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Charging your phone overnight is the height of convenience. Set it on its charger, let it do its thing, and go to bed knowing when you wake up your device will be ready for you — that’s all it takes, right?
Not exactly. There are mistakes you want to avoid making at night because they can mean dealing with long-term negative consequences. Tech Expert Miranda Yan, co-founder of VinPit, spoke to SHEFinds.com about the one thing you need to stop doing with your iPhone each night because it’s ruining the battery.
Putting Phone on charge all the time:
“Some people fear battery drainage and make it a habit to put their iPhone on charge now and then,” Yan says. “It is a very grave mistake and should be stopped immediately before it does any more damage to your phone. The continuous charging will wear out the battery in two ways. Firstly, the tendency to constantly charge your phone full or nearly complete will reduce its battery life faster than usual. Secondly, all the charging keeps the battery continually warm, which again is not suitable and ends up harming its overall life.”
In order to incorporate this tip into your nightly charging routine, it’s a much better idea to set it to charge after dinner and then unplug the charger before bed so that it doesn’t charge fully to 100 percent. The iPhone’s optimum charging rate is between 40 and 80 percent, so it’s ideal to try and maintain those levels.
It’s equally important to keep a few more charging tips in mind so that your battery retains its health and longevity.
First, never charge your phone when it’s too hot or cold.
“It is never a smart move to leave the iPhone baking on top of a hot surface or dashboard,” Yan says. “And putting that heated device to charge immediately without letting it cool. The same goes for when it's too cold. iPhones usually have an operating temperature of 0º and 35º C (32º to 95º F), which will harm the internal components, especially the battery.”
Finally, avoid using wireless chargers. “Wireless chargers are usually slower than using a cable (especially with USB-C fast charging), and one can't use the iPhone while on charge,” Yan says. “In addition, a case on the iPhone will compromise the charging. A better way to charge your iPhone at night will be to charge the battery and let the battery run down to the 50% mark before recharging it. Stop the constant recharging habit. You can also start using a time adapter that will automatically turn off the power reaching the set time.”
