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It’s rare that so many tech experts would agree on one specific mistake you could making with your phone that is ruining its battery — but when it comes to charging mistakes, many are on the same page. In an effort to cut corners and save a little money (and who can blame you for wanting to do that), you could be overlooking the fact that the very accessory you use to charge your device could be responsible for its longevity or for minimizing the lifespan of your phone. Tech experts agree: this is the worst mistake you can make when your phone’s plugged in.
If you own an iPhone XS / XS Max or earlier models, Tech Expert Andrew Jackson at SellCell.com says the absolute worst charging mistake that you can make with an iPhone is to use the wrong charging adapter / plug. “If you own an iPad as well as an iPhone, this is particularly tempting and easily done as the charging cables are the same,” Jackson says. “The reason you don't want to use an iPad plug to charge your iPhone is that they have different power ratings. The standard plug for charging your iPhone is a 10W adapter, where as the standard plug for charging your iPad is a 12W adapter.”
The assumption might be that, as long as a plug fits your phone, it’s fair use for charging. And, what’s even more confusing is that an iPad’s 12W adapter will charge your phone more quickly than a 10W adapter, Jackson says — but he reminds us that power ratings matter when it comes to charging different devices.
“The problem is it will have an impact on your battery life and potentially damage something called the Charge IC,” Jackson says. “The Charge IC is the circuit which controls charge to the battery and unfortunately if this goes it's almost impossible to fix. Most phone repair specialists won't even attempt the repair if your Charge IC has gone as the repair is time consuming and the success rate is very low. So my advice is, if you want to maximize the lifespan of your iPhone, always use the official charging adapter / plug that came with your device. Don't be tempted to use another charging plug for convenience!”
If swapping one Apple adapter for another Apple adapter is a bad idea, you can probably guess how tech experts feel about taking chances with your device by using an off-brand charger.
“Don’t get me wrong, if you use a Samsung, and a charger that isn’t from Samsung, or an iPhone, and a charger that isn’t from Apple, you won’t completely break your phone or cause your battery to explode, but it could charge a lot slower, or a lot hotter,” says Tech Expert Bruno Mirchevski, author at HostAdvice.com.
Mirchevski reminds us that there are good off-brand chargers, with companies that genuinely try to produce quality products and have specialized in the industry for quite a bit now, but most of the time, at the dollar store or at the supermarket you’ll be greeted by cheap and inefficient phone chargers. “As such, I would suggest that you avoid knockoff or counterfeit hardware as much as possible, as it could cause damage to your battery and cause it to die off a lot faster,” Mirchevski says. “Additional tips I’d add are to take off your case while charging so it does not build up as much heat, and to ensure that there is no direct sunlight on an extremely hot day pointing towards the smartphone, as you do not want too much heat on it.”
