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Best ways to charge your iPhone. How I changed and you should too

I believe this method will result in less battery wear and lead to a longer battery lifespan.

Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributor on Feb. 10, 2022

How do you charge your iPhone in the best way for it's battery life? I asked myself this same question and decided to do some experimenting. Here's what happened next!

Before going to sleep, I used to do what millions of other people do: I charged my iPhone while I slept.

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It's what you're supposed to do, right?

A few weeks ago, it struck me as a very strange way to charge something, especially something that can charge up as quickly as the new iPhone 13 can. You're looking at a 50% charge in about 30 minutes using a 20W charger.

Also: iOS 15.2.1: An unexpected bug fix for the iPhone

Now, Apple has baked Optimized Battery Charging into iOS, which stops the iPhone from charging once the battery hits 80% and only adds the final 20% in time for you to wake up in the morning. But this still means that the iPhone is attached to power all night.

That's a good chunk of time -- up to a third of its life. Maybe more.

Well, I've radically changed how I charge my iPhone.

Rather than charge it at night, I give it a charge or two during the day. This is the charging schedule that works for me:

I put it on for 30 to 45 minutes in the morning after I get up (I also charge up my Apple Watch at the same time).
Then I charge it around mid-afternoon for another 30 minutes or so to bring it to that 80% mark, which usually will be enough to see me through to the next morning.

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Note that if I'm going to be spending a lot of time in the car or out and about, I'll also use a car charger or carry a power bank with me.

This system works well, and I believe it puts less stress on the iPhone's battery (time will tell) as well as the charger. It also makes me plan where I need my chargers, so I'm not just relying on a bedside charger.

And when I'm at home, working on the road, or traveling, this charging regime hasn't let me down.

Because people always ask, I still charge using a cable rather than wireless, and I use a 20W Anker Nano USB-C charger. For portable power banks, I've been using the candy-bar sized 6700mAh Anker Astro E1 and the larger 10,000mAh Anker PowerCore 10000 Redux. Both are portable, rugged, reliable, and fantastic power banks. Just don't forget to bring a charging cable!