Charging Your Cell Phone Overnight

Lithium-ion batteries are now firmly in the housings of smartphones and tablets. For this reason alone, it pays off quickly to use it properly - because a damaged battery usually makes the entire device unusable. In order to extend the service life of the energy cells and to maintain their maximum capacity for as long as possible, you can follow a few simple rules.

Charging The Phone All Night Damages The Battery - (Sometimes)

Sure, most users do it like this: Before going to bed, we connect the smartphone to the charger, when we get up, the mobile phone is ready for use with a maximum charge, the lithium battery presents itself with a powerful 100 percent. In fact, the battery is not doing so well at this moment, the previous hours were already an ordeal.

There is a simple reason for this: because the device is usually fully charged after one or two hours, the charger will keep it at its capacity limit for many hours (until you get up). Droplet charging and the overcharge protection prevent serious damage, but the regular and hours-long “lingering” of the battery at the high charge level alone has a negative effect: The chemical aging of the battery is accelerated.

Because the voltage in the battery increases with increasing charge, the lithium cells have a kind of comfort zone - and that is between 30 and 70 percent of the maximum energy storage capacity. Beyond this window, the battery still delivers reliable power, but internal wear and tear increases and the next replacement is approaching.

The problem of nocturnal energy overdose has long been known to manufacturers and app developers, and there are initiatives on both sides to maintain the health of ionized energy storage systems. While Apple, OnePlus, and Co. give the energy management of newer models an (optional) self-protection, various Android apps enable similar functions on older devices. Charging at night is completely unproblematic.

Some Devices Protect Themselves: New Initiatives By Manufacturers

There is good news for users of newer smartphones: Manufacturers such as Huawei, Sony, Google, and Apple have taken on the damaged batteries and are adding new protective functions to their product series.

OnePlus

The still-new battery monitor is available here under the name "Optimized Charging" from OxygenOS 10.0. You can easily activate the function under "Settings/Battery". The smartphone then remembers what time you usually climb out of bed in the morning and only completes the critical last step of charging from 80 to 100 percent shortly before you get up - i.e. as late as possible.

Google

Google also offers integrated battery protection for its devices from Pixel 4 onwards. You will find the "Adaptive charging" function under "Settings/Battery/Smart battery". If you use it to charge your device after 9 p.m. and at the same time set an alarm clock between 5 and 10 a.m., you will have a freshly charged smartphone in your hand when you get up: the full charge is only completed shortly before the alarm clock rings.

Samsung

At Samsung, we unfortunately only find a corresponding function on selected tablets such as the Galaxy Tab S6 or Galaxy Tab S7. The "Protect battery" function can be found under "Settings/Device Maintenance/Battery". The Koreans have come up with a remarkable solution: When the function is activated, the charging process is not redesigned, the device simply defines the maximum capacity of the battery by - to 85 percent. After a restart, the display climbs back to 100 percent when charging, but the actual physical charge level remains limited to 85 percent of the maximum capacity.

Apple/iPhone

Since iOS 13, iPhone users have had the option of helping their battery. This works with the "Optimized battery charging" function. This is also primarily intended to reduce the time window in which the battery is heavily charged. Fully charging over 80 percent is delayed or not even carried out in certain situations - for example, when the iPhone calculates that the next charging cycle is due early enough. At Apple, the function is also dependent on your own location, so energy gaps should be avoided when traveling or on vacation.

Huawei

At Huawei, the battery assistant is called "Smart Charge" and is available from EMUI 9.1 or Magic UI 2.1. The function can be activated under "Settings/Battery/Additional settings" so that charging of the device is stopped at 80 percent at night and only completed before you get up. Here, too, usage behavior and, if necessary, an alarm clock set are included in the planning.

Sony

For several years now, Sony has been relying on careful handling of the built-in energy supplier. The “battery care” function can also be found here in the battery settings for many models. The device learns when and for how long users connect the charging cable and adjusts the end of charging so that it coincides with the disconnection of the power supply. Sony devices can also be charged with a maximum charge of 80 or 90 percent.

Prevent Wear And Tear: With Android Apps

You don't have a very new smartphone, your manufacturer has not yet implemented battery protection or you would like to choose your protection functions? No problem, then just help yourself, there are several easy ways to do this. And don't worry: none of these solutions require you to set the alarm clock at night to unplug a charging cable from the socket.

The fastest and easiest way to more control over the Android battery is through our app test route. In the best battery apps for Android, you will find helpful tools for everything to do with mobile energy sources. With apps like “ AccuBattery ”Or the“ Battery Saver ”, you can adjust the charge currents or receive a warning as soon as selected energy levels are reached. The “ Battery Charge Limit [ROOT] ” app is also suitable for automatically stopping charging when a certain percentage is reached - but this requires root access.

Preventing Wear And Tear: Using Hardware

If you don't get help from the manufacturer or the Play Store, you can regulate the charging process of mobile devices using hardware. There is a small USB switch called "Chargie", Which is simply inserted as a bridge between the charger and the smartphone. With an accompanying app, we set capacity limits with percent accuracy, the Bluetooth plug then supplies the corresponding charge current - and no more watts.

Tips & Tricks For a Long-Lasting Battery: Avoid These Mistakes

Even beyond nighttime charging, you can go wrong with lithium-ion batteries. With a few simple tips and tricks, the core component will remain efficient for longer:

Maintain a “healthy” charge level for as long as possible: Remember that the chemical aging process of the rechargeable battery is much faster beyond a 30 to 70 percent charge. It is therefore worthwhile to charge completely discharged devices at least briefly. In addition, you should avoid looking for the socket too early: For example, a half-full battery only needs to be charged if you are then dependent on the extended runtime.

Avoid very high and low temperatures: Lithium-ion batteries do not tolerate very high or very low temperatures. So try to avoid using smartphones or tablets beyond -10 to +40 ° C - you should also refrain from charging at such temperatures.

Avoid frequent rapid charging: Rapid charging is certainly convenient, but it is not always the best choice for your battery: the associated high currents are usually accompanied by a high rise in temperature. So if you are not dependent on the mobile device in a timely manner, you can take your time while charging. Removing cell phone cases can also reduce the temperature rise while charging.

Never completely empty lithium batteries or store them empty: When lithium batteries are completely exhausted, one speaks of deep discharge. The voltage of the battery can drop so much that the energy cell is severely damaged. In normal use, however, the risk of this is relatively low; the phenomenon is often due to defective hardware. However, if possible, you should not store your batteries empty: A protective charge of 70 percent is suitable for storage.

Avoid cheap chargers and cables: When buying charging cables and corresponding plugs, it can be worthwhile to spend one euro more. Here it is crucial that the purchased hardware has a charge controller and that it is not an inferior cheap circuit - otherwise, there is a risk of overcharging.

Conclusion

If possible, you should avoid long charging and high charge levels with lithium-ion batteries, because the associated high voltage can accelerate the internal loss of capacity - regardless of the time of day. Many newer devices with corresponding protective functions can now regulate the charging process gently, apps and control devices from third-party providers are also suitable for battery maintenance.

Caution also helps: if you only fully charge your smartphone when you actually need the maximum runtime, you are already doing your battery a great service.