FlickrWe’ve all been there – you’ve left the house for a couple of hours and, despite setting out with a fully charged phone, by midday your iPhone battery icon has already turned an ominous shade of red and the smartphone is struggling to stay alive.
It’s a constant frustration of the smartphone owner but it turns out that we may all be partially to blame for our mobiles’ shitty battery lives, as we’ve been charging our phones all wrong, apparently.
A technology company has now put to rest some myths about your smartphone’s battery and provided some advice on how to make your phone last longer, the i100 reports.
Battery University, made by Cadex, have supplied these handy tips that will help extend the lifespan of your smartphone’s not-so-great battery…
1. Charge your phone in short bursts
According to Battery University, it’s actually a misconception that charging your battery when it drops to 1 per cent and firing it up to the full 100 per cent, is the best way to go.
In fact, charging your smartphone for a long time can actually be damaging to the lithium battery. Apparently, it wears down the battery’s power and means you’ll have to charge it again soon.
So, instead, you should charge your phone whenever you get the chance.
2. Try not to charge it to 100%
In fact, you shouldn’t charge your phone to the full 100 per cent, at all.
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.”
Charging it to full whack will wear it down in the long run, so charging it to a happy medium and topping up as needed is much more beneficial.
3. Don’t keep it plugged in when it’s fully charged
I’m sure I’m not alone in leaving my phone on charge overnight but, according to Battery University, this is a bad idea too.
You see, once the battery hits 100 per cent, it gets ‘trickle charges’ to keep it at the full monty while plugged in. It keeps the battery in a high-stress, high-tension state, which contributes to wearing it down.
Essentially, make sure you unplug it once it hits 100 per cent charge.
4. Keep it cool, remove the case
Some phone cases insulate heat in your phone, which diminishes the effectiveness of the batteries.
Removing your phone from its case, at least while you’re charging it, will keep the battery cool and help it last that bit longer.
In short, Battery University explain: “If you notice that your device gets hot when you charge it, take it out of its case first.”
Of course, it might help too if Apple and other companies would fit their devices with less shitty batteries. Just a thought…
