iPhone Users: This common charging mistake is damaging your battery

The lithium-ion component of iPhone batteries means they degrade over time, holding less charge.

iPhone Users: This common charging mistake is damaging your battery
© Getty/ Klaus Vedfelt
iPhone Users: This common charging mistake is damaging your battery

If you have an iPhone, chances are you have been charging your battery wrong all this while. Many people who use the Apple device have had issues with the longevity of the batteries over time. However, the decline in battery life could be a result of a very common mistake people make when charging their phones.

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Leave it be

When you are watching a video or playing a game in your iPhone, and you’re notified that your battery is low, you may be tempted to plug it in while you go about scrolling. According to The Mirror, doing this regularly weakens battery life. Not only are you reducing the lifespan of the battery, but the charging cycle could be adversely impacted as well.

Playing games or watching videos on your Apple device in themselves pull much energy from the battery, and so performing these tasks while the phone is plugged in exerts too much pressure on the battery.

Experts say, because iPhone batteries contain lithium-ion, they degrade over time making them hold less charge.

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Getty/ Priscila Zambotto

Best time to charge

It is recommended that you charge your phone when the battery power is low. This means you should avoid ‘topping’ up the battery when you can go a couple of hours without plugging it in. The advisable way to charge your battery is to leave it on charge without using it for the period it is plugged it. Ironically, charging it overnight while you sleep means it would remain plugged in even after it is fully charged, a situation that reduces longevity of the battery.

However, new versions of the iOS software have Optimized Battery Charging that reduces the time your phone spends fully charged. The phone notify you that the feature is on; you don’t have to do anything. But if you don’t want this, you could always deactivate it in settings.

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