Most of our savvy members will already know that most of these smartphone myths are bogus, but not everyone has the same level of experience or knowledge as the hardcore smartphone fans among us. To that end, we wanted to share a quick roundup of the biggest myths regarding smartphone batteries.
Here's the list of myths:
- You should charge your phone only when the battery is dead - this is patently bunk. You smartphones use Lithium-ion batteries. These do not "develop a memory" if you charge them at different intervals. Basically, the myth is that if you regularly charge your phone with 50% battery left, then the phone's battery will "think" this smaller amount is the new normal and you will never get large charge amounts again. This may have been true of Nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries that you could find in old school cordless home phones, but it is completely false with current cell phone battery tech.
- Keeping your phone plugged in damages the battery - there's a common misconception that if you leave your smartphone plugged in and charging overnight, then the battery will be "overcharged" and eventually lose its capacity or be damaged. While it is true that eventually all current battery technologies will wear out and lose charge over time, those charge amounts are literally thousands of times before you should see any difference. Furthermore, the phones today have built-in technology that stops pulling a full draw of power when they reach 100% charge. Basically, you do not need to worry about leaving your phone plugged in overnight.
- Do not use your phone while charging - this one is another bogus flight of fancy. The battery in your device will not be affected if you use it while it is plugged in. You may experience the phone heating up a bit as it will be charging while it is discharging, but it won't damage the battery. Just remember not to do this while sitting in a bath-tub or you could be electrocuted! Duh!
