5 Tips to Prolong the Life of Your Smartphone Battery

Besides glass screen replacements, another popular repair that we do here at iCare Repair is battery replacements. The smartphones we use today consist of rechargeable Lithium Ion (Li-ion) batteries, which last a lot longer than nickel cadmium batteries that our cell phones used to have. But lithium ion batteries don’t always perform at their best, especially when they are not being properly charged.

So the question is: How do we prolong the life of smartphone batteries so that our cell phone usage can last the whole day or even night?

Don’t always go for 100 percent.

You probably charge your phone before you go to bed so by the time you get up, the battery is at its full 100 percent. But this practice can hurt your battery in the long run. It’s fine to do it once a month but if you want to extend the battery life, charge the phone from 40 to 80 percent only so it doesn’t overheat.

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battery charging tips
Follow the 40-80 rule when charging your battery.

Don’t go down to zero either.

Draining the battery until it reaches zero percent can cause internal damages to the phone. Going from zero to 100 and then 100 to zero regularly can take a toll on the battery. Plugging your phone in for tiny charges throughout the day to keep it from 40 to 80 percent is your best bet.

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Drain the battery empty for calibration only once a month.
Drain the battery empty for calibration only once a month.

Stay away from hot or cold temperatures.

Do you leave your phone in the car in the summer heat? Or worse, leave it plugged in? That’s very bad for the lithium ion battery whose biggest enemy is hot temperatures. The battery will degrade much, much faster because of the heat whether you use it or not. But neither is the cold good because it can create moisture within and damage your phone eventually. Keep your phone near to room temperature (72F) as much as possible.

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Leave your phone in room temperature conditions. Too hot or too cold is bad for it.

Don’t always charge fast.

There are chargers that boast of their “fast charging” feature so you can go from zero to 50 percent in just a few minutes. It’s fine to do it once in a while when you’re in a hurry, but beware because it’s not good for your battery. Lithium ion batteries work best when charged and discharged at low, consistent speeds.

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Fast charging is not ideal for your battery.

Avoid wireless charging.

Wireless chargers seem to be the fad today but they only tend to waste energy by generating heat. And remember that heat is bad for your lithium ion battery. The old-fashioned way is still better. Plug your phone using a wall charger for a faster, safer battery charge and unplug before it hits 100 percent.

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Plug your phone instead of using wireless chargers to avoid overheating the battery.
Plug your phone instead of using wireless chargers to avoid overheating the battery.

What temperatures do to batteries

Always maintain room temperatures when keeping your phone because phones can lose a portion of their maximum capacity when it’s too cold or too hot.

Loss of 6% per year – 32F

Loss of 20% per year – 77F

Loss of 35% per year – 104F

Is a battery replacement worth it?

A smartphone is only as good as its battery. If your phone can’t keep a charge, is it time to replace the phone or just get a cheaper alternative of getting a new battery? The answer depends on the phone you have. If it’s an old model and it can’t keep up with the newer software updates anymore, it is recommended to get a newer phone. However, if the phone is still in great working condition, you can just simply opt for a battery replacement.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]