Are you Charging your Phone The Right Way? 3 Common Misconceptions About Charging

imabhigupta

Ever since you’ve got a mobile phone, you’ve probably heard at one time or another battery charging ‘Tips’ such as:  
  
*Drain your phone’s battery completely before charging it.*  
  
*It’s not safe to charge devices overnight or for long charge cycles.*  
  
However, did you know that these so-called rules are utterly false? Well, some of them may have held true years ago but most of them are no longer applicable today – especially when mobile phones nowadays have more advanced batteries that are smarter and easier to manage.  
  
So, what phone battery charging myths should you know about? Here are the 3 most common misconceptions of them:  
  
  
**Misconception 1: You should only charge your phone when its battery is totally drained.**  
  
In the past, mobile devices used a type of battery that required you to drain them completely and charge them to full, in order to maintain their standard capacity. This is called the “Memory” effect and for a long time it was common knowledge in the tech world. However, according to Green Batteries this was only relevant to NiMH and NiCD batteries.  
  
Today, we actually use Lithium-Ion rechargeable batteries which do not need to be charged or depleted fully. In fact, most Li-ion batteries perform better if you don’t drain them.    
  
Don’t worry, though, running them down to empty or recharging them early has no effect on the battery’s lifespan or total capacity. In other words, this is not something you need to be concerned about. If your device needs a little juice then charge it, by all means.  
  
  
  
  
**Misconception 2: Always charge your phone to full before first using it.**  
  
Many people think that the first thing they should do with a new smartphone is plug it in and charge it to 100%. This is simply a myth. Remember, smartphone batteries work best between  40% to 80%, and since most phones ship at half capacity, you should be good to go out of the box. As a side note: If you fire up your new smartphone for the first time and the battery is below 40%, you might want to consider taking it back because that battery could be very old.  
  
  
**Misconception 3: Charging your phone overnight will damage your battery.**  
  
Most modern smartphones are clever enough to stop charging when full, so there isn't a great risk in leaving your phone charging overnight.  
  
However, there is one thing you can do to extend the life of your battery. Instead of charging your phone all night, every night, try keeping it charged between 40% and 80% most of the time. This will ensure the longest possible life from that battery. If you can leave it unplugged overnight, do so.  
  
  
  
**Conclusion**  
  
Smartphone batteries and smartphone usage of those energy cells get better every year. But those old-school misconceptions simply need to die off. With just the slightest consideration, your battery will last you a long time.  
  
There you have it.  

Sarveshrajput