Common Smartphone Battery Myths Debunked

As smartphone tech has evolved, so have the myths about smartphone battery life. It’s hard to stay on top of what’s best for making sure your phone’s battery lasts as long as possible, so we’ve compiled a list of the most common myths about your phone’s battery. 

Lithium-ion batteries are the most common type of battery in smartphones, says the University of Washington’s Clean Energy Institute. Luckily, lithium-ion batteries are designed with protective measures to make sure the battery doesn’t overcharge once it’s full. The only real (and very minor) danger to leaving your phone charging overnight is overheating. Lithium batteries notoriously hate extreme heat or extreme cold, so if your phone is tucked under a pillow or blanket, you run the risk of overheating it.  

This is one of the oldest myths surrounding smartphones today, and it’s 100% false. In fact, according to Batteries Plus, “Modern lithium batteries that are used in phones today will wear out much faster than they should if you constantly drain the battery to 0%, or let it die, before recharging.”  Osarumen Igbinijesu, senior quality engineer for Batteries Plus, recommends keeping your lithium battery at 20 to 80% state of charge to preserve the life of your phone’s battery. 

Remember how lithium-ion batteries are designed with protective measures? When your phone reaches 100%, it stops charging and will run on AC power rather than battery power. Eventually, your phone will drop to 99%, even if you aren’t using it, and your battery will begin “trickle-charging”. This means your battery will repeatedly bring your phone back up to 100%, and this process doesn’t degrade your battery life. 

In short, this is false. There isn’t any danger in using your phone while it's charging — it's safe to use your phone while connected to a wall outlet or portable charger. However, there are some issues when it comes to using your phone while charging. When you use your phone while charging, your phone will charge at a slower rate since your phone needs to allow power for usage. If your phone isn’t charging as fast as it used to, this is probably why. 

It’s important to make sure you educate yourself on how to prolong your phone’s battery so you can get the most out of any device you have. If you’re in the market for a new phone, check out our wide selection of modern devices.