Does charging the phone at night affect the long-term battery life?

You might think that leaving the phone on the charger overnight is helpful to get a 100% charge when you wake up in the morning.

In fact, this habit will damage the phone battery and shorten its life in the long run.

We'll learn how to determine the lifespan of a phone's battery, and why not leave it charging overnight.

How is the life span of a smartphone battery determined?

Rechargeable batteries slowly lose their capacity over time, and you will notice a decrease in capacity after the first year of regular use.

Also read: Why should you be wary of installing apps that promise to improve battery life?

It would be impossible to spend an entire day on a single charge after two years of using the battery.

Manufacturers determine the life expectancy of smartphones by battery charge cycles.

The charge cycle is defined as charging the battery from 0 to 100% and then discharging it again to 0%.

The expected number of charge cycles will tell you how many complete cycles the battery can handle before it starts to lose capacity significantly.

Also Read: How to Change Your Phone Screen Resolution and Refresh Rate to Extend Battery Life

Why do rechargeable lithium-ion batteries degrade?

Smartphones and tablets use a variety of Li-Ion batteries called Lithium-Ion Polymer (Li-Poly).

This version is safer, smaller and charges faster, otherwise the rules of life apply to Li-Poly as with any Li-Ion battery.

The battery condition of the phone deteriorates faster when charged regularly after the charging rate exceeds 80%.

Then let it drop below 20%, while the device performs better at 50% charge.

And you can get a full 1,000 or more cycles before hitting a noticeable drop in capacity, which is roughly three years of daily use.

So why not charge the phone at night?

When you go to bed, unplug the phone from the charger, and charge it when you're not using it, like working or watching TV.

Even if it takes an hour or an hour and a half to charge the phone, leaving it plugged in while you sleep means it will stay connected to the charger for much longer.

When it's fully charged at 100% and still plugged in, you're overusing the battery, forcing it to expend energy when you don't need it.

Plus the fact that leaving the phone plugged in to the charger overnight means that it will definitely charge more than the recommended 80%.

Prolonged charging can also cause it to overheat, which will naturally degrade your battery and, in some cases, cause it to explode.

Especially if you leave it under your pillow permanently, as this results in less airflow and therefore potential damage to the battery, and may increase the possibility of a fire.

Then avoid exposing the phone, whether it is charging or not, to direct sunlight, or leaving it in the car on an extremely hot day.

How to extend smartphone battery life

Here are some simple tips to extend and get the most out of your smartphone battery life:

Use intermittent charging to keep the phone battery between 20 and 80 percent.
Reduce the amount of time your battery stays on to 100% by not charging your phone at night.
Keep your phone at room temperature, thus avoiding high temperatures.
Reduce phone battery drain by turning off unnecessary apps.