You Should Only Use The ‘Official Charger’ For Your Phone
Factory chargers are arguably the most compatible for your specific device, but that doesn’t mean that off-brand chargers are going to cause any damage to your phone. Cheap knockoffs however, will. Avoid the impulse buys near cash registers at stores and gas stations. Instead buy a charger at a specialty store or order one online. This is especially true with iPhone users, since their batteries are much more difficult to replace. Although, I used a Belkin brand charger with an iPhone for almost two years and never had an issue with the phone’s battery. Think about it, is it really worth buying that cheap five dollar phone charger for your smartphone that likely cost you several hundred dollars? Invest a little bit extra and at the very least buy an off-brand charger instead of a dirt cheap option.
You Don’t Ever Need to Shut Your Phone Off
False! Your phone needs a break every once and awhile too! If you notice that your handset is acting excessively laggy or displaying any buggy glitches, the first course of action is to shut your phone off for at least a few minutes. If you never turn your phone off, it can cause damage to the battery due to excessive amounts of heat. The longer crucial components are working without a break, the more likely they are to malfunction.
Only Charge Your Phone When It’s About To Die
Not true! Interestingly enough, a battery level between 20% and 80% is the most ideal, so charge it before it completely dies. An old time myth is that your phone must fully die before the initial charge but that is simply not true. Ion-Lithium batteries have become widely used in all handheld devices and have memory that’s developed in a way that keeps battery memory in mind. Charge your phone as frequently as you want to! Technology is on your side!
Charging Your Phone At Night Is a Bad Idea
I used to believe this myself and even bought an old school alarm clock at one point to alleviate the stressful feeling that my phone was going to die over the course of the night. But overnight charging is fine! That being said, do not leave your phone plugged in for excessive amounts of time, such as full days. Unplug if your device becomes hot to the touch. I’ll say it once more, always remain conscious of the temperature of your phone!
More Best Practices
The best way to charge your phone is to plug directly into an outlet. Charging from a computer or other USB plug-in is also acceptable but may not have ideal power output as opposed to a wall charger. Wireless chargers are a modern tech advancement, but they waste energy by creating excessive amounts of heat. Additionally if you are in a time crunch and need to charge your device as quickly as possible, setting it to Airplane Mode substantially cuts down charging time. When it comes to discarding your worn out or non functional battery always be sure to recycle. Batteries contain hazardous materials that need to stay out of landfills. If you live in California or New York, you are actually required by law to recycle your old electronic’s batteries. Fortunately the service Call2Recycle exists. The company was funded by major cell phone providers as a way to eliminate neglectfulness when disposing of batteries. There are about 30,000 locations across the country, so there’s no excuse for your old batteries to be tossed in the garbage! Featured photo credit: Steve Johnson via unsplash.com
