off chargers can not only damage your phone's battery, but also cause dangerous explosionsdocumented.
Modern batteries have abuilt-in chipthat helps regulate the charger input. So even if you use a fast charger for a phone that can't handle that much voltage, your phone will still charge at the speed the battery is designed for. The fast charging function does nothing in this case.
Is wireless charging bad for the battery? Heat is also the problem here. Good quality certified wireless charging pads often have built-in cooling and are designed to keep your phone at the right temperature while charging. They also have the benefit of reducing mechanical damage to your phone's charging port.
Likewise, phones currently come with different charging protocols and charging speeds that require a compatible charger for fast charging. Without compatibility, a fast charger simply works like a regular charger.
Tips to extend your phone's battery life
Tip #1: Avoid extreme temperatures in general, especially while charging
As we've said before, extreme temperatures are the biggest enemies of cell phone batteries. To keep your battery in top shape for longer, avoid exposure to extreme heat or cold.
The most common situation in which a phone becomes too hot is when you leave it in the sun for too long in the summer, for example on a bath towel, on the dashboard of the car, just anywhere where it is directly exposed to the blazing sunlight. If your phone also charges in any of these situations, things will only get worse. Do your best to keep it in the shade, or at least covered with light material that absorbs less heat from the sun.
There's a myth circulating the internet that keeping your phone in the freezer will improve battery health. In reality, charging your phone multiple times in freezing temperatures will cause permanent damage to the battery. Likewise, the charger must keep up with the accelerated discharge caused by extreme cold, which leads to slow charging. You may have noticed that when you use your phone outside on cold winter days, the battery drains quickly.
How to keep your battery cool while charging your phone:
- Remove your phone from the case.Cases can cause heating problems because the phone is less exposed to air and this slows down the cooling process.
- Avoid charging your phone in an environment with poor ventilation.Make sure to charge your phone in a cool and dry place.
- Avoid using your phone for extended periods of time while charging.The heat generated by the screen and other components will increase charging heat and possibly damage your battery. You can also reduce the number of apps running in the background and screen brightness, or disable location services.
- Turn on airplane mode.This prevents the battery from overheating and ensures that your phone charges faster. Airplane mode saves battery by automatically turning off mobile data. Your phone also charges faster in energy saving mode.
Tip #2: Phone charging point is between 20% and 80%
It feels natural to get a full charge whenever you get a chance to get the most out of your phone before the next charge. We also don't recommend leaving your phone empty before charging it, as we used to do with the lead-acid batteries. This will actually damage a modern lithium-ion battery.
So at what percentage should you charge your phone? The best way to keep your phone's battery healthy is to keep it plugged in at around 20% and charge it to 80-90%. This is especially important if you use fast charging, because charging from 0% generates a lot of heat and from 80% fast charging becomes less efficient.
However, there is no risk of overcharging the battery. Phones these days should have built-in features designed to keep the battery healthy, such as turning off the phone before it actually drops to 0%, pausing charging when the battery is almost full and, more often, alerting the user when the phone is empty. too hot and then turns it off.
Tip #3: Charge your phone battery halfway before putting it away
If you don't plan to use your phone for an extended period of time, it's best to charge it halfway.Appelrecommends that you turn on your phone every six months and charge it to 50% to preserve battery life. Also make sure to store your cell phone batteries in a cool, dry place to prevent damage.
Tip #4: Avoid cheap chargers, use fast charging sparingly
Knock-off chargers are unsafe, both for the phone and the user. Because components are not properly insulated, there is a high risk of short circuit and ignition, especially in humid environments such as bathrooms. Low quality cables are also not recommended for use.
If you want to keep your phone for several years, you should use fast charging sparingly. The convenience of getting your phone 100% in half an hour comes with a trade-off. As the chemical reaction speeds up, it generates more heat, which over time will shorten the life of the battery.
But while slow charging doesn't create as much heat, it takes longer to charge your phone and still doesn't stop the inevitable process of battery deterioration. It comes down to convenience versus battery life. Wondering how long a phone battery lasts? It depends on your consumption and charging habits, but if you plan to upgrade your phone every two years, you don't have to worry about fast charging damaging your battery.
Tip #5: Unplug your phone after charging
When you charge your phone overnight, it happens that the battery drops to 99% and starts charging again. This is called trickle charging and it often happens at night. The problem with trickle charging is that it generates heat, and if the room is warm or objects are placed on your phone, that heat can damage the battery.
While we wouldn't encourage you to forego the convenience of overnight charging, we do recommend that you make sure your phone is exposed to air, preferably in a well-ventilated area and outside of the case.
There's also the option to get your hands on a smart charger that turns off when the battery reaches a certain charge percentage. And if you wake up during the night, you can easily pull out your phone.
We hope you learned a thing or two about how to charge your phone to extend battery life. By applying the knowledge you've learned here, you can maximize battery life and use your phone for longer!
