Tips & Guides

Is Charging Your iPhone Overnight Bad For the Battery? 2023 Update

by Sandy on May 08, 2022

Given an iPhone is a mini-computer, many functions are running in the background. This causes the battery to drain quickly. Naturally, you’ll be tempted to recharge your iPhone at night when not in use. While this might sound convenient since you are not using your phone, there’s a catch. Let’s find out.

Should I charge my phone overnight?

Well, the rule of the thumb is to avoid charging your iPhone overnight. Naturally, lithium-ion batteries are reactive. As such, they can easily overheat especially when left overnight to charge. This can cause them to catch fire, as was the case with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. While you might argue iPhone batteries are safer, not all are flawless. In fact, there have been incidents where iPhones have caught fire, thanks to their batteries. Skeptics argue that wireless charging is safer than conventional charging. While rightly so, wireless charge actually generates more heat than using a lightning cable. This significantly increases the risk of your battery overheating.

Charging your iPhone overnight reduces battery life

Ideally, a battery’s capacity starts to diminish once it hits the 500 charge-discharge cycles. A full cycle happens when you use a battery’s 100 percent power. And as you know, leaving your phone to charge overnight will charge up to 100 percent. This means, that if you charge every day overnight, your battery performance will begin to diminish within a few years. Besides, due to knocks and other elements, a battery’s performance gradually diminishes with time. An iPhone only requires up to two hours to recharge itself. So, what happens during the other four or five hours? Well, as you’d expect, there are background activities that run even when you are not using your phone. This naturally depletes the battery forcing it into a condition known as trickle charging. This is when the charger attempts to keep the battery at 100 percent. As such, it is likely to bounce between 99 and 100 percent. As a result, the battery might overheat, which is not ideal for lithium-ion batteries.

How not to charge your iPhone overnight

Now that you know the dangers of charging your iPhone overnight. Let’s look at ways to avoid this behavior.

Charge your phone before or after bed

Most people have a period before bed when they are free. You can use this time to charge your iPhone. For example, instead of browsing the net, you can charge it for an hour or so. In the morning, before leaving for work, you can charge it for another hour. And thanks to the fast MagSafe wireless charger, charging your iPhone will hit 80 percent within a few minutes.

Have a power bank with you

If you are constantly on the move, you should consider getting a power bank. With a budget of less than $30, you can get a decent power bank. And since iPhones are popular among most people, getting one that suits your needs is easy.

Always carry your iPhone charger

If you can’t get a power bank, consider carrying your charger. This allows you to charge in your car, office, public places, and others. In fact, short charging periods are a boon to any lithium battery. They help improve the performance and lifespan of the battery.

Ways to improve your battery lifespan

Besides, avoiding charging your iPhone overnight, here are several tips to bolster the performance of your iPhone’s battery. Let’s have a look.

Avoid charging beyond 80 percent

Contrary to popular belief, you should not charge your iPhone 100 percent. While this used to work for older batteries, it is not ideal for lithium-ion batteries. They do not come with memory to calibrate, as such; they’ll overheat once they hit 100 percent. You’d rather charge up to 60 percent. Ideally, ensure your iPhone doesn’t go above 80 percent or below 30 percent.

Prioritize slow charging

While this might sound controversial, batteries are much healthier when put under slow charging. Of course, fast charging is a lifesaver, but unfortunately, it reduces the lifespan of your battery. As such, you should choose slow charging from your iPhone Settings app. Alternatively, you can use USB devices such as a laptop to charge your phone.

Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

It is common to forget to turn off Wi-Fi, especially if your office and home are Wi-Fi connected. Unfortunately, this depletes the battery quickly, which results in more charge-discharge cycles, reducing the battery lifespan. If possible, allows turn off the Wi-Fi when not in use. Likewise, Bluetooth is another culprit that can easily rein havoc on your battery. Again, make sure to disconnect when not in use. Besides, you can opt to auto-disable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi after a few minutes of inactivity.

Go slow on assistants

Let’s face it, smart assistants have brought more convenience to our lives. Now, you can operate your phone hands-free by giving voice commands. With apps such as Siri and Google Assistant, you can operate your iPhone by speaking. The downside? They drain the battery as they constantly listen for voice commands. You should therefore disable them or use them sparingly.

Turn on Low Power Mode

Your iPhone comes with the Low Power Mode. To locate it, navigate to the Settings app, tap Control Center, choose Customize Controls, and finally Low Power Mode. It automatically disables background activities that drain your battery such as notifications.

Conclusion

As you can see, leaving your iPhone to charge overnight is not a good idea. Not only does it reduce the lifespan of the battery, but it can also cause the battery to overheat. The battery might catch fire leading to bodily injuries. To avoid this, ensure to have a power bank and carry your charger.