Debunking Cell Phone Battery Myths

CNET has an interesting piece about the most common cell phone battery myths – some you probably know, but everyone should read and internalize them.

Some of the smartest people still fall prey to the “overcharging” myth, for example. A vocal minority still insist that leaving your phone plugged in every night damages the lithium-ion battery. But as CNET’s experts explain, modern phones shut off the electrical charge once the battery reaches 100%.

And iOS 13 takes it one step further – the “Optimized Battery Charging” feature learns your charging patterns and saves the last 20% for when you actually need it. In my own informal tests, the feature was mildly annoying, but my charging habits are anything but consistent.

Another common myth – mixing and matching third-party cables and charging will damage your battery. But unless the accessories are counterfeit or damaged, the worst they can do is charge your phone slower than the included chargers. And they’ll probably go bad at some point (the third-party chargers, not your battery). That I can personally attest to.

The buzz these days is “fast chargers” – and an industrial variant of these could help push electric vehicles into the mainstream. These, too, won’t damage your phone’s battery, because fast-charging batteries work in two parts. The first part will often charge the first 50-70% in 30 minutes or less, and phone makers take special care to carefully manage the last 20-30% of the charge so the battery is unaffected.

Read more here: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/six-truths-about-your-phones-battery-life-overcharging-fast-charging-overheating/