In the digital age, we need our devices constantly. After all, 64% of Americans owned an iPhone in 2017 — and that doesn’t include the percentage of consumers who rely on non-Apple smartphones. Not surprisingly, most of us have to charge our gadgets at least once a day in order to safeguard our constant connections. To do that, it’s essential to have a smartphone cable (or two) on-hand. But if you don’t maintain your cell phone cables properly, you might have to replace them more than you’d like. You’ll want to follow our top care tips for smartphone charging cables to ensure you won’t be stuck with a low (or dead) battery at the worst possible time.
Wrap the Right Way
When you’re traveling, you might be tempted to just throw your cable in your bag or wrap it haphazardly. Not only can this cause the cable to become tangled, but it can actually shorten its lifespan, too. Cables of all types need to be wrapped in a certain way. Hold one end of the cable and begin wrapping the cord around your hand in a loop, making sure it’s smooth with no twists. You can then secure the cable with a tie or rubber band to keep it in this position. This allows you to avoid bends and crunches in the cable, both of which can impact its performance.
Unplug Properly
When your phone is done charging and you need to bring your cable along with you somewhere, how do you unplug your charger? If you pull on the cable wire itself, rather than disconnecting it from the port or the plug, you’re doing it wrong. Unplugging a smartphone cable by tugging on the jacket is a bad idea that can impact its performance down the line. That’s because you’ll be putting pressure on the cable’s weakest point. If you do this a lot, you may find that your cable won’t charge consistently and that you’ll buy replacements often. In some cases, it may not be that these cell phone accessories are cheaply made knock-offs; it could simply be that you aren’t handling them as you should.
Set It Straight
Examine the stations you normally use to charge your phone. Does your setup require you to bend your cable in order to reach your device? That could be an issue. A bend or kink in your cable can add tension in vulnerable spots and lead to fraying later on. Your smartphone cable should have some slack and should be able to connect to your device without that pressure. If your cord isn’t long enough, invest in one that gives you some more wiggle room.
Of course, protecting your smartphone cable starts with buying a high-quality cord from the start. But if you follow these maintenance tips, you shouldn’t have any issue charging your device in the foreseeable future.
