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.
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:
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!