Stop killing your battery — smart charging tips that really work

For many people, charging their smartphone has become an automatic nightly ritual, much like brushing their teeth. However, leaving your phone plugged in overnight can gradually reduce its battery lifespan, especially if it overheats.

NV writes about what damages smartphone batteries.

How does temperature "kill" the smartphone battery?

Although charging your phone at night itself is not catastrophic, problems often arise due to heat. A smartphone heats up when charging. In a thick case, this can turn into a real "sauna" for the battery. Overheating puts slow, cumulative stress on the battery, reducing its capacity over time.

Another risk factor is where the phone is placed. For example, when charging on the bed, under the covers, or on a pillow, heat dissipates poorly. Therefore, the bedroom is not the best place for long charging sessions.

To reduce overheating, remove the case before charging for an extended period, especially if it is thick and shock-resistant. This allows the phone to release excess heat.

Another habit that causes problems is using your smartphone while it's charging. Scrolling through your feed is one thing, but playing heavy games or editing videos while your phone is plugged in forces it to work at twice the capacity, causing it to overheat.

One more thing: charging to 100%. After the battery is fully charged, the smartphone may continue to draw small amounts of energy to maintain the charge, generating heat in the process. Therefore, many tips boil down to one simple thing: disconnect the cable once the battery is fully charged.

Modern systems partially solve this problem with "smart" modes. On Android, it's called "Adaptive Charging," and on iPhone, it's called "Optimized Charging." These modes adapt to the user's schedule, slowing down the charging process towards the end to ensure that the smartphone reaches 100% close to the user's wake-up time. For those who prioritize battery life, there is an even stricter approach: limiting the charge to 80%. This approach sacrifices some autonomy, but proponents of the method believe that battery degradation occurs much more slowly.

Read more:

The biggest mistake everyone makes when charging a phone

5 biggest myths about charging your smartphone