How to properly charge an iPhone: important points
Every iPhone owner wonders how to properly charge the device and at the same time ensure a long battery life. In this article, we've put together tips and tricks to help you learn more about it.
How to Extend Battery Life
Due to improper use of the smartphone, the user may unknowingly shorten the battery life. This happens every day, and in order to remedy the situation, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the unspoken rules for extending battery life. Consider what negatively affects his work.
extreme temperatures
Any gadget, be it a phone, tablet or computer, is sensitive to both too low and too high temperatures. This is justified by the absence of a heating or cooling function for the device in the internal configuration. Consequently, the “stuffing” of the iPhone can simply freeze or heat up and fail, in the worst case, catch fire.
Apple recommends operating their devices at temperatures ranging from 0 to 35 degrees. Of course, if you take your phone out of your pocket for a few minutes, nothing bad will happen. Enough to:
- the screen is not exposed to direct sunlight;
- the smartphone was not in a closed, stuffy and hot room (for example, in a car in the heat);
- not charged in places where there is no ventilation, no access to air, tk. the device will not cool down.
Rule #1: Do not use or charge your device in extreme temperatures.
Non-original charger
The standard iPhone power adapter has a voltage of 5 volts (V) and a current of 1 amp (A). Complete with a certified cable, the phone charges in an hour and a half. If the equipment is non-original, both the battery and the phone may suffer.
It's all about the manufacturers - some provide a quality product, others may give the user incorrect information about the characteristics, i.e. indicate the standard 5V and 1A, and sell the goods with values that will be more or less than those indicated.
Even with a slight increase in voltage, for example, by 4%, the battery capacity from cycle to cycle will decrease twice as fast. Usually, the drops are regulated by the built-in PCIM controller, which is responsible for supplying current.
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In fakes, such a controller may not be, which is fraught with high output voltage. So you can damage both the charge controller in the iPhone and the battery itself. It is better to protect yourself from problems, and use the equipment provided by the manufacturer.
Rule number 2: use the original adapter.
Chinese charging cable
The situation with Lightning cables is more complicated. Many iPhone owners have heard that such cables break easily and are not cheap. Its plug is equipped with a special chip with which the iPhone recognizes its own wire. It is rather difficult to find such an analogue.
However, the Chinese were able to clone this chip too, selling similar cables for a penny, which is what lures users. It is worth assuring that such a product will work, but not for long. We recommend taking wires that have been certified by Apple - then you will avoid additional damage to the device.
Rule number 3: buy only certified cables.
Full discharge
The smartphone uses a lithium-ion battery, and it is very sensitive to the charge drop to zero. This can cause significant damage, as a result of which the service life will decrease. The reason for this is the depth of discharge - the ratio of the discharged capacity to the nominal one.
For example, if you use up all 100% of the charge and do this constantly, the battery in this state will be able to withstand about 500 cycles. If the phone is only half discharged, the number of cycles instantly increases to 1500. It turns out that the more you discharge the battery, the less it will last you.
Rule #4: Don't drain your iPhone completely.
Charging up to 100%
When the device reaches its maximum charge, the battery is in a high load state. This is due to the fact that each cell of a lithium-ion battery is charged to the desired voltage, therefore, the higher the charge, the less one cell of the battery lives.
Of course, this does not bring such harm as a complete discharge, but it is better to charge the iPhone in small portions - at every opportunity, even by 10-20%, but often and painlessly. The optimal charge level is considered to be 40-80%, so you can put the phone on charge, starting from 50%, and ending with no more than 90%.
Rule #5: Charge your device more often.
No battery calibration
When using the phone for a long time, the charge indicator inevitably goes astray. This is due to improper operation, frequent discharge, improper operation of the smartphone itself (sudden shutdowns, damage to internal components, etc.), or charging the battery in any way. A complete discharge is appropriate if the iPhone displays an incorrect charge indicator. Then it is worth bringing the phone first to 100%, and then to zero, or vice versa.
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This process is called "calibration". Sometimes you have to deal with them in order to bring the battery "to its senses." For prevention, it is best to do this procedure no more than once a month.
Rule #6: Discharge your iPhone periodically.
Can I leave my iPhone on charge all night?
Many are debating whether it is safe to leave an Apple smartphone to charge overnight. So we did our own research. In fact, long-term charging at a constant value of 100% does not do much harm to the battery. When iPhone is fully charged and connected to a charger, it is powered by the mains. At this time, the smartphone is not charging or discharging, and the battery is in the "recharging" state.
If during night charging the charge drops by 2%, current will begin to be transmitted through the cable. For the battery, this does not do much harm, because this happens infrequently - about once a week. In other cases, the current is kept at a stable level, therefore, the device does not “fry” at night.
Is it possible to charge an iPhone from an iPad charger
It is worth answering immediately: yes, you can. This is possible thanks to a special proprietary charge controller built into the iPhone. With it, the charging speed is deliberately reduced after 80% in order to control the optimal current supply. He is also responsible for "mains operation" and constantly monitors the health of the battery. For this reason, when charging from an iPad adapter, the battery is not loaded, despite the fact that it has a voltage of 5 volts and a current of 2.1 amperes.
In total, the charging power of the iPad is twice as much as the adapter from the iPhone. It is logical to assume that in this case the smartphone will charge faster, but this is not true. In older iPhones, regardless of the level of current supply, the built-in controller does not allow you to get a charge more than it is written in it. In new models, starting from the sixth generation, the manufacturer was able to slightly speed up the process, but not significantly.
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Long term storage
If the device is stored for a long time, it can wear out a lot - some functions will become worse, the battery will lose its capacity, etc. To prevent this from happening, you must follow the following recommendations:
- charge your iPhone up to 50%;
- turn off the device completely;
- store in a dry place where the temperature does not reach +32 degrees;
- Every six months bring the charge of the iPhone to 50%.
The device should be charged at half the battery capacity, because a full charge can significantly reduce the service life. Likewise with his absence. At 100%, the primary capacity is lost, at 0%, the phone goes into deep discharge, and this harms the battery.
Tips from Apple
Especially for its customers, the company has prepared appropriate recommendations, which are especially worth listening to:
- you should not charge your iPhone with a case, because. this can cause the phone to heat up;
- the same can be said about using a smartphone in the cold;
- use only certified accessories marked MFI (Made for iPhone) on the supplied box or on the product itself;
- before long-term storage, charge the phone halfway and turn it off.
It is worth noting that Apple only recommends, and does not tell users how to handle the company's devices. According to iPhone owners, it is not necessary to strictly follow all the rules for battery operation. The manufacturer has created special built-in controllers so that the owner does not damage the battery with his actions. However, the tips described above will somehow help prolong his life for many years.
Video instruction
You can watch a detailed video tutorial on how to properly charge your iPhone. The created video will help users to better understand the implementation of all the provided actions.
Results
Usually we do not monitor how we use the battery, and do not notice what harm we bring to it. However, you should not bother too much about this and constantly worry when the gadget turns off on its own initiative or due to the user's inattention. Apple carefully monitors the quality of their products.
Therefore, even with normal use, the battery will function as before for a standard three to four years. There is no perfect scheme for how to increase battery life. Just do not abuse the capacity, always keep an eye on the charge and beware of extreme temperatures.