Stop ruining your phone battery with a few unnecessary mistakes
Everything has a lifespan...
At some point in your phone's life, you'll start to notice that the battery doesn't last as long as it used to. Suddenly, you find yourself constantly looking for a charger because your phone can barely survive half a day without one. Personally, I used my last phone for about four and a half years. Towards the end, I couldn't go out without a backup power bank, cables and adapters. The worst part was that the phone still worked pretty well (even though the photos it took were disastrous), aside from the lousy battery life.
I'd like to keep my current phone in good condition for as long as possible - and at a time when we're all trying to save money, I assume you will too. But is there any way to slow down the inevitable decline in battery capacity? The key is to look at the way we charge our devices and see if we're unknowingly harming them.
How do phone batteries work?
Your phone uses a lithium-ion battery - just like a laptop, tablet or electric toothbrush. If you have an electric car or an e-cigarette, they also run on the same principle.
This technology started to develop in the 1970s and has become a key part of portable electronics such as handheld video cameras since the 1990s. It is popular because of its high energy density - the battery can store a lot of energy in a small space, charges quickly and has a longer life than other types of batteries.
How do lithium-ion batteries actually work? The battery generates electricity through a chemical reaction that reverses when it is charged. Inside are two electrodes - an anode (usually made of graphite) and a cathode (made of lithium cobalt oxide) - and an electrolyte, a conductive substance. When the phone is in use, the lithium ions move from the anode to the cathode and return when charging. This process allows the battery to store and release electrical energy.
Unfortunately, although lithium-ion batteries last longer than other technologies, they are not indestructible. They wear out over time due to electrochemical processes. Once they have reached approximately 500 charge cycles (equivalent to about two to three years of use), their capacity starts to decrease significantly.
How to extend the life of a battery?
The first mistake many people make is to constantly charge their phone to 100%. It may seem logical to keep your battery fully charged all the time, but you're actually harming it.
According to experts, it's ideal to keep the charge between 20 and 80%. When the battery is at 100% for long periods of time, it puts unnecessary strain on the battery, accelerating its degradation. That's why it's recommended to charge your phone during the day and disconnect it before it reaches full charge. Charging overnight is less suitable for the battery as it is unnecessarily kept at maximum capacity throughout the night.
Most new phones have features to optimise charging. For example, iPhones have an "Optimised Battery Charging" option that adjusts charging cycles to suit your daily routine. Android phones have a similar feature called "Adaptive Charging".
Another factor that harms the battery is heat. If your phone gets hot while charging, it can accelerate wear and tear. Therefore, it is not recommended to use your phone while it is charging or to leave it under a pillow or blanket. Similarly, extreme cold can harm the battery.
Also beware of fast chargers. Although they can charge your phone in minutes, frequent use of high current can put unnecessary strain on the battery. That's why it's better to use standard chargers recommended by the manufacturer. Cheap chargers from unknown sources can deliver unstable current or cause overheating, which can lead to damage to your phone.
What's the future?
In the past, batteries were easy to replace - just flip the cover off your phone and swap it for a new one. But today, batteries are often fixed and difficult to replace. That's one reason why many people buy a new phone after two years rather than trying to replace an old battery.
But the European Union has decided to fight this trend. From 2027, phone manufacturers will have to ensure that batteries can be easily replaced without special tools or professional help. This could help reduce e-waste and extend the life of devices.
Until then, we have no choice but to take the best possible care of our batteries. And if you don't feel like constantly keeping an eye on your phone's charge, maybe spending less time on your phone is the best solution - but hand on heart, who wants to?
