The iPhone is undoubtedly one of the top-ranking smartphones on the market today. In 2016, Apple sold more than 210 million iPhones, making the company more than $54 billion in revenue during the first quarter of the year alone. The next year, there were an estimated 85.8 million iPhone users just in the United States. And every day, there were an average 48 billion iPhone sessions that took place in 2017.
Those smartphone sessions mean a lot of activity — and that, in turn, means a lot of battery usage. Although the iPhone X has an average single charge battery life of 1,940 minutes (or roughly 32 hours), all that texting, gaming, and social media app usage can take a toll. Not only can it drain your battery, but it can actually make your stress levels spike. According to research conducted by LG, a staggering 90% of people feel anxiety and fear over their phones dying due to low battery.
An overwhelming number of iPhone users don’t want to be caught without their connection to the world. So understandably, they make charging their devices a priority. You probably charge your own device at least once a day. But are you charging it the right way? Not if you believe certain charging myths.
One pervasive misconception is that plugging in your phone to charge overnight is bad for the battery. The reasoning here is that doing so could “overload” the battery and shorten its lifespan overall. But actually, your iPhone’s Lithium-ion battery is pretty smart: once it reaches 100% — which typically takes an hour or two — it pretty much stops charging completely. It’ll recharge if your battery falls to 99%, but it won’t ever overload. That means you can sleep soundly knowing you can safely keep your device plugged in during the night.
Another myth is that it’s best to let your phone’s battery reach 0% and actually die before you charge it again. Some people think this is somehow better for the battery, but nothing could be further from the truth. The best option? Charge your phone when the battery percentage is between 30-40% and unplug it when it’s around 80% full. That’s ideal for your battery life.
The two aforementioned myths make at least a bit of sense; it’s easy to see why people think charging for too long or charging too soon could harm the battery. But this last common myth really makes no sense at all. The idea is that if you stick your iPhone in the freezer, it’ll prevent battery issues. Unfortunately, some iPhone users have probably found out the hard way that technology and extreme cold don’t mix. Putting your phone in the freezer will shorten the battery life and could even do irreparable harm to the device. Of course, allowing your phone to get too hot will cause problems, too. In fact, Apple says that charging phone batteries in temperatures in excess of 95 degrees Fahrenheit can permanently damage the battery. In general, keep your phone in a nice, mid-level temperature range and out of extreme heat or cold.
As long as you know the truth behind these charging myths and follow all official Apple recommendations, your battery life should be just fine.
