Charging your phone seems like one of those simple tasks that shouldn’t require too many instructions, but if you’re making charging mistakes, your phone’s battery can feel the effects of it over time. There’s a right and a wrong way to charge your device. But that doesn’t mean charging it will require extra time or commitment, just swapping some of the things you may currently be doing with better practices. One Apple expert graciously shared the best tips for finally charging our phones for the right amount of time:
The great news is that once you have a few things in the bag, including the accessories you use and one important iPhone setting you need to enable today, the charging part is a total breeze. Here’s what you need to know so that you can charge your phone better, safer, and more effectively.
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Use the Right Accessories
Stop using those charging cables that you picked up at a gas station or on Amazon for $3. You do not have to break the bank when purchasing charging accessories, but buying the cheapest ones you can find and using them daily, even if they aren’t designed for your phone and its model, is a surefire way to cause your battery to degrade. If you don’t want to purchase Apple cables, that’s okay, but make sure your charging accessories are certified by Apple to ensure their quality and ability to support your phone’s battery.
Enable Optimized Battery Charging — and Charge to the Sweet Spot
There’s an important setting on your iPhone called Optimized Battery Charging that will take all of the work out of your hands. This setting learns your charging habits so that it charges just fast enough to help keep your battery charge within 40 to 80 percent charged — this is considered the sweet spot. It will take a few days to gain insight into your charging habits, but enabling it ASAP will start to the process: head over to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging > Optimized Battery Charging.
Even if you lack the patience to charge your phone more frequently, but in shorter bursts, to keep it between 40 and 80 percent, experts say not to stress. Old guidelines about never charging your device overnight to prevent overcharging are just that: old and worn advice. Modern phone batteries are smart enough to know not to trick charge, so it’s okay: charging it overnight won’t ruin your phone.
