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What is the best way to charge iPhone 4s battery?

Hi

1- Is it better unplug the charger before battery's charge becomes 100%?

2- Is it better plug the charger before battery's charge becomes 0%?

3- Is it safe to unplug the charger before complete the charge (e.g. 50% charging) or not?

thanx.

iPhone 4S, null

Posted on Dec 14, 2015 8:00 PM

Reply
17 replies

Dec 14, 2015 8:08 PM in response to Simbajooon

hi,


It is better on the battery to not overcharge it. If you overcharge it you could possibly fry your battery and end up having to get a new one. So don't leave it plugged in for an excessive amount of time after it hits 100% it'll make the battery last a lot longer. Secondly it is also better to charge it before the battery hits 0% this makes the battery also last you a lot longer in terms of replacement. Lastly I'm not fully sure on your 3rd question but I do know I've done that with all my iPhones and they all were just fine. The only thing I've ever had to replace is the entire phone due to water damage XD

Dec 14, 2015 9:29 PM in response to Simbajooon

Hi,

Is it better unplug the charger before battery's charge becomes 100%?

No need to do that. The charger stops charging at 100 percent.

Is it better plug the charger before battery's charge becomes 0%?

Yes. Try not to let it go below 20 percent.

Is it safe to unplug the charger before complete the charge (e.g. 50% charging) or not?

Yes, it will not do any harm.

Dec 14, 2015 9:31 PM in response to Simbajooon

1- Is it better unplug the charger before battery's charge becomes 100%?

No. The phone will stop charging at 100%.


2- Is it better plug the charger before battery's charge becomes 0%?

Yes. Repeated full discharges can reduce battery life.


3- Is it safe to unplug the charger before complete the charge (e.g. 50% charging) or not?

It won't cause any damage.

Dec 14, 2015 9:37 PM in response to Simbajooon

Modern Lithium Ion batteries in combination with modern devices like iPhone are smart about charging and are not damaged if you leave them attached to an OEM charger. If you do some research about modern batteries, the consensus seems to be that you should just use your device normally, and then plug your device in every night to charge no matter what the current charge is. You should not discharge your device fully like you did in years past. Instead, keeping their charge at the top end of the range is a good thing and will ensure that the battery stays in the best condition possible.


I will tell you that researching this topic is very difficult due to a massive amount of old, or completely misleading information available from even major news sites on the Web. I am no expert on this topic but can tell you that I've stumbled upon enough articles over the past few years written by battery engineers that end up saying "just use your device and charge it whenever you can", and that allowing modern batteries to discharge too deeply is actually the only thing that is really bad for them.

Dec 15, 2015 2:22 AM in response to Simbajooon

Hi,

Another thing to note. Besides caring for the iPhone battery, you should also care for the charger. Don't leave it plugged into the power socket when the iPhone is disconnected from it. For example, when finished charging, don't just pull the phone cord from the charger, but also unplug the charger from the power socket. This will prolong your charger's life.

Dec 15, 2015 3:18 AM in response to EvilKittyInSpace

Thanks for your response. I just did some net searches and the consensus seems to be that it does no harm to leave chargers plugged in. There is a concern about power usage but the Apple chargers apparently use very little wattage when disconnected from a device. Even so, there may be some waste.

However, my gut instinct is to unplug things when not in use. There is a possibility of something going wrong and of a short circuit or fire risk. Some people say plugging and unplugging causes wear and tear on the cord and is equally risky. A switched socket may be the answer.

You have had yours plugged in for two years and still going strong. I have had my iPhone for six years and its charger is still going strong with all the plugging and unplugging. Mind you, the cord looks a bit frazzled.😐

Dec 15, 2015 3:39 AM in response to Cunnla

The white brick that you plug into the wall is NOT a charger. It is merely a power supply to convert the 110v or 220v house power to a level suitable for the iDevice. ALL Apple battery power devices conform to international SMART lithium battery standards which dictate that the battery and device hardware and firmware itself controls the charging. Your iPhone is its OWN charger independent of the source of power (which also explains why you can charge from a computer USB port).


Your iphone controls the battery charging and as with all SMART lithium devices, it cannot overcharge.


as far as charging, you can plug and unplug the power supply as you wish or however is convenient. You cannot overcharge and partial discharges and/or charges are fine as are frequent charges. It is best to avoid regular or frequent deep discharges (such as all the way down to the point the device turns itself off) as those will hasten the age related decay of the battery relative to more shallow discharges and more frequent charging.

Jan 20, 2016 8:34 AM in response to Simbajooon

Simbajooon wrote:


Cunnla

Below page advise not to charge over 100%. You told me in this forum that it is safe not to unplug after 100% charging:

http://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/#general

Have a look at photo attached.

Thanx

User uploaded file

The sentence you're referencing refers specifically to how to store a battery, not what you should do for day to day charging.

What is the best way to charge iPhone 4s battery?

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