This article has been updated since it published on November 6, 2021.
Your nighttime habits don’t always relate to things like skincare and settling in for a Netflix binge before heading off to bed. What you are doing or neglecting to do with your tech devices can play a role in how they continue to run. It’s a really good idea to get into the habit of charging your phone at certain times of the day and setting it up for success at night so that it’s ready to power through the entire next day. But you could also be making a few very common errors. This is the one nighttime mistake every iPhone user should stop making because it drains your battery so fast.
Quitting Your Apps
It may seem like a logical next step. You open an app, you use it, and then you close it out because the assumption is that keeping it running only causes your battery power to dwindle down more quickly. But that isn’t always the case, says Aqsa Tabassam, CTO and head of Growth & Outreach at Apps UK. Closing your apps before bed so that you start fresh and new the next day is one of the worst things you can do to your iPhone.
“When you close an app and open it when needed, it sucks up battery life from your iPhone,” Tabassam says. “Opening an app previously closed would mean that the app would have to run its background settings from the beginning, causing battery life to drain.”
According to Tabassam, the apps in the carousel aren’t running; when an app is in the carousel, it means that it has been temporarily frozen by iOS. “I would recommend you only close the app when it’s either frozen or completely unresponsive,” Tabassam says. “You would notice improved performance in your phone over time.”
You’re Charging Your Phone All Wrong
A lot of us take the opportunity at night to unwind and charge our phones so that they are ready for the next day. But how you charge your phone matters a great deal. If you’re using cheap charging cables and other accessories, you could be putting a major strain on your iPhone battery and that will negatively impact your device.
When you charge your phone, use only Apple-certified accessories. Try to give it just enough of a charge that it hovers somewhere near 80 percent. Also, stay off your phone if possible when charging it to avoid causing it to overheat (which also destroys the phone’s battery).
Avoiding these mistakes at the end of the day can help prolong the life of your phone’s battery — and the phone itself.
