What could be easier than plugging in your smartphone and charging it — famous last words uttered before a phone battery starts to putter out. While the actual act of charging your device isn’t difficult, what is a challenge is making sure you don’t make some of the most common iPhone charging mistakes that can put your battery at risk of deterioration.
These four iPhone charging mistakes are being made by so many smartphone users — and you may be one of them. Before you continue making errors that can result in battery degradation and shorten the lifespan of your phone and its battery, avoid these four common iPhone charging habits and fix them.
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1. Using Cheap Cables
Phone charging cables are a dime a dozen these days. You can score them for a steal on Amazon and other bargain sites and this can save you plenty of money. But the downside is that these cables may not be suited to your specific phone model. They may break and fray faster. They can cause your phone to charge too fast, which can heat up your battery, or may charge too slowly and be ineffective. Always shop for Apple-Certified cables (even if you don’t buy them directly from Apple) to make sure your cables suit your phone’s needs.
2. Charging a Dirty Port
Your phone’s port accumulate dust and debris and it’s important to clean it with a Q-Tip or forced air once in a while to clear it out. If you never clean the port you can expect that your charge won’t be as effective as it would otherwise be.
3. Overcharging Your Phone
Apple introduced Optimized Battery Charging as a feature that can protect your phone from the problems it used to face when confronted with overcharging, like overheating and battery degradation. But it still isn’t recommend that you keep your phone on a charger for long periods of time. A better method is to charge your phone in shorter bursts and keep it charged between 30 and 80 percent.
4. Charging in Direct Sunlight
Few things will negatively impact your phone’s battery quite like intense heat. Charging your phone in a hot car under direct sunlight is the equivalent of setting fire to your battery — it can have a negative impact on your phone battery’s longevity and efficiency. Wait until your phone is in a room temperature setting before charging it.
