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is it ok to leave an iPhone plugged in
- Thread starter iCheese
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It should take care of itself.... any problem with overcharging etc would only be through faulty hardware.
I see no reason not to leave it plugged in for extended periods, as long as the battery is getting used on a regular basis to keep it healthy. it's a phone so it's pretty much taken for granted that it won't be plugged in permanently (like a laptop being used as a desktop replacement could be) and will thus have some electrons flowing every now and again to keep the battery happy.
Go for it imo...
I see no reason not to leave it plugged in for extended periods, as long as the battery is getting used on a regular basis to keep it healthy. it's a phone so it's pretty much taken for granted that it won't be plugged in permanently (like a laptop being used as a desktop replacement could be) and will thus have some electrons flowing every now and again to keep the battery happy.
Go for it imo...
I am just wondering because I prefer to have a fully charged battery when I leave the house, just in case. If I am sitting at my laptop I would like to leave the phone plugged in sometimes, just to charge up the battery and do some syncing. I would rather not unplug it any more than necessary.
This is not true.
Once the battery is fully charged, you'll notice the icon in the upper-right changes from the lightning bolt to a plug. That means the phone is running on power straight from the outlet. You can't "overcharge" the battery.
For a more in-depth explanation of all things iPhone battery, see this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/525741/
Like I said, it shouldn't be a problem.
If it was plugged in for days on end, yes you would get worse battery life over time, but as long as the thing gets used off the charger and the battery gets a bit of "exercise" it'll be fine, i imagine you'd discharge a fair bit every day anyway.
from apple:
"Use iPhone Regularly
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, its 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)."
full link http://www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html
If it was plugged in for days on end, yes you would get worse battery life over time, but as long as the thing gets used off the charger and the battery gets a bit of "exercise" it'll be fine, i imagine you'd discharge a fair bit every day anyway.
from apple:
"Use iPhone Regularly
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, its 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)."
full link http://www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html
Here is how I handle my batter7:
Once a month, I run the phone till it cuts off due to 0% battery.
Other than that, I use it all day, plug it up at night and leave it plugged up over night.
Haven't had a single issue or noticed any battery degradation.
Hope this helps.
Once a month, I run the phone till it cuts off due to 0% battery.
Other than that, I use it all day, plug it up at night and leave it plugged up over night.
Haven't had a single issue or noticed any battery degradation.
Hope this helps.
It's important to note that this is likely done for battery circuitry recalibration issues, and not for the battery itself. Periodically, the battery meter circuitry needs to be recalibrated (so that it properly reads 100%, etc.). Reference:
You really shouldn't say things like this around here unless you're willing to provide evidence.
People call it FUD.
Not talking about overcharging the battery, but leaving it plugged in for days without discharging, leading to worse performance over time.
I imagine you had a duff battery....
I've never had a problem with any lipo battery by using it in such a manner.
If it's anything like a laptop battery...
When i asked about laptop batteries at the apple store they specifically said that leaving the laptop plugged in basically causes repeated charging cycles and WILL actually reduce the lifespan of the battery. Note that for laptop batteries they're often associated with a certain number of charge cycles--this is why my MBP battery is fairly worthless now.
So if the iphone battery is anything like a laptop's, I would think it could be an issue.
update: just read this from the apple site (http://www.apple.com/batteries/), so I suppose I'd go with this before a techie at the apple store
"A charge cycle means using all of the battery’s power, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a single charge. For instance, you could listen to your iPod for a few hours one day, using half its power, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two, so you may take several days to complete a cycle. Each time you complete a charge cycle, it diminishes battery capacity slightly, but you can put notebook, iPod, and iPhone batteries through many charge cycles before they will only hold 80% of original battery capacity. As with other rechargeable batteries, you may eventually need to replace your battery."
When i asked about laptop batteries at the apple store they specifically said that leaving the laptop plugged in basically causes repeated charging cycles and WILL actually reduce the lifespan of the battery. Note that for laptop batteries they're often associated with a certain number of charge cycles--this is why my MBP battery is fairly worthless now.
So if the iphone battery is anything like a laptop's, I would think it could be an issue.
update: just read this from the apple site (http://www.apple.com/batteries/), so I suppose I'd go with this before a techie at the apple store
"A charge cycle means using all of the battery’s power, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a single charge. For instance, you could listen to your iPod for a few hours one day, using half its power, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two, so you may take several days to complete a cycle. Each time you complete a charge cycle, it diminishes battery capacity slightly, but you can put notebook, iPod, and iPhone batteries through many charge cycles before they will only hold 80% of original battery capacity. As with other rechargeable batteries, you may eventually need to replace your battery."
Other things to note about lithium-ion batteries:
- The battery starts to slowly degrade once it's made. You really can't do anything about that (and it's also a good reason for not buying a "spare" unused battery, for those devices with replaceable batteries).
- Heat decreases the battery longevity. DO NOT LEAVE THE iPhone IN THE SUN. This may also be an issue with laptops, as the circuitry around the battery can get warm/hot. Low temperatures increase battery longevity (but note that you shouldn't charge the battery once it gets below freezing).
that's exactly what I do. Except I usually fully recharge mine once every other day. I usually don't need to recharge it every night, sometimes I do though.
but for the most part, I let it completely die once a month, then fully recharge it to 100%. The rest of the time I just recharge it as needed.
It doesn't sounds like he's talking more than a couple days at most. He occasionally takes it out of the house but when he's home he leaves it in the charger at as much as possible.
I do this myself since I work from home and only occasionally do errands. You should have no issues with battery life. What you're doing is fine.
They're talking about leaving it for truly extended periods...like I do with my Dell laptop. It is a 17" laptop with a lot of power that has effectively become a desktop. It's battery life (on a brand new battery) is pitiful...but then again it was made as a gaming laptop...not a battery king. Also it's a pain to lug around so I just leave it there as a desktop hooked up to my 24" HDTV for dual monitors. It sits there for months at a time. I try to remember to discharge the battery at least once a month to try to keep it in good condition and properly reporting the battery level.
I do this myself since I work from home and only occasionally do errands. You should have no issues with battery life. What you're doing is fine.
They're talking about leaving it for truly extended periods...like I do with my Dell laptop. It is a 17" laptop with a lot of power that has effectively become a desktop. It's battery life (on a brand new battery) is pitiful...but then again it was made as a gaming laptop...not a battery king. Also it's a pain to lug around so I just leave it there as a desktop hooked up to my 24" HDTV for dual monitors. It sits there for months at a time. I try to remember to discharge the battery at least once a month to try to keep it in good condition and properly reporting the battery level.
I leave mine in over night to charge it. So I know it is 100% before I unplug it in the morning. I seriously doubt, like you said, it does any damage to it, or if it does, it is minimal.
haha my laptop sounds just like yours. my MacBook Pro last about an hour or less off my charger. I've used the heck out of it though, and leave it plugged in a lot.
I do the same thing and so do a few other friends with iPhones and they claim it's no issue but I only charge it when I need it outside of overnight charging.