Charging your phone – a task which seems as simple as just plugging your device into a charger. But, have you ever thought about whether you are doing it correctly?

With so many numerous conflicting opinions now found online, it can be difficult to distinguish between the wrong and right ways to charge your mobile phone. In fact, you may have been charging it wrong this whole time.

Firstly, it’s important to understand that the majority of today’s smartphones use lithium-ion batteries, and these batteries are susceptible to their own versions ‘stress’. So charging your phone incorrectly could be detrimental to its continuance and even cause long-term damage to the battery.

We want to make sure you are making the most out of your device and are taking the necessary steps to lengthen the battery life of your beloved smartphone.

So, in an effort to help you understand how to efficiently charge your phone and to clear up any confusion, we have highlighted the 5 most popular phone battery myths. Check them out below:

Myth 1: Never use your phone whilst its charging

Many articles online suggest that using your phone whilst it’s charging can be unsafe. They claim that being on your phone can cause the phone to explode, damage the battery, or even trigger an electric shock.

Opening apps, answering phone calls, and checking your text messages whilst your phone is plugged in is actually fine. The only issue you might encounter is that your battery may take longer to charge up.

Outcome: Although it might take longer to charge up, using your phone whilst it is plugged in to charge is actually completely safe. Just make sure you use genuine, high-quality chargers and charging cables.

Myth 2: Charging your phone overnight can destroy the battery  

Perhaps the most common misconception many individuals have is that charging your phone overnight can destroy the battery. A short while ago, this was the case. However, today’s phones have extra protection chips built into the battery so overcharging can’t take place. As soon as your phones internal battery reaches its full capacity, charging stops.

Nonetheless, it’s important to note that leaving your smartphone plugged in to charge overnight will use up quite a bit of energy. Every time your phone dips to 99%, your device will use energy to obtain full battery – this is called trickle charging.

Outcome: Although charging your phone overnight is safe and won’t destroy the battery, trickle charging can cause your phone to heat up. This isn’t something you need to worry about but if you can, take your phone out its case whilst charging, ensure you place it on a flat, hard surface, and if you wake up in the night at any point, unplug it before you go back to sleep. 

Myth 3: You must use the official brand charger to charge your device

Many of you believe that you must use the official brand charger to charge your smartphone. However, this isn’t the case. As long as you aren’t using a cheap knockoff charger, then using a charger which isn’t of the same brand as your phone is completely fine. When purchasing a charger for your device, ensure you buy high-quality chargers from reputable brands.

Outcome: Using a third-party charger to charge up your device is absolutely fine. Just ensure that you aren’t using a super-cheap, knockoff, faulty charger – this is when the damage to your phone could be caused.

Myth 4: You should always charge your phone up to 100% and let the battery drain all the way down to 0%

For many years, a lot of people have been under the impression that letting your phone completely drain down to 0% before charging it back up to 100% was the best charging method, and that charging your phone in small bursts could cause damage in the long run. But as a matter of fact, it’s better not to fully charge because a high voltage can put the lithium-ion battery under significant stress. The lengthened stress could result in damage to your smartphone battery’s continuance.

Outcome: Avoid charging your phone full cycle (0-100%). Instead, try to top it up regularly in shorter chargers. If it’s possible, keep your phone’s battery charged with a good amount of power as the day goes on – partial charging is the way forward.

Myth 5: It doesn’t matter if I never turn my phone off

Many of us make the mistake of leaving our phones on all day whilst using them and leaving them on all night to charge. But much to everyone’s disbelief, turning your phone off and resetting the device could actually help to conserve the battery. Your phone is a machine that has multiple apps constantly running in the background, so it’s important you give it a break every once in a while.

Restarting your phone only takes a couple of minutes, but that time could help preserve the battery life of your much-treasured device.

Outcome: If you don’t do it already, try turning your phone off at least once a week to reset it or when you go to bed and it’s not in use. Turning it off from time-to-time allows your phone to take a break and preserves the battery’s longevity.

Making the most out of your battery:

The majority of us would love to own a phone where the battery inside it never dies,  but with the powerful, battery draining features today’s phones are built with, this is implausible. Yet, by following the above tips, you could help to extend your battery’s lifespan and keep your phone full of juice for longer.

Are you aware of any other phone charging myths that we haven’t addressed above? Let us know!