How long has it been since you bought your smartphone? It may have been a few years. If so, you've probably noticed that the battery life of your smartphone has decreased over time. Did you know that recharging your smartphone's battery correctly (or not) can directly affect its longevity? 

Although the lithium batteries, commonly used in smartphones, do not become addictive after recharges, even incomplete ones (contrary to what many people think), there is a catch: they solidify over time. Each recharge cycle causes the internal materials of these batteries to harden, making them less and less likely to be fully recharged.  

Even if your smartphone displays “100%” on the charging indicator, this does not mean that your battery is fully charged! It simply means that your smartphone has identified that there is no more charge left – and that includes the dead cells in your battery, too. 

How do you recharge your cell phone battery, after all? Is there a trick to this? Actually, there is more than one. 

 

About battery life 

In general, smartphone batteries can be recharged between 300 and 500 cycles. This does not mean, however, that they will be able to maintain their full capacity until the end. 

These batteries are estimated to last between 2 and 3 years, but this can depend drastically on some important factors. It may last longer than that, but it certainly won't be as powerful as before. In these cases, the only viable solution is to have the battery replaced by a specialized technical service center. 

Most smartphones today come locked, so opening them can be a real challenge. If this isn't the case for you, simply buy a new battery that's compatible with your device and install it. 

How much should I charge my cell phone battery? 

This is one of the most important parts of this article! How many times have you let your smartphone charge up to 100%? If this is part of your routine, stop right now. 

Experts say that charging your battery to its maximum can damage it and substantially reduce its lifespan. Have you noticed how long it takes for it to charge from 90% to 100%? This is because the charger has to work even harder to finish the job – which is not good for your device in the long run. 

Therefore, the ideal is to let the battery charge. up to 90%, at most. In addition to not making a big difference in the autonomy of your device, it will make your battery last much longer. 

When to start recharging it? 

Many people wait until the battery reaches 10% (or less) of charge before putting it on the charger. This may seem like a good idea, but it is not: just as charging a battery to 100% is harmful, recharging it to zero or with a very low charge also does not help its useful life. 

Read also: Cell phone ringtones: personalize your cell phone with these apps

Try recharging it as soon as it has been in between 25% and 30% remaining charge. This way, it will heat up less while connected to the charger. In addition, the average time spent plugged in will be reasonably reduced! 

 

Bad habits when recharging your smartphone battery 

There are so many bad habits that it can be difficult to list them all. Here are some of them: mark the ones you repeat and never repeat them again! 

• Leave the battery to recharge overnight; 
• Recharge it up to 100% every time; 
• Allow the battery to discharge completely before recharging it; 
• Keep the protective cover on while recharging; 
• Use of damaged cables or cables of dubious origin; 
• Exposure to extreme temperatures (too cold or too hot); 
• Use your smartphone while charging; 
• Using a broken, incompatible or questionable quality cell phone charger. 

Life can be quite busy – but that’s no excuse to stop taking good care of your battery, right? It’s not just about autonomy, but safety, too. 

Did you know that, in the vast majority of cases, cell phone battery explosions occur due to poor quality chargers? Many users choose options from dubious brands on the internet, and this is highly risky. 

Many of these chargers don't even have mechanisms to detect when the battery is fully charged. This means they never stop supplying power to the battery, which can cause overcharging. 

Likewise, charging smartphones with the protective case on is not a good idea: it must be removed from the device before connecting it to the power outlet. Otherwise, the battery will heat up more than necessary during the cycle. 

Another very common (and dangerous) habit is using your smartphone while it is charging; the more you use the device during the process, the more cycles it will take until the charge reaches its ideal level. In addition, certain heavy tasks (such as games or editing software) can cause the device to heat up a lot, which is not at all safe while charging. 

Fully charged? Never again 

Now that you've learned how to recharge your smartphone's battery, you'll see how its lifespan will increase over the months. It's really annoying when a new mobile device starts to let you down in the middle of the street because the battery no longer works as well as it used to. 

With these tips, you will probably be able to count on your battery for much longer: this way, you will save a lot of money and time wasted on technical support. Remember to always use original chargers or those from reliable brands, endorsed by the smartphone manufacturers.