The #1 Charging Habit That’s Ruining Your iPhone’s Battery Life—Plus, 3 Things You Can Do To Save It
February 1, 2025 by Lisa Cupido
Your charging habits can make or break your iPhone battery — but, be honest: how often are you thinking about how you charge your phone? Most of us wait until our phone’s charge has dipped to a slightly uncomfortable level before fervently searching for a charger (any charger) and rushing to plug it in and power up our device. But this kind of charging can lead to the kinds of mistakes that slowly, but surely, deplete our phone’s battery power and can lead to battery degradation.
There’s one battery charging habit that many are making — and it’s an understandable one because it can save you money: using knockoff chargers. Unfortunately, these chargers may save you money in the short term, but a cause irreparable damage to your battery in the long run. There are also three things you can do to “save” your battery.
Mistake: Using Knockoff Chargers
When you use a knockoff charger, you’re relying on an accessory that isn’t designed to handle your phone model’s specific charging needs. This means it may charge too fast for your model, which leads to overheating and battery degradation. It could provide an inconsistent supply of power that stresses the battery and shortens its lifespan. The charger may lack proper safety standards and this can put your battery and phone at greater risk. Or it may not provide enough of a charge, which means you’ll spend more time with your phone hooked up to charger, and this isn’t ideal for your phone battery, either.
There are three ways you can minimize the impact of poor charging habits on your battery.
Use Apple-Certified Chargers
Even if you choose not to purchase your charger directly from Apple, choosing Apple-certified chargers can put your mind at ease because there’s a guarantee that it’s providing the right charge for your specific device. This lessens the risk that it will cause your phone to overheat and add stress to your battery.
Charge Your Phone a Few Times a Day
Instead of waiting until your phone dies and then charging it all at once, which can put stress on your battery, commit to charging it a few times a day. By keeping your phone within the 30-to-80-percent charging zone you prevent its battery from becoming taxed. This is considered the “sweet zone” in charging.
Don’t Use Your Phone While It’s Charging
Try to keep your hands off of your iPhone while it Is charging. Charging your device naturally heats up your battery, and using it adds more heat. As you can imagine, doubling the heat only doubles the potential damage on your battery. Let your phone charge and rest and then use it.