We’ve all been there before: You charge your phone overnight for a full day of travel, but after snapping a million effortlessly cool pics for your Instagram photo dump and using maps to guide you to the nearest public toilet, you find that your battery is already dead at dinner, and you have no way of reading that pesky QR code menu. Sure, you could just be present, live in the moment, and handwrite your loved one a postcard. Or, you can try these battery-saving hacks to maximize those precious social media hours on the go. As it turns out, some of our seemingly harmless habits are doing slow, silent, deadly damage to those precious lithium-ion batteries.
Stop charging to 100%
If your palms start sweating when your battery drops below 90%, you need to chill. Maintaining a full charge is not the most efficient way to save battery on your iPhone. In fact, experts suggest letting your phone coast through the day between 20 and 80 percent full. That’s where it’s most comfortable, and will run most efficiently. So stop juicing it overnight, and instead go for shorter and more frequent bursts throughout the day. If you have iOS 13 and later, you’re in luck: With the Optimized Battery Charging feature, your iPhone will delay charging past 80 percent in certain situations. This can be turned on in Settings.
Don’t let your phone die completely
Lithium ion batteries become volatile when they drop down to low power, so you should avoid getting that pesky “low battery” warning too often. Every full discharge wears down your battery ever so slightly.
Don’t overheat your battery
Okay, this isn’t specifically a charging issue. But it’s still very important. You’ve probably noticed that your phone is annoyingly sluggish after it’s been sitting out in the sun. That’s because iPhone batteries really, really hate extreme temperatures, and have to work extra hard in high heat or cold. According to Apple, the “comfort zone” for iPhones is 62 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Bottom line: Your phone is basically a needy little computer baby that needs to be bundled up and cooled off on the regular.
Don’t rely on your wireless charger too much
Your Mophie backup battery case is a godsend when you’re out and about and need some extra juice to get home. But both your battery and the case itself emit heat during charging, which can do long term damage your device. To avoid overheating, try a portable power source, like this one from Anker.
Take the case off while you charge
While we’re on the subject, if your phone feels too hot when it’s plugged in, it’s possible your fancy schmancy case might be trapping in the heat that’s produced while charging. So do your phone a favor and take it off to save battery.
When you’re running low, do some housekeeping
We all know turning on “Low Power Mode” or “Airplane Mode” is the way to go when we see that battery icon turn red. But there are a few other practices you can make a habit of to save battery, such as lowering the screen brightness, turning off push notifications, and closing unnecessary apps.
Store your backup phone to around 50%
If you’re hanging onto your old phone as a backup for when you inevitably drop your new one into a toilet at a club in Berlin, make sure you stash it in a cool place, roughly half-charged. According to Apple, if you leave the battery completely depleted it will fall into what’s known as a “deep discharge state,” which apart from sounding like a nightmarish medical issue, will render it less capable of holding a charge in the future. Conversely, if you store it fully charged for an extended period, it may lose some capacity as well.
Don’t use the wrong charger
Your Apple-issued charger is designed to cut power when the battery hits 100%, but a lot of those cheapo unauthorized third-party USB cords are not, and may do some damage by excessively juicing the battery.
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