It’s an issue that has plagued humanity since the dawn of the mobile
phone. We use our trusty pocket computers so much that they rarely get
through a day with any power left. Many of us plug them in at night and
fall asleep, content in the knowledge that we’ll wake up to a fully
charged device.
But is it really safe to leave our phones plugged
into the charger once they’re fully charged? Is it damaging the battery
— or shortening its lifespan?
There are lots of myths and
questionable ideas on this topic. You’ll find the Internet awash with
opinions masquerading as facts. What’s the truth? We’ve got some answers
for you.
Should you leave your phone plugged into the charger overnight?
“Leaving
your phone plugged in overnight is okay to do, it will not drastically
harm your device,” says Shane Broesky, co-founder of Farbe Technik
a company that makes charging accessories. “Your phone is very
smart. Once it’s fully charged, it knows when to stop the current from
coming in to protect your phone from overcharging.”
So far so good, but there are situations when leaving that smartphone
plugged in overnight can slowly reduce the lifespan of your battery.
“Lithium-ion batteries can react poorly if your phone experiences
elevated temperatures, leading to a damaging effect,” explains Shane.
“If you have a case on your device that does not allow heat to escape,
this heat will increase the temperature of the battery and will cause
cell oxidation, which will shrink the capacity and shorten the
lifespan.”
Make sure you take your phone case off at night if you’re going to leave your phone plugged in and charging, in other words.
What’s the optimum way to charge your phone?
“The
sweet spot for lithium-ion batteries is to keep them charged between 50
and 80 percent. This allows for the charged ions to continue to work
and protect the life of your battery,” says Shane. “Charging your device
in short spurts throughout the day will give these ions just enough
energy to keep them going.”
So frequent top-ups, rather than one
daily charge up, is healthier for your battery. It’s not convenient, but
that’s the optimal way to charge your smartphone if you want to ensure
the longest life possible.
What to avoid
“The major
threat to your battery is charge cycles,” Shane explains. “A charge
cycle is where your battery goes from empty or near-empty to full — and
every phone battery has a limited number of charge cycles before the end
of its life.”
You
may have a high number of charge cycles before that limit is reached,
but eventually the battery is going to noticeably degrade. When it does,
you’ll find that it lasts only a very short amount of time, or it will
simply not turn on at all.
Good help
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