You’ve probably been told all kinds of things about your laptop and cell phone batteries – for some reason, there’s tons of confusion about the right way to get the most out of your battery life. We’re here to set some of the myths straight and give you a better idea of how you can make those batteries last as long as possible.
Myth 1: You should always discharge your battery completely before recharging it. A big myth going around was that if you didn’t let your battery discharge fully before charging, the battery’s memory wouldn’t know how much room it had, and you’d lose battery life (or at least the battery would lose the ability to tell you how much life it had left).
The truth: Discharging to about 50% and recharging is actually best for your phone. What you’re looking for is the best ratio of cycles to usage time, and 50% charged is the optimal point to plug back in. BUT, about once per month you should fully discharge your phone – there is some truth to the idea that the battery will “forget” how much capacity it has if you don’t ever fully discharge it.
Myth 2: You should charge your device while you sleep. That way, it has the chance to fully charge all night, and you’ll be ready to go the next morning.
The truth: Once your device hits 100% (which, ideally, wouldn’t happen regularly at all), you should really stop charging it. It’s harmful to your battery’s health to keep it charging once it’s full. It used to be much worse for a battery, but it’s still not the best idea. If you absolutely must charge it overnight, you can purchase a device to cease charging once the battery is full.
Myth 3: You shouldn’t charge your device with a third-party charger. Only use the manufacturer’s charger on any device.
The truth: Well, this one’s a little bit true – you should only use reputable third-party chargers. If you use poor-quality knockoffs that aren’t licensed, they can damage your battery or even cause a fire. But any high-quality third-party charger will be just fine.
If you have any questions on battery life or any other device issue, reach out to us at Fix It Fast. We’re happy to help.
