Charging smarter: How to extend your phone battery’s lifespan

Every night, millions of us plug in our phones before bed, letting them charge to 100 percent. While convenient, this habit might be shortening the lifespan of our phone batteries. Recent insights reveal that for optimal battery health, it's better not to fully charge your phone every time.

The science behind battery health

Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in most smartphones, degrade over time due to chemical ageing. Charging your phone to its maximum capacity and keeping it there is like overfilling a saturated sponge. This practice accelerates wear and tear, reducing the battery’s longevity. Experts recommend hitting that sweet spot between 20 and 80% to minimise stress on the electrons, thereby preserving battery health.

This is not to say that you're necessarily at the risk of a battery-fuelled explosion either. Phone makers generally add tech that helps make battery charging safer, such as via custom alerts at certain charging points, or even setting the device to stop charging at 80%. Even without these added features, modern smartphones have smart charging technology that "halts" the charging process once at capacity. Thereafter, it only kicks in occassionally to keep the battery at 100%.

How phone manufacturers are helping

To address this, phone manufacturers have introduced adaptive charging technologies. These features manage the charging process more carefully, only fully charging the battery when necessary.

Google Pixel Phones:

- Navigate to Settings > Battery > Adaptive Charging.

- Enable Adaptive Charging to allow your phone to learn your charging habits and only charge fully when it predicts you'll need it.
Samsung Galaxy Phones:

- Go to Settings > Battery > Battery protection.

- Choose Adaptive or Maximum to prevent the battery from charging above 80 percent.

- Set up custom alerts by creating a new routine in Settings > Modes and Routines.

For other Android handsets, various apps can help manage charging levels and set alerts when specific levels are reached.

Practical steps for iPhone users

iPhone users aren't left out, as iOS also offers optimised battery charging. This feature learns your routine and delays charging past 80% until you need it.

You can Enable Optimised Battery Charging by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health.
By adopting these smarter charging practices, you can significantly extend the life of your phone’s battery. This not only ensures your device remains reliable for longer but also reduces the frequency of needing costly battery replacements or new phones.

In conclusion, making small adjustments to how you charge your phone — such as utilising adaptive charging features and setting appropriate charge limits — can lead to a healthier, longer-lasting battery.