We hear it all the time at Bolt Mobile. “The battery in my phone sucks!” For some of us, it doesn’t even last a day. You’re probably thinking “what a piece of garbage” right? Well..chances are you have been charging your phone wrong this entire time.
If you’re like most people, you charge your phone when your battery is close to dying. When you see that battery icon on your screen turn red, you know it’s time to power up! For some reason, we have been ingrained with the notion that charging our smartphones in smaller sprints will cause damage to the battery. The more you often you charge your phone, the more damage you do to the battery. It actually not a bad theory.
But that myth is busted – you couldn’t be more wrong.
In fact, our battery experts say that the lithium-ion batteries in our smartphones are sensitive to their own versions of “stress”. And just as it is for us humans, extended stress could be damaging to your phone battery’s long-term lifespan.
Fun Facts: Bolt Mobile started as Battery Boys back in 1989 right here in Saskatoon. We have been powering peoples lives for over 25 years. We became a SaskTel Authorized Dealer in 1999 and we changed our name in June 2016 to better align with our core business. Today, we do smartphones, accessories and batteries!Â
If you want to keep your smartphone battery in top condition and go about your day without worrying about your battery life, you need to change a few things.
Unplug it when it’s charged
Powered by Battery Boys, our mobile experts at Bolt Mobile recommend pulling the plug when your device is fully charged. It’s bad for the battery in the long run. Once your phone has reached 100% battery life, it gets “trickle charges” to keep it at full charge while plugged in. The chemistry of the battery  wears down after a lot of time in a high stress state.
Brook Bannerman, one of our battery experts here at Bolt Mobile, sums it up nicely for you. “When fully charged, remove the battery from its charging device. This is like relaxing the muscles after intense exercise.” You too would be miserable if you worked out non-stop for hours and hours every single day.
Don’t power up all the way
Our phone experts say that when you can, try not to charge it to 100%.
“Li-ion does not need to be fully charged, nor is it desirable to do so. In fact, it is better not to fully charge, because a high voltage stresses the battery” and wears it away in the long run.
Plug in your phone whenever you can
You want to keep the battery in your smartphone happy. To do so, give them some juice occasionally throughout the day instead of a big gulp all at once. Sorry, we had to use the analogy.
What is the optimal time or cycle to power up your phone battery? Good question. When your smartphone drops loses 10% of its charge, this would be best case scenario. Obviously we understand that is not practical for most people in our busy lives so just plug in your phone whenever you can. It’s a good habit to get into. It’s fine to plug and unplug it multiple times a day.
It should be noted that periodic top-ups also let you use features you might not normally use because they hog your battery life, like location-based features that use your smartphone’s GPS antenna.
Keep it cool
Smartphone batteries are extremely sensitive to heat and Apple even suggests you remove certain cases that insulate heat from you iPhone when you charge it. If you notice your device gets hot when you charge it, take it out of its case. If you’re out in the hot Saskatchewan sun, keep your phone covered. It will protect your battery life.
