The expert explained how to properly charge iPhone and iPad batteries. How to charge a new iPhone and iPad battery

Modern smartphones are equipped with lithium-ion batteries, and sometimes lithium-polymer batteries are installed in expensive devices. Nickel-metal hydride, cadmium, and alkaline batteries have long disappeared from the radar of mobile device manufacturers, having proven their ineffectiveness as a reliable power source for a phone. In this article, we will look at how to properly charge an iPhone with its Li-ion batteries.

Many “experts” are foaming at the mouth and claim that Li-ion power supplies require preparation for work, in the form of “swinging”, after performing several full charge/discharge cycles. This information is not true, in fact, manufacturers have already done this before us, and by repeating the procedure, you simply reduce the number of work cycles, reducing the lifespan of the elements.

Over time, the number of battery life cycles decreases sharply, and after 3-4 years it may be time to replace used modules, fortunately, it is not expensive, and replacement can be done at any, even not particularly well-known, service center. Therefore, many users have a question about how to properly and safely charge a new smartphone and whether it is necessary to completely discharge the new iPhone to zero?

Despite the fact that Apple uses high-quality power sources in its devices, you should ensure that your iPhone is properly charged. As time passes, the battery capacity of any device steadily decreases, but the question arises: how to charge the phone so that after a couple of years of active use of the smartphone, the battery will last at least one day? Just follow these tips.

  1. Do not charge or use the phone in extreme temperatures: the manufacturer recommends using the smartphone at temperatures from 0 to 35 degrees. Charging the iPhone should also not be carried out at temperatures below -20 and above 45 degrees.
  2. Avoid constant, systematic deep discharges of the battery; this is harmful for lithium-ion batteries.
  3. It is best to use original accessories and chargers, since in them the current strength and voltage do not jump, like with cheap Chinese analogues.
  4. The most optimal and safe time to replenish the charge is from 20 to 80% according to the indicator in the iPhone. At least that's what the manufacturers of Li-ion power supplies say, and we are inclined to believe them.

Now let's answer the question, how to properly charge your new iPhone for the first time?

First charge

How to charge your phone correctly after purchase? The answer is simple - connect the charger when the indicator shows 20%. This value is the most optimal and safe for the battery. It's no coincidence that iOS issues a warning as soon as the target is reached. Stick to approximately this figure, but without fanaticism, if the iPhone is discharged and turns off, it’s okay, you don’t have to allow it to happen regularly and everything will be fine with the Li-ion battery.

This question worries only the responsible smartphone owner. This is understandable, the user wants to extend the life of the device for the maximum amount of time. The first charge of your iPhone is like first love, you have to get over it and it will be easier.

The tips are suitable for the entire line of Apple smartphones, be it 4, 4s, 5, 5s, 6, 6 plus, 7, 7 plus, 8

Question and answer

How to properly charge my iPhone 6s?

The answer is exactly the same as any other iPhone, it is written in the previous section.

How many charge-discharge cycles can a lithium-ion battery withstand without a noticeable drop in capacity?

The answer is about 400-500, if you follow simple rules, which corresponds to 3 or 4 years of the device’s life. In most cases, users change the smartphone itself much more often than the battery in it.

Does the new battery need to be charged?

No, the manufacturer has already done this for you at the factory; it is enough to follow the recommendations described above to preserve the life of your device as long as possible. There is no need to completely discharge.

How to properly charge a smartphone?

A smartphone, like any other phone, is equipped with lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries, so the same conditions apply to them as to other mobile equipment. How to properly charge an iPhone 5s was discussed above, look in the “valuable tips” section

How long does it take to charge a new phone?

The standard battery charging time is about 2-3 hours, but you need to navigate according to system messages. iOS will tell you when it's time to connect the cord and when the battery is full. There are exceptions when the controller fails, but that's a completely different story.

Conclusions

There is no need to be afraid of ruining modern batteries in smartphones and other mobile devices; everything is thought out for the user. Use original or high-quality accessories, in this case the device is guaranteed to withstand more than one year of intensive use. Problems with energy storage devices usually occur after 3-4 years of operation, are not expensive and do not cause much trouble after replacement.

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Many iPhone owners charge their smartphones once a day, turning it into a daily ritual like brushing their teeth and drinking their morning coffee. Others resort to using the charger only after the battery is completely discharged. But, one way or another, all owners of electronic gadgets would like to save themselves from the need to replace old batteries with new ones too often. Experts say that in order for the battery of an electronic device to last as long as possible, it should not be charged to the maximum.

Tech enthusiast Eric Leamer says charging your battery frequently can cause minor damage. However, one complete discharge/charge cycle should still be performed approximately once a month.

It is recommended to charge phone batteries to no more than 50% whenever possible. In general, the optimal charge level is between 40% and 80%. The reason is that each cell of lithium polymer batteries is charged to the desired voltage. The higher the charge level, the higher the voltage level. The more voltage a cell stores, the more stress it experiences. This, in turn, leads to a reduction in the number of possible charging cycles. The researcher says that a battery charged to 100% will last only 300-500 cycles, and a battery charged to 70% will last 1200-2000.

Leamer also debunked the myth that you need to charge your new gadget for 72 hours before use so it will “remember” what it feels like to be fully charged. This advice is valid when working with nickel batteries, but in the case of lithium-ion batteries, which are used in new phones, it is completely untenable.

The expert noted that to maintain a lithium battery in good condition, it is necessary that the electrons in it are periodically in motion. For this reason, it is not recommended to keep your tablet or laptop constantly connected to the network. Ideally, the owner of an electronic gadget should continuously charge and discharge the battery during use, leaving the charge at 40-80%. In this mode, the battery life increases many times over.


The specialist also advises not to expose your phone to extreme low/high temperatures. The recommended storage temperature for most batteries is 15°C (59°F), and the maximum safe temperature generally ranges from 40°C to 50°C. At an average temperature of 25°C, a lithium-ion battery will lose 20% of its maximum capacity every year. At 40 °C its capacity will drop by 35% annually. That's why it's best to avoid wireless chargers: inductive wireless chargers create excess heat that toasts your device's battery.

You can extend battery life yourself by setting your phone's screen brightness to low and turning off apps that use GPS, like location-based services, Leamer says. In areas with poor signal strength, it is recommended to turn on Airplane mode to prevent your iPhone or iPad from wasting valuable electricity searching for and connecting to nearby base stations.

After the announcement of the iPhone 7 without a 3.5 mm port, it suddenly became clear that many people prefer to listen to music while charging their smartphone. Most often this happens on the road or with an AUX connection in the car. Since the iPhone 7 uses the same port for charging and audio output, such scenarios immediately become problematic.

To be honest, in more than 3 years of using the iPhone, I have had to listen to music while charging from an external battery or network no more than five times, although I regularly drive around Moscow from one end to the other and sometimes go out of town to visit my parents. Many of my friends and Twitter readers expressed a similar opinion. Using a smartphone simultaneously with wired headphones and a charging cable is inconvenient both at home and while traveling. If you put an external battery in your pocket, you instantly look like a cyborg or a terrorist entangled in wires. This may be a problem in the subway and public places.

At home, it is much more convenient to use external acoustics (you insert the phone into the dock and it sings music and charges) or wireless speakers. Some will say that not everyone has the money for speakers, but let's be honest - this is a matter of personal convenience and love for music. If you are such a music lover that you cannot part with your phone and headphones even while charging, then finding a more convenient way for yourself would be a logical solution. Don't be chained to the socket all the time? Okay, maybe you don't like speakers, but you love headphones. Can't you really live without music for an hour and a half while your smartphone is charging, and then enjoy the sound all day?

But let's return to the problem. We already know how to listen to music from iPhone 7 without 3.5 mm. The smartphone comes with EarPods with a Lightning cable and a Lightning to 3.5 mm adapter. But what if you want to charge and enjoy the sound? There are several solutions to this problem.

1. Charge before leaving home, at work, in a cafe, gym, anywhere

Modern smartphones (not just iPhones) like to run out of charge at the most inopportune moments, so carrying an external battery or charging unit with you in a backpack or bag is a smart solution. It is this scenario that helps me and my friends not to listen to music while charging the device. Energizing your device in advance during moments of busyness, rest or sleep will save you from the problem.

2. Use a Lightning dock for iPhone

Last week, a story became popular on the Internet, the heroes of which were an unknown Internet user and Apple's senior vice president of software, Craig Federighi. The first sent a letter to the head of the corporation, Tim Cook, in which he asked whether it was necessary to remove tasks from the list of running applications in order to save battery power. “No and no again,” Federighi answered for his boss on his own Twitter.

Soon after this, foreign and domestic media began publishing a link to a special section on the Apple website, which talks about how to increase the operating time of an iOS device without recharging and extend the overall life of the built-in battery.

The page that has gained new popularity notes that the term “lifetime” in relation to a battery means exactly the period that elapses between two charges, and the definition of “lifespan” implies the time after which the battery needs to be replaced with a new one. Exactly how to extend both - translated by RG Digital.

1. Apple advises updating software promptly, as updates often include new energy-saving technologies.

2. You should avoid too high and too low temperatures when using gadgets - this applies to tablets, smartphones, and laptops. The range of comfortable temperatures is from 16 to 22 degrees Celsius, the upper limit is 35 degrees Celsius. Charging at higher temperatures may cause permanent battery damage. Use in cold conditions may reduce battery life, but this is temporary.

3. Remove cases from devices while charging. This will help them avoid overheating as charging can cause excess heat.

4. Keep gadgets half charged if you leave them for a long time. A completely discharged battery may completely lose the ability to charge in the future. In turn, a battery charged at 100 percent for a long time may lose some of its capacity. It is recommended to store devices at a temperature not exceeding 32 degrees.

5. For iPhone and iPad, there are additional ways to increase battery life. The first is to set automatic brightness, in which the device adapts to lighting conditions. The second is to keep Wi-Fi on all the time, since this access method consumes less energy.

6. iOS 9 introduced a power saving mode that warns the user when the battery is low and also reduces power consumption by disabling iCloud synchronization and AirDrop data transfer. At the same time, the ability to make calls, send SMS and access the Internet will remain. When the device is charged, the saving mode is automatically turned off.

7. According to Apple, iOS 9 has become the most energy-efficient operating system, since it has the ability to find out which applications are using the most battery power. If desired, the user can limit the background activity of the most "gluttonous" programs.

Owners of a fashionable gadget know that they need to charge their iPhone every day. It becomes a habit - I put it on charge in the evening, the battery is full in the morning. And some people believe that you can charge your iPhone only after it is completely discharged. Whose opinion is correct?

According to experts, lithium ion batteries need to be charged every day. This also applies to charging iPhones. If you want your battery to last a long time, you don't need to charge it to capacity.

How to properly charge an iPhone

Experts have the following opinions on this matter:

  • You need to charge your phone often. That is, if the charge level has not yet reached 100%, then there is no need to wait for this. And there is also no point in allowing the battery to completely discharge every day until the device is turned off. This mode is detrimental to the phone, so it is better to charge the iPhone several times a day a little at a time rather than from 0 to 100%.
  • The charge level must be kept above the average level. That is, these numbers can range from 40% to 80, and you can connect even when the battery shows a 50% charge. But it’s best to turn off charging when the battery is not yet fully charged. A 90% charge is sufficient.
  • Full discharge and 100% charge – once a month. If the battery is discharged until the device is completely turned off, you can charge it to the maximum level - 100%.
  • Many Apple product users find it convenient to charge their phone at night. In the morning the battery shows full charge. But in this way you can quickly drain the battery, because it does not charge throughout the night, and then remains in standby mode, but on recharge. This causes the battery to deteriorate faster.

How to charge an iPhone correctly - tricks or how to extend battery life

To ensure your battery lasts longer, consider the following:

  • if you constantly charge the battery to 100%, then such a device will last for a maximum of 500 cycles, while when the battery is charged only 70%, the battery life increases and then the battery will last for 2000 charging cycles;
  • Do not expose the device to hypothermia or overheating. The extreme temperature range is: from +15 degrees to +40 degrees. If there is a record high outside in the summer, the iPhone battery may lose 35% of its capacity;
  • The battery tolerates overheating worse than hypothermia. Therefore, it is better to refuse a wireless charger or use it in case of emergency, when it is not possible to connect to the network. All wireless charging creates excess heat and wears out the battery life;
  • You can extend the life of your iPhone battery in this way: reduce the screen brightness, turn off those applications that use GPS navigation. If the signal is bad and the phone is in standby mode, then it is better to turn on the “Airplane” mode;
  • turn on the “Energy Saving” mode. To do this, go to “Settings” - “Battery”, make the appropriate mark “On”.