With plenty of information flying around the internet and of course what you’ve heard from people, it’s getting hard by the day to know what’s right for your iPhone 13 in terms of charging. Some have gone ahead to advise that you should keep charging only below certain critical levels while some others have said an over-management of battery health is actually what the problem is since Apple has all that figured out for you.
Well, that leaves you dangling on the fence not knowing exactly what the right thing to do. In this article, you’ll find out the best charging practices for your iPhone 13 and get ready for some myth-busting as well.
How Can I Charge My iPhone Battery Without Damaging It?
Good question. Certain charging practices are best for your iPhone. I’ll get to that in a while, but first I’ll like you to understand that battery technology has evolved over the years and so did the working principles.
The problem is people have carried over what used to be and have applied the same to even a modern device like the iPhone. Like other phone devices, iPhone uses the lithium-ion battery technology which is better than the NiCd and NiMH batteries that served the phones of the 70s. However, this doesn’t mean it is without a flaw.
Below include what precautions to take when charging to increase its life span.
1. Avoid A 100% Charge And 0% Discharge
To preserve your battery lifespan, it’s best practice to avoid extreme highs and lows. The process that goes on in your battery to charge as it charges produces just your battery’s worst enemy – Heat. Your battery charges by moving lithium ions from one end of the electrode to the other end of the electrode and discharges by doing the reverse.
This process generates a reasonable amount of heat that is as well progressive. The longer your battery makes an effort to satisfy you and get to a hundred, the more heat is produced and ultimately will damage your battery.
The heat produced is adverse in that it puts stress on the electrodes and they will wear until they finally break down.
As damaging as a 100% charge, it also allows your iPhone to drop to 0% before charging. This routine was necessary when the NiMH was in use for something known as the Memory Effect that helped them accurately how much battery is left, but it’s not necessary anymore. The best practice to help your battery life is to sustain battery percentage between the extreme high and low. A maximum discharge of 20% and a max charge of 80% will do.
2. Use Short Charging Spurts
Against popular belief, it’s best to charge your iPhone at several short intervals. Instead of allowing your iPhone to charge from say 20% to 100%, it’s best to have it charge from 20% to around 50% and then charge again when you’ve used up the charge to around 20% or less.
Doing this will help the lithium battery electrodes to rebound while you’re not charging, preventing overheating that can damage battery electrodes as well.
Although following this routine can be uncomfortable at times, especially for people who will need a full charge to go for a whole day, one thing you can do is carry a portable charger. I mean a power bank. With it, you can easily keep an eye on the charge and discharge levels to top up when necessary.
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3. Don’t Charge Overnight
It feels really good to wake up to a full battery ready to be used. Well, the real question is much good does that do to your battery? Concerning charging the iPhone overnight, there are many controversies around this topic.
iPhone charging is indeed more or less controlled by software that makes sure that in overnight charging, the max charge is limited to 80%, not until morning or equivalent will it complete 100%. Apple calls this optimized charging, suggesting that the software learns your usage time after an overnight charging and will continue to charge to make a full battery before you even touch your phone in the morning.
This is a brilliant technology, but that doesn’t still solve the problem. Here’s why your iPhone battery has up to 500 charge and discharge cycles until the battery starts showing significant downtime. What this means is that you’ll use 100% up to 500 times before the battery capacity depreciates. You’ll need to charge a 50% battery to 100% twice or any other combination that will equal a hundred to make one cycle.
And as you continue to charge overnight, you may use up more cycles in only a short amount of time, could even be less than a year before seeing significant battery issues.
4. Use Optimized Charging
Optimized charging will trigger the software to take control of how your battery charges. You may have noticed that your battery percentage will quickly rise to about 70% in less than an hour and will then begin to top slowly. This is known as trickle-charging and it is a move initiated by the iPhone software to prevent overcharging.
And even when your iPhone gets to 100%, further charging can be adverse to the battery, hence the software also remedies this by cutting off more charge from going to the battery but rather uses the energy coming from the power source to satisfy the energy needs of the phone, leaving the battery to rest.
Optimized charging is available for iPhones running IOS 13 and later, you can upgrade t it to start enjoying optimized charging. To turn on optimized charging;
- Open iPhone settings
- Scroll down and select battery
- Tap on battery health
- Find optimized battery charging on the list and toggle it on
5. Don’t Charge With An Inferior USB Cable
Inferior USB cables can deplete your battery life quickly. Although your iPhone can be charged by USB cables from other manufacturers, it is best to stick with the one that your device came with from the factory. In the case of replacement, only purchase MFi licensed products (MFi – Made for iPhone).
A less quality USB cable will increase the overall time your iPhone takes to charge, some of them even by more than two times the normal charging time. This is risky as it can potentially get the temperature above the recommended bars. Apple suggests that a temperature above 95 degrees Fahrenheit can be adverse for your battery. Ensure that whatever USB you’re charging with is compatible with your device.
At What Percentage Should I Charge My iPhone 13?
15 to 20 percent. Getting a charge when your iPhone is discharged enough about that range is safe to maintain a healthy battery. What most people do not understand is that charging your iPhone battery is as important as discharging it. Both must be experienced by your battery adequately for it to be healthy.
Can I Use My iPhone 13 While Charging?
Yes, you can use your iPhone while it is plugged in. However, bear in mind that your iPhone won’t charge as fast when it is in use. The level by which the charging speed is reduced is determined by how much power your activity on the phone consumes.
If it’s light activity, probably one that doesn’t involve using the internet or playing a game, then the power that comes into the phone will be shared. Some will be used to add more to the battery percentage while the remaining will meet the power requirement of your present activity on the iPhone.
It’s not a strange thing too when the battery doesn’t add at all when you use your iPhone while it’s charging, it simply means your activity is taking up all the energy coming from the power outlet.
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Conclusion
How soon your iPhone battery depletes will depend on how much effort you made to charge it right. If you already have your iPhone 13 battery overall life below 60, then you may consider a replacement. The Apple geniuses at the repair center can quickly do that for anywhere less than $100. You may want to bookmark this article to remind you of the dos and don’ts of charging your iPhone 13 battery.
