Charging overnight

[BlazingGold]

So like I'm sure many of us do, I usually set my phone to charge while I sleep to wake with it at 100%. A battery app I have recommends charging it about an additional 30-45 min following a complete charge and then unplugging it, as it can be bad for the battery. I know overcharging certain things such as a laptop is REALLY a bad for the battery. Same for auto GPS units. Is this really bad for phones as well?

 

[SMELTN]

I am interested in knowing as well. I always have charged mine at night.

 

[martinlmnt]

As far as I was aware (and correct me if I'm wrong) but once the phone is fully charged it stops and just trickle charges to keep it topped off - as long as it's not connected to the charger 24/7 I believe you should be okay.

That's what I've been told anyway.

 

[Chief G-Hawk]

I just charge mine overnight and have it 100% in the morning.

AFAIK, the post above me is correct.

 

[kataran]

Yes most devices these day are what I call smart charge. There designed to not over charge

 

[SprSynJn]

As far as I was aware (and correct me if I'm wrong) but once the phone is fully charged it stops and just trickle charges to keep it topped off - as long as it's not connected to the charger 24/7 I believe you should be okay.

That's what I've been told anyway.

See this is what I had always thought. Hope its correct because its what I have been doing this entire time.

 

[BlazingGold]

The app "battery doctor" says that it trickle charges for maybe 30-45 min after a charge. After that, supposedly it is bad for the battery

 

[HankAZ]

While some app says it’s bad for the battery, I have over 5 years of actual use proof. I have always charged my battery overnight. That means it’s on the charger for a minimum of 5-6 hours every night, and sometimes as much as 8 hours. I have always had good to great battery life on every iPhone I’ve ever owned.

Have you ever had your phone on the charger and it shows 100%, but as soon as you remove it from the charger, the meter drops to 97-98%? That’s because of the way the charging process works. When the battery charge reaches 100%, the charge process stops, and the battery may begin to lose charge. Once the charge level drops to around 95%, the charger starts the trickle charge until it reaches 100% again. Then the process repeats. This is to protect the battery from being overcharged.

Overcharging not an issue, VP says

Apple's VP for recent controversy surrounding the way the third-gen device handles charging. The executive tells AllThingsD that an iPad does indeed report 100 percent charge before it's actually finished, but that overcharging is not an issue. Once an iPad genuinely hits the 100 percent mark, it will discharge slightly and then recharge, repeating the cycle until the charge cable is disconnected.

"That circuitry is designed so you can keep your device plugged in as long as you would like," says Tchao. "It's a great feature that's always been in iOS." He also insists that iPad users can always expect a 10 hour maximum, and that the behavior of the battery indicator was designed to avoid distracting or confusing people; a completely accurate battery monitor would show levels constantly rising and falling after a certain stage.

Read more: Apple's Michael Tchao clarifies iPad battery charging issue | Electronista

Technically, what your app says may be true, but my experience tells me that it’s overkill and/or poppycock.

 

[BlazingGold]

Awesome info Hank! Thank you. One thing I found weird (just with the 6+ though it seems) is that after charging, it usually takes nearly 2 hours for my battery to drop just to 90%. However, from there, it usually drops all other 10% increments in only 30 minutes to 1 hour. Do you know why this is ?

 

[tekjunkie28]

Many of you are correct. After 80% or so the device decreases the mA and speed at which the battery is charging. That in inherent of any Li Ion poly battery. These batteries do not like heat or to be charged over 80%. The more time the battery spends above 80% or below 20% puts stress on the battery. You can expect the battery to remain at a decently useable life, while being charged to 100% every night, to last about 540 charges before its overall capacity begins to decline.

One thing I want to know is if iOS takes that into account or not? My wife had a 4s for almost 2 years. I used it and it would still get about 5 hours usage time and that was just using it for a week while I was waiting for my 6+ to come into stock.

 

[tekjunkie28]

Awesome info Hank! Thank you. One thing I found weird (just with the 6+ though it seems) is that after charging, it usually takes nearly 2 hours for my battery to drop just to 90%. However, from there, it usually drops all other 10% increments in only 30 minutes to 1 hour. Do you know why this is ?

I have noticed this on every iPhone I've ever owned.

 

[PeltFrelken]

Like others have said. I think the batteries these days are smart. They are designed to be efficient no matter how long you charge, and also at what percentage you start charging back up again. I top off my phone all the time with my car charger, even if I'm almost at 100%.

 

[Lesawags]

What I find interesting is sometimes my battery stays at like 100% for almost 2 hours.. Granted that was only with like 39 mins usage at that point, but gotta love the battery life

 

[iJuan]

I just charge mine overnight and I leave it plugged in even in the morning when I wake up and use it while getting ready for work

 

[phlamethrowre]

Like others have said. I think the batteries these days are smart. They are designed to be efficient no matter how long you charge, and also at what percentage you start charging back up again. I top off my phone all the time with my car charger, even if I'm almost at 100%.

Me too. This is what keeps a battery healthy. Lith-ion batteries last much longer is you do not let them discharge and then recharge if possible. I keep mine topped off all day most of the time.

 

[Nanci]

Me too. This is what keeps a battery healthy. Lith-ion batteries last much longer is you do not let them discharge and then recharge if possible. I keep mine topped off all day most of the time.

So it it healthier for my battery to be topped off at work, whenever I have the chance, even though it will easily last the whole day?

 

[phlamethrowre]

So it it healthier for my battery to be topped off at work, whenever I have the chance, even though it will easily last the whole day?

Yes, a battery has a certain amount of cycles in it. Every time you run it down and charge it up it uses a cycle. It is widely accepted that keeping these newer batteries topped off prolongs their usable life.

 

[HankAZ]

Yes, a battery has a certain amount of cycles in it. Every time you run it down and charge it up it uses a cycle. It is widely accepted that keeping these newer batteries topped off prolongs their usable life.

The partial charge cycles are cumulative. So charging up 10% ten times would equate to one charge cycle.

 

[phlamethrowre]

The partial charge cycles are cumulative. So charging up 10% ten times would equate to one charge cycle.

Can I get a link to your source on that?

 

[HankAZ]

The partial charge cycles are cumulative. So charging up 10% ten times would equate to one charge cycle.

Can I get a link to your source on that?

Apple (United Kingdom) - Batteries

A charge cycle means using all the battery'?s power, but that doesn'?t necessarily mean a single charge. For instance, you could listen to your iPod for a few hours one day, using half its power, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two, so you may take several days to complete a cycle. Each time you complete a charge cycle, it diminishes battery capacity slightly, but you can put notebook, iPod and iPhone batteries through many charge cycles before they will only hold 80 per cent of original battery capacity.