Are You Accidentally Killing Your Battery's Lifespan?

Our phones die a lot, right?

Generally every day, though for some heavy users it's multiple times a day. We have to bring chargers everywhere, cause you never know when you might get board and need to scroll through Instagram or play Clash of Clans for 2 hours. You know, unpredictable, totally uncontrollable stuff like that happens to us all the time, and when it does we find ourselves in need of a charge. Some of us find ourselves getting to the end of the day, but barely, with only 4% left. There's no way that our current charge could last us through tomorrow. So what do we do? Well, we tuck ourselves into bed, and make sure our phones are comfortable and snug, recharging just like us. And nowadays we've got these fancy new fast chargers, which can charge up our devices in less than an hour or less than 30 minutes in some cases! This is great if we are on the go and need a hit, or when we take a power nap. But truth is, it can be pretty bad for our poor devices.

Most batteries in our devices today are lithium ion batteries. They have a limited lifespan of somewhere around 3-5 years. Not terrible, considering that the latest and greatest comes out every year. We could abuse our batteries as much as we want without a care in the world! But for those who try to hold onto our phones for as long as possible, we might have a reason to worry.

So, how do we get the most out of our batteries?

Well it can seem tricky. Try not to leave your phone or laptop plugged in all night. Doing this constantly can cause it to wear down. But also try not to let it get to zero all the time. There's a sweet spot in the middle. Lithium ion batteries typically tend to do well if you charge them up in shorter increments. You don't have to let it get to 100% every time. Overheating the batteries can also cause them to degrade quicker. This can be caused by something apparent - like leaving it in the sun or a hot car - but it can also be caused by fast-chargers and wireless chargers. Wireless chargers, as of right now, give off excess heat which can damage the battery if used often enough. Fast charge isn't as bad, but if it's your only method of charging it could cause problems. One more suggestion is to not let your phone go all the way to zero too much.

Now, I am not trying to say that if your don't do these things, your phone will explode. There are multiple safeties within your phone that will keep that from happening. But if you want to get the most out of your battery and keep your phone around for as long as you can, then the above suggestions will help!