I am thinking about using my iPhone 5s or 6 as a hot spot for an iPad or iPad mini. I understand that this will cause the iPhone to use more battery power and therefore will lose charge sooner, but will it have any affect on the state of the battery also? In other words, will it degrade the battery in any way?
iPhone 6, iOS 10.0.2
The1DrJazz wrote:
Thank you for your reply Chris. Do you mean that using the iPhone as a hot spot will shorten the life of the battery or just that it will use the charge quicker.
Since you are using the charge quicker, it will shorten the life of the battery.
What I am concerned about is that I do not want to degrade or shorten the battery's life since it is not user replaceable.
You could charge it to ~75%, turn it off and set it on the shelf. This will save the battery for the longest time possible.
If you do not have internet except for using the iPhone as a hotspot, then you need to make up you mind what you want to do. Use the phone as intended and have internet or save the battery for as long as possible and not have internet.
It is designed to be used.
Thank you for your reply Chris. Do you mean that using the iPhone as a hot spot will shorten the life of the battery or just that it will use the charge quicker. What I am concerned about is that I do not want to degrade or shorten the battery's life since it is not user replaceable. If using it as a hot spot merely causes the battery to need to be charged sooner while using it, that is not a problem for me. Thank you for any clarification you can make.
Battery life is measured in full discharge/charge cycles. Anything that makes your battery go through more cycles in a shorter period of time will cause it to degrade more than consuming fewer cycles over the same period of time. And while it is not user replaceable, Apple will replace any iPhone battery for a $79 fee (iPhone Battery & Power - Official Apple Support).
Using the battery in any way will affect it.
Your iPhone is a great mobile hot spot, but there are a couple of important considerations.
1. WiFi Speed may be slower than your home WiFi Network (although certainly not aways an issue)
2. Your Battery will be depleting faster in that your iPhone is working to provide a WiFi Network for your other device on a full time basis (if possible keep the iPhone connected to AC Current while used as a hot spot).
3. Depending on your Service Provider Data Plan you may be going through whatever your Monthly thresholds are much quicker than when only being accessed by your iPhone.
Otherwise it would be difficult to suggest you would opt out of using this capability due to decreasing your iPhone Battery Life. While the battery is not thought to be "user changeable", Apple certainly offers a Battery changing service and third parties offer Batteries and Kits to change your own Battery. (Not something I would want to do).
Does using my iPhone as a hotspot degrade the battery
