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Charging The Iphone 4 Every Night

A

AdamCohen13

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 27, 2011
36
0
Hey guys,
Just got my first iPhone 4 and I just have a quick question about how to charge the battery. I normally have charged every single phone I've owned at night when I get to sleep and I then proceed to take it off the charger and use it throughout the day. I have been told this may shorten the battery life on the Iphone since the battery itself only can take about 300 recharge cycles before losing its power holding capacity. If I only get the phone down to about 60-65% in a typical day's use, should I charge it once every night, or should I wait for the phone to go below, say 20%, to charge it?

What counts as a full cycle? Would charging from 0% to 100% be the same as charging from 60% to 100%?

Thanks guys!

(Sorry if this has been asked before)
 
So charging every night would have no effect on my battery then I assume? It may even be better so that at night I am not draining the battery while I'm sleeping and can get that battery use out later.
 
AdamCohen13 said:
So charging every night would have no effect on my battery then I assume? It may even be better so that at night I am not draining the battery while I'm sleeping and can get that battery use out later.
Click to expand...

When a device is fully chargen it wont gain more battery so don't worry about it, charge it every night.
 
You are fine with charging it at night like you are doing. There is info on this topic on this forum and also on apples website. I don't have links offhand though, but i've had the same concern as you and found lots of info.
 
I charge it every other night. Usually has about 60% by the end of the day, let it run to 20% the next day.
 
NWI73 said:
You are fine with charging it at night like you are doing. There is info on this topic on this forum and also on apples website. I don't have links offhand though, but i've had the same concern as you and found lots of info.
Click to expand...

Alright, thanks man, just wanted someone to confirm that it won't mess the battery up. :)
 
Also, the 300 cycle limit means that a flawless battery should have at least 80% of its original capacity left after 300 cycles. It won't suddenly drop after 300 cycles, the capacity goes down steadily all the time.

I need to charge my 3GS every night, otherwise I may end up with a brick in my pocket.
 
AdamCohen13 said:
So charging every night would have no effect on my battery then I assume? It may even be better so that at night I am not draining the battery while I'm sleeping and can get that battery use out later.
Click to expand...

They may be issue with battery calibration and battery memory in that you want to run it all the way down every now and then.
 
If you are a heavy user, you'll be at 10% by the end of the night and essentially have a full charge every night. Your battery won't gain a memory.
 
Genocide said:
Contrary to what has been said, every rechargeable battery does retain a memory, though they are much less significant in comparison to batteries ten years ago. The memory is formed by recharging the battery before it has lost its entire charge. This forms a chemical barrier in the battery that builds up over time and prevents full use of the battery's capacity

To prevent this, a full discharge every week or two will stop this chemical barrier from forming.

Otherwise, it is perfectly fine to charge your phone before the battery is fully drained, just remember to discharge it completely at least twice a month.
Click to expand...

Are you sure you are not confusing nickel-cadium batteries with lithium ion polymer? From this link:

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

Similar to a mechanical device that wears out faster with heavy use, so also does the depth of discharge (DoD) determine the cycle count. The smaller the depth of discharge, the longer the battery will last. If at all possible, avoid frequent full discharges and charge more often between uses. If full discharges cannot be avoided, try utilizing a larger battery. Partial discharge on Li-ion is fine; there is no memory and the battery does not need periodic full discharge cycles other than to calibrate the fuel gauge on a smart battery.
Click to expand...
 
From Apple:

Use iPhone Regularly
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).

http://www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html
 
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