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2 Worst Charging Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Device’s Battery Health

March 4, 2025 by Lisa Cupido

 
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We may not all agree on the right and wrong way to charge our phones. For some of us, charging them overnight is the only thing that will make sense with our busy schedules. For others, it’s all about the mini charging sessions throughout the day that help keep phone batteries in the sweet charging zone between 30 and 80 percent. But one thing we know for sure is certain ways you are charging your phone can cause its battery to dwindle and possibly deteriorate faster than other methods.

There are two charging mistakes that consistently come up when tech experts are asked what to avoid when charging your device. These mistakes can be corrected with a few changes to your charging habits. Here’s what you need to know to avoid two of the worst charging mistakes.

1. Charging to 100 Percent


Not only is there no real need to charge your phone to 100 percent on a regular basis, but doing on a regular basis can cause your battery to degrade faster. Your phone’s lithium-ion battery is designed to retain about 80% of their capacity after 500 full charge cycles, so the likelihood that charging it all the way is going to cause serious damage is very small. But, as a best practice, it’s a good idea to set your phone’s Optimized Battery Charging setting on by going to Settings ? Battery > Battery Health & Charging > Optimized Battery Charging. This setting learns your charging habits so that it can slow down charging as it reaches 100 percent and extend the time it takes to fully charge.

2. Ignoring Signs of Overheating


Whether you have kept your phone on its charger for hours and hours or are charging your device in a hot room or the car, with direct sunlight beaming in from an open roof, heat is the mortal enemy of your phone’s battery. The minute to feel your phone heating up, it’s important to take action. Remove it from its charger or the source of heat, and allow it to cool down before using it (continuing to use your phone will only cause it to heat up more). Charge your phone only in room temperature settings and be mindful of ambient temperatures in your environment.

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