Today we have to talk about a topic that many users, if not hundreds of millions of people, are concerned about: the health of our battery mobile phone. For years, batteries have grown in size and improved charging times, luckily for everyone.
Despite this, the advice on these delicate pieces is still the same now as it was 15 years ago. Because, like all popular lore, it takes a long time to change people’s old beliefs.
It is time to make amends for all the damage that has been done by popular wisdom, which has misled us for decades on how to treat or use the batteries of our mobile phones.
Next We leave you a list of lies and falsehoods about these that we have been believing and repeating ourselves for more than two decades. It is possible that at the time they were true, today they are no longer true.
1º Charging the mobile too many times will destroy your battery
The charge cycle of a battery depends on its capacity, not the number of times it has been charged. If you charge 50 percent of a 2,000 mAh battery, it will need another 1,000 mAh to charge before completing a cycle.
That being said, every battery has a finite life cycle. Which means there is a maximum number of charge cycles it can go through before it dies.
It’s usually a number in the thousands which shouldn’t bother you, because you’ll almost certainly trade in your cell phone for a newer model before witnessing your battery die.
2º Never charge the mobile at night
There is a widespread belief that leaving the mobile charging can damage the battery due to overcharging. Before, at the dawn of telephony they were dumber, it was probably true. But nowadays, smartphones are capable of detecting when the battery is full.
There’s nothing wrong with leaving it plugged in. But give it a break from time to time, for example on weekends, when you know that you don’t have to wake up with the phone charged, but can put it on during the day for a couple of hours.
3º Always wait for the battery to be at 0% before charging it
It is said that using the phone until it is at 30% and then charging it makes the battery think that this is the new 0%, thus reducing its maximum capacity over time.
It’s time to correct this misconception that batteries have memory. The modern lithium-ion battery in your smartphone is smarter than being fooled by the memory effectsince it knows exactly where the upper and lower limits are.
Don’t worry about how much you charge the battery. Still, do a full discharge once a month for optimal battery health. Other than that, it’s actually better to do shallow downloads. If you want hard data, stay in the optimal range of 40-80%.
4º The heat does not damage the batteries
Think again. All batteries self-discharge, and that gets worse as temperatures rise. So if you leave your phone out in the sun, it overheats and degrades the battery. Never subject the poor battery to temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius.
Put something on top of it to prevent it from being directly exposed to the sun. And while we’re at it, take your phone out of the case before charging it. Your device may heat up faster if you are charging it while it is in the casewhich could cause overheating and premature battery death.
5º Nothing happens to leave the mobile without charging
Do not do it. That spare Samsung phone or iPhone you leave lying around could end up permanently damaged as it could fall into a state of deep discharge, or a battery coma if you prefer. So the next time you wake up, you might not be able to hold a charge.
Make sure your phone has a 50% charge, turn it off and store it in a place without moisture and away from heat. If it’s going to sit idle for a long time, check it every six months and give it a 50% charge.