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Hobie99

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 12, 2014
8
0
Is it still recommended to completely discharge the battery for the first couple of cycles?

Thanks.
 

Shadowbech

macrumors G3
Oct 18, 2011
9,038
5,894
No it's not necessary to do a full discharge and full charge on your first charge. They already come pre-conditioned. Just use it normally and you will be fine. Apple does recommend to do a full drain once a month to calibrate the accuracy reading.
 

Weaselboy

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2005
34,174
15,698
California

https://www.apple.com/batteries/why-lithium-ion/

You can read a bit about it here. The battery is designed to last at least XX full charge cycles (I believe it is 400 cycles for a iPhone). One cycle would be if the battery is 100% and you run it down to zero, then recharge to 100%.

So lets say you use your phone all day and the battery is at 50% and you charge it back to 100% overnight. If you did that two days in a row you will have used one full cycle. No problem.

Now you decide to run the battery down to zero for no reason (lithium ion batteries don't need to be discharged to maintain them) two times. You have just used up two battery cycles for no reason at all and shortened the life of your battery by two cycles. Not the end of the world if you do it once (still not needed though), but if you do this all the time like some people thing they need to, it adds up to a bunch of wasted battery cycles and a battery that does not last as long as it otherwise would have.
 

spazma7ik

macrumors 6502a
Sep 12, 2009
926
359
https://www.apple.com/batteries/why-lithium-ion/

You can read a bit about it here. The battery is designed to last at least XX full charge cycles (I believe it is 400 cycles for a iPhone). One cycle would be if the battery is 100% and you run it down to zero, then recharge to 100%.

So lets say you use your phone all day and the battery is at 50% and you charge it back to 100% overnight. If you did that two days in a row you will have used one full cycle. No problem.

Now you decide to run the battery down to zero for no reason (lithium ion batteries don't need to be discharged to maintain them) two times. You have just used up two battery cycles for no reason at all and shortened the life of your battery by two cycles. Not the end of the world if you do it once (still not needed though), but if you do this all the time like some people thing they need to, it adds up to a bunch of wasted battery cycles and a battery that does not last as long as it otherwise would have.

Except the part where a full drain and charge to 100% will last twice as long as a 50% drain and recharge, so it amounts to the exact same thing which is why you should think before posting such nonsense.
 

bitslap47

macrumors 6502a
Jul 9, 2007
634
353
Except the part where a full drain and charge to 100% will last twice as long as a 50% drain and recharge, so it amounts to the exact same thing which is why you should think before posting such nonsense.

No.

100% drain to 50% then charge back to 100%lasts just as long as 100% drain to 0% charge back to 100%.
 

Weaselboy

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2005
34,174
15,698
California
Except the part where a full drain and charge to 100% will last twice as long as a 50% drain and recharge, so it amounts to the exact same thing which is why you should think before posting such nonsense.

Firstly, no need for the insult.

Secondly, I fully understand 50% x 2 equals 100% and I even explained that in my comment. My point is that intentionally discharging to zero and back to 100% just to "condition" the battery needlessly uses up charge cycles.

If you are using your phone and it happens to run down to zero, I am not saying that hurts a thing. I am saying running it to zero by intentionally running down the battery to condition just adds cycles you would not have otherwise used.
 

Crichton333

macrumors 6502
May 4, 2014
344
32
I thought that was like 90s battery advice, modern ones are high tech. No need for that no more.
 
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