Smartphone battery myths you should not believe

Smartphones are now an indispensable part of our lives, as are the various myths about how to get more life out of your smartphone battery. One of the most persistent complaints over the years has been over battery life — whether it’s tricky charging or phones simply not lasting long enough. These criticisms are absolutely justified – nothing is more infuriating than experiencing the dreaded battery anxiety at 5 p.m. while attempting to make dinner plans.

Does leaving a phone on the charger all night overcharge its battery?

This is one of the most prevalent rumors we hear, but it’s completely false. Or, at the very least, the overcharging is. It’s difficult since having your battery plugged in all night isn’t unsafe, but it may cause your battery to age quicker.

This myth has some legitimate origins, so it’s not surprising that it has persisted. Lithium-ion batteries might overheat if left charging for too long in the past. This did, in fact, cause battery damage and reduced performance. It even caused some people to erupt.

My Battery Should Always Drop to Zero Before Charging:

With modern lithium-ion smartphone battery, using a smartphone until it’s dead—a full discharge—is not a good idea. Don’t even allow it to go close to 0%. This accelerates the deterioration of a lithium-ion battery. Partial discharge is the best option.

The batteries are always on borrowed time. The insides are constantly decaying, which cannot be avoided. The materials within will simply store less and less power over time. If you still have an older iPhone and are wondering why it only lasts a few hours instead of the practically full day (or two) it did when it was new, here is why. Capacity degrades with time.

My Battery Develops a ‘Memory

With earlier nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries, developing a “memory” was an issue (Opens in a new window). That’s where the whole “completely discharge the battery” notion originated from. As previously stated, lithium-ion batteries do not require this.

Do you have to use the official brand charger for your phone?

There are still many smartphones that employ proprietary charging standards and hence cannot be fast-charged using third-party connections. However, a growing number of phones now support universal charging standards such as USB Power Delivery. The ever-popular Apple iPhone 13, Google Pixel 6, and Samsung Galaxy S22 series are among the handsets available. That’s right, you don’t have to buy the official chargers for these devices to get them up and running as soon as possible.

Can you use your phone while it’s charging?

Here’s a myth that’s not entirely false. Using your phone while charging is not inherently unsafe or wrong, high temperatures are bad for your battery. Browsing Facebook or checking email will not cause your phone to overheat, but rapid charging and gaming at the same time, especially for an extended amount of time, may cause your phone’s battery to get warmer than is desirable.