The One Nighttime Charging Mistake To Stop Making Because It Takes Hours Off Of Your iPhone Battery Life

June 16, 2025 by Lisa Cupido

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Charging your iPhone might seem like the most straightforward part of owning a smartphone—just plug it in and go, right? But surprisingly, the way you charge your phone can have a big impact on its long-term health and performance. Small charging habits you barely think about—like leaving it plugged in overnight every night, using cheap cables, or letting the battery drain completely—can actually shorten your phone’s battery life or cause it to wear out faster than it should.

With the price of new phones rising and most of us relying on our devices all day, it’s more important than ever to treat your battery with care. A few smart charging practices can help your iPhone last longer, hold a better charge, and avoid slowdowns over time. Here’s one charging mistake you could be making while you are sleeping that could be causing your battery to degrade faster than it should.

Charging Your Phone All Night Long

Charging your iPhone overnight might feel like a convenient habit — just plug it in before bed and wake up to 100 percent — but doing this every night can actually wear down your battery over time. When your phone reaches a full charge and stays plugged in for hours, it continues to draw tiny amounts of power to maintain that 100 percent, which can keep the battery constantly working (and working) without rest. Our phones are designed with lithium-ion batteries that are sensitive to heat and overcharging, both of which can slowly reduce their overall capacity. This doesn’t mean your phone will suddenly stop working, but over time, you might notice it doesn’t hold a charge as well or drains faster during the day. The good news is, Apple has built in a smart solution to help with this exact issue.

Optimized Battery Charging

Optimized Battery Charging is an iPhone feature that prompts your phone to learn your daily charging routine and helps slow down battery aging by reducing the time your iPhone spends fully charged. If you typically wake up at 6 a.m., your phone will charge up to around 80 percent overnight and wait to finish that last 20 percent just before you usually start your day. This helps avoid unnecessary strain on the battery while still giving you a full charge when you need it. To enable it, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and toggle on Optimized Battery Charging. This simple step can keep your device running better and longer, without having to change your routine.

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