Lifestyle

These Charging Mistakes Are Actually 'So Bad' For Your iPhone Battery, Experts Say

May 27, 2025 by Lisa Cupido
shefinds | Lifestyle
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How you charge your phone matters — this means being mindful of your everyday charging habits. Simply plugging your phone to a charger and forgetting about it isn’t the wisest way to prolong the longevity of your device. A better plan is to avoid specific iPhone charging mistakes that so many of us make. These mistakes can cause long-term damage to your battery when you repeat them often. Fortunately, the easiest way to charge your device is to power it up in shorter spurts throughout the day that keep it between a 30 percent to 80 percent charge.

Meanwhile, avoid these four iPhone charging mistakes that are “so bad.”

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1. Charging in Extreme Temperatures

 


Whether the room temperature is too hot or too cold, charging your phone in extreme temperatures is a surefire way to run the battery into the ground (slowly, maybe, but surely). According to Apple, the ideal charging temperature is 15–25°C (59–77°F). And you should avoid leaving your phone in direct sunlight or a hot car, or freezing-cold temps.

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2. Using Your Phone While It’s Charging

 


Speaking of iPhones and extreme temperatures, using your phone while it’s charging only adds to your phone’s temp. It’s already heating up as it charges, and continuing to use it taxes the battery, making it hotter — which isn’t good for its battery.

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3. Charging Your Phone Too Long

 


Charging your phone overnight or for hours and hours at a time can result in high voltage stress that gradually wears on its battery. There’s no need to keep it charging at 100 percent. Unplug your phone after it reaches around 80 percent and enable Optimized Battery Charging so that the phone learns your charging habits and adjusts to them, which prevents it from staying at 100 percent charged for too long.

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4. Charging Your Phone Too Long

 


Charging your phone overnight or for hours and hours at a time can result in high voltage stress that gradually wears on its battery. There’s no need to keep it charging at 100 percent. Unplug your phone after it reaches around 80 percent and enable Optimized Battery Charging so that the phone learns your charging habits and adjusts to them, which prevents it from staying at 100 percent charged for too long.

Author:

Lisa Fogarty is a lifestyle writer and reporter based in New York who covers health, wellness, relationships, sex, beauty, and parenting.

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