How often should I charge my phone? Is it dangerous to leave it plugged in overnight? Do I have to wait to be at 0% or 5% before recharging my cell phone battery? Is it okay to use a phone charging station that's spreading everywhere now or no? What if I want to use a wireless charger is it safe? Unstoppable questions raised about the most appropriate way to increase the battery lifespan.
While smartphones are ubiquitous in our lives, one of its main components remains poorly understood: the battery.
Admittedly, daily, we only worry about it when it alarms to get low and that we forgot its charger. However, the way you charge your battery can have real consequences on the lifespan of your device.
What Is The Average Lifespan Of A Battery?
The lifespan of a battery varies between 3 and 5 years. After that, it loses its storage capacity, which results in a loss of autonomy for your devices.
In other words, your cellphone turns into a landline phone since it always has to be plugged-in while using it!
The Memory Effect Of A Battery Does Not Affect Smartphones
The memory effect is a phenomenon that prevents some batteries from working properly. It develops little by little when these are not regularly charged and discharged to the maximum of their capacities.
For example, if a battery is always put in the charger when only 80% of its energy has been used, it gradually loses its storage capacity. In a way, the battery "remembers" that it only needs 80% between each charge, and that's all it will store. Hence the name memory effect appeared. Fortunately, this phenomenon only affects the old batteries that are using nickel (NiMH and NiCd). Those with Lithium, used in our smartphones and computers, are therefore not affected by this battery memory effect.
Daily, Avoid Going From 0 To 100% Battery
The lithium batteries in our smartphones don't like extremes. To preserve them, it is better to be measured. So, daily, try to keep a charge level between 40% and 80%.
Keep in mind; even if it seems counter-intuitive, several small recharges in a day are better than leaving your laptop plugged in overnight.
Once A Month Do A Full Cycle
To recalibrate your battery without exhausting it, experts recommend doing a full recharge cycle (i.e. going from 0% to 100% battery) once a month.
Should I Charge My Phone Overnight?
As we mentioned above, it is better to make several small recharges than leaving your phone plugged-in for 8 hours.
However, if you have no other choice, consider removing the shell from your smartphone before plugging it in. Not only do lithium batteries not like going from 0% to 100% energy, but they also are incompatible with heat and cold.
If you leave your smartphone plugged-in with its case, then it accumulates heat and this could damage your battery quickly.
Fast Recharging
More and more new Android devices are using Qualcomm Quick Charge technology to reduce their recharging period.
Thanks to a PMIC chip (Power Management IC), these smartphones communicate with their chargers to control the voltage smoothly.
Do Not Abandon Discharged Devices
It is strongly advised not to leave your smartphone lying around (computer, tablet, etc.) in a cupboard with 0% battery, at the risk of never being able to reuse it!
A smartphone battery loses 5 to 10% of its charge per month when unused. If you have an old model of smartphone that you keep “just in case”, make sure it has at least 50% battery before putting it aside, and charge it from time to time, even if you don't 'have no use for it.
Is Using A Phone Charging Station Dangerous?
To sufficiently answer this question, it is essential to know a little bit about cellphone technology. Each cellphone is designed to have a certain “charging profile” which gives the maximum amount of power that the phone can take at any given time. This can vary from .5 amps for older phones up to 2.1 amps for numerous smartphones. Even if a charger tries to pass more power, each phone’s charging profile will block any abundance of power, thereby protecting the phone. On the flip side, a phone can accept a lesser amount of power than its ideal, or “optimal” amount.
Now you can realize there are many factors you need to consider and include in the risk calculation process before answering by yes or no.