Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Other Tips to Maximizing Battery Health

Banglazed

Banglazed

macrumors 603
Original poster
Apr 17, 2017
5,020
9,559
Cupertino, CA
Lithium-ion batteries provide the best performance because they can last longer and charge more efficiently. As such, I believe users should be more informed on how to properly charge their device. There are many misconception on how to properly charge our iPhone or iPad.

These batteries can deliver 100% of its original capacity during the first year. However, Apple guarantees the battery will maintain 80% of its original capacity after 500 charge for iPhone, 1000 cycles for iPad and MacBook within the warranty period with free battery replacement.

The problem with battery degrading over time is due to us, users, who contribute to the chemical aging of the battery over time from heavy use by increasing the rate of discharge, fast charging by increasing heat in the device and constantly charging the device from 0-100%. These factors have one thing in common, heat rapidly degrades the battery than charge cycles. As such, the ideal temperature is 62° to 72° F (16° to 22° C).

Tips:
1. Keep device at room temperature.
2. Minimize excessive screen brightness that may contribute to heat
3. Keeping stored device at least 50% charged
3. Charge with OEM parts or MFI and without any heat conductive cases.
4. Minimize fast charge to only quick juice
5. Maintain partial discharge and charge within between 10-80%.
6. Avoid full discharge but allow a full charge once in awhile to re-calibrate the battery
7. Turning device off once in awhile can increase performance than letting the device fully discharge
8. Enable low power mode (may throttle) to extend battery life during that period
9. Avoid overnight charge
10. Turn off features you rarely use or have no need (Background App Refresh, Airdrop, True Tone, Raise to Wake etc)

Short version: As for myself, I maintain my charge between 5-80% with the best battery experience.

Give it a try and let me know if it improve your battery or not!

Sources:
https://www.apple.com/batteries/
https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/
https://www.apple.com/batteries/service-and-recycling/
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-.../#and-unplug-your-phone-once-it-reaches-100-7
 
Banglazed said:
Lithium-ion batteries provide the best performance because they can last longer and charge more efficiently. As such, I believe users should be more informed on how to properly charge their device. There are many misconception on how to properly charge our iPhone or iPad.

These batteries can deliver 100% of its original capacity during the first year. However, Apple guarantees the battery will maintain 80% of its original capacity after 500 charge for iPhone, 1000 cycles for iPad and MacBook within the warranty period with free battery replacement.

The problem with battery degrading over time is due to us, users, who contribute to the chemical aging of the battery over time from heavy use by increasing the rate of discharge, fast charging by increasing heat in the device and constantly charging the device from 0-100%. These factors have one thing in common, heat rapidly degrades the battery than charge cycles. As such, the ideal temperature is 62° to 72° F (16° to 22° C).

Tips:
1. Keep device at room temperature.
2. Minimize excessive screen brightness that may contribute to heat
3. Keeping stored device at least 50% charged
3. Charge with OEM parts or MFI and without any heat conductive cases.
4. Minimize fast charge to only quick juice
5. Maintain partial discharge and charge within between 10-80%.
6. Avoid full discharge but allow a full charge once in awhile to re-calibrate the battery
7. Turning device off once in awhile can increase performance than letting the device fully discharge
8. Enable low power mode (may throttle) to extend battery life during that period
9. Avoid overnight charge
10. Turn off features you rarely use or have no need (Background App Refresh, Airdrop, True Tone, Raise to Wake etc)

Short version: As for myself, I maintain my charge between 5-80% with the best battery experience.

Give it a try and let me know if it improve your battery or not!

Sources:
https://www.apple.com/batteries/
https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/
https://www.apple.com/batteries/service-and-recycling/
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-.../#and-unplug-your-phone-once-it-reaches-100-7
Click to expand...

#9 is total crap. There is no negative to charging overnight. None.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jtinch, addamas, BearBert and 3 others
Charging overnight shouldn't really result in something that needs to be avoided.

Not sure about the whole part about turning the device off once in a while increasing performance in relation to battery life.

Also the part about discharging and changing fully once in a while to recalibrate, it doesn't really recalibrate the battery but can recalibrate the meter that measures how full the battery is. That said, seems like while Apple had some information about that some time ago, they no longer mention it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eyoungren and BigMcGuire
Seth Matthews said:
#9 is total crap. There is no negative to charging overnight. None.
Click to expand...

It keeps the batteries within the 80/20 rule. Ideally, you don't want to perform a full charge or a full discharge. You'll gain more cycles out of the battery.

Tesla for example, recommends to only daily charge to 90% capacity. Charge to 100% only when needed for long trips.
 
Are you kidding me? I'm going to be sure that my 6 month old phone needs a new battery at the reduced price by the end of this year. I'm playing within their rules.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applejuiced
JPack said:
It keeps the batteries within the 80/20 rule. Ideally, you don't want to perform a full charge or a full discharge. You'll gain more cycles out of the battery.

Tesla for example, recommends to only daily charge to 90% capacity. Charge to 100% only when needed for long trips.
Click to expand...
While I do charge overnight... can confirm the Tesla thing. It’s actually a setting that prevents charge getting to 100%.
 
  • Charge to 80% cut off iPhone and place in 72º low humidity environment.
  • About once a month charge battery back to 80% and cut off and place in 72º low humidity environment.
  • Battery should last about 10 to 15 years.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Newtons Apple
JPack said:
It keeps the batteries within the 80/20 rule. Ideally, you don't want to perform a full charge or a full discharge. You'll gain more cycles out of the battery.

Tesla for example, recommends to only daily charge to 90% capacity. Charge to 100% only when needed for long trips.
Click to expand...

Show me proof that charging overnight damages the iPhone battery. Not what someone says or recommends...show me tests that can be repeated and offer the same result.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eyoungren
Seth Matthews said:
Show me proof that charging overnight damages the iPhone battery. Not what someone says or recommends...show me tests that can be repeated and offer the same result.
Click to expand...
First of all, EVERYTHING degrades a lithium cell. Time, temperature, charging, discharging. Lithium cells start degrading the moment they are manufactured and continue to degrade until they are recycled. But time spent at 100% charge and time spent near 0% charge are particularly damaging. What the OP is trying to minimize by avoiding an overnight charge is time spent being forcibly held at 100% charge. Since none of us have access to actual datasheets, the impact on cell service life from being held at 100% charge (say) 8 hours per day is difficult to quantify.

In addition to being a long time cellphone and laptop user and a retired electrical engineer, I also have been flying electric model aircraft for a couple decades and in that capacity as well as professionally, I have looked more closely at the characteristics of lithium cells than a casual user. I was particularly surprised (when I finally DID get my hands on a real datasheet) at the rate of degradation vs. cell voltage, which started increasing slightly BEFORE 100% charge (4.2V/cell) and continued to increase exponentially at and beyond 4.2V/cell. The increase in degradation with increasing voltage was such that even small calibration issues with the charge circuitry could noticeably increase cell degradation.

Over the years I have adopted a use protocol for my aircraft batteries where I store them between 20% and 80% charged. I never keep them fully charged for more than a couple hours. This simple protocol has dramatically increased the service life of my lithium cells and it is applicable to phone batteries as well. If you talk to the electric vehicle manufacturers you will find they do the same thing to minimize cell degradation.

Probably more than you want to know, but there IS some logic behind much of the OP's guidelines. How practical it is depends on the individual user.

Paul
 
  • Like
Reactions: rui no onna
So sounds like basically don't use your phone at all. Or spend half your waking life worrying about your battery and get maybe 50 more cycles out of it- thats diminishing returns.

Would it be better to just do whatever and get a new battery or phone if needed?

Even if you did all those things its no guarantee you would have helped your battery. It definitely increases your chances but it doesn't guarantee anything, I feel that battery chemistry is not an exact science(am not trained or certified expert).
 
  • Like
Reactions: eyoungren
pgoelz said:
First of all, EVERYTHING degrades a lithium cell. Time, temperature, charging, discharging. Lithium cells start degrading the moment they are manufactured and continue to degrade until they are recycled. But time spent at 100% charge and time spent near 0% charge are particularly damaging. What the OP is trying to minimize by avoiding an overnight charge is time spent being forcibly held at 100% charge. Since none of us have access to actual datasheets, the impact on cell service life from being held at 100% charge (say) 8 hours per day is difficult to quantify.

In addition to being a long time cellphone and laptop user and a retired electrical engineer, I also have been flying electric model aircraft for a couple decades and in that capacity as well as professionally, I have looked more closely at the characteristics of lithium cells than a casual user. I was particularly surprised (when I finally DID get my hands on a real datasheet) at the rate of degradation vs. cell voltage, which started increasing slightly BEFORE 100% charge (4.2V/cell) and continued to increase exponentially at and beyond 4.2V/cell. The increase in degradation with increasing voltage was such that even small calibration issues with the charge circuitry could noticeably increase cell degradation.

Over the years I have adopted a use protocol for my aircraft batteries where I store them between 20% and 80% charged. I never keep them fully charged for more than a couple hours. This simple protocol has dramatically increased the service life of my lithium cells and it is applicable to phone batteries as well. If you talk to the electric vehicle manufacturers you will find they do the same thing to minimize cell degradation.

Probably more than you want to know, but there IS some logic behind much of the OP's guidelines. How practical it is depends on the individual user.

Paul
Click to expand...

Interesting. However, I have been charging my iPhones overnight for years, and I have never had to get a new battery and have never had any issues with my phones. So, real world, it doesn't matter.
 
  • Like
Reactions: andresandiego and Newtons Apple
Banglazed said:
Tips:
1. Keep device at room temperature.
2. Minimize excessive screen brightness that may contribute to heat
3. Keeping stored device at least 50% charged
3. Charge with OEM parts or MFI and without any heat conductive cases.
4. Minimize fast charge to only quick juice
5. Maintain partial discharge and charge within between 10-80%.
6. Avoid full discharge but allow a full charge once in awhile to re-calibrate the battery
7. Turning device off once in awhile can increase performance than letting the device fully discharge
8. Enable low power mode (may throttle) to extend battery life during that period
9. Avoid overnight charge
10. Turn off features you rarely use or have no need (Background App Refresh, Airdrop, True Tone, Raise to Wake etc)
Click to expand...
1. I live in Phoenix, Arizona and the primary car I drive has no air conditioning and the windows do not roll down. Not going to happen.
2. I use the Autobrightness tweak.
3. I use my device. Don't store it.
4. No fast charging with an iPhone 6s+
5. I use my phone and pay no attention to this.
6. Phone goes on charger at night and sits with screen on (clock app) all night. Full charge in the morning.
7. Device restarts at 7:30 am every weekday morning via a scheduled Activator action.
8. In over two years I have dropped below 10 percent less than 5 times.
9. Nope. Un-unh. Not going to happen. I use my iPhone as a nightstand clock as I have every phone I've had since 2009.
10. Already off. Either have no need for them or devices that are not compatible.

I have less than 300 cycles on my iPhone and go to bed with no less than 70% of battery every night. My iPhone is off charger from 5:30am to midnight.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applejuiced
eyoungren said:
1. I live in Phoenix, Arizona and the primary car I drive has no air conditioning and the windows do not roll down. Not going to happen.
2. I use the Autobrightness tweak.
3. I use my device. Don't store it.
4. No fast charging with an iPhone 6s+
5. I use my phone and pay no attention to this.
6. Phone goes on charger at night and sits with screen on (clock app) all night. Full charge in the morning.
7. Device restarts at 7:30 am every weekday morning via a scheduled Activator action.
8. In over two years I have dropped below 10 percent less than 5 times.
9. Nope. Un-unh. Not going to happen. I use my iPhone as a nightstand clock as I have every phone I've had since 2009.
10. Already off. Either have no need for them or devices that are not compatible.

I have less than 300 cycles on my iPhone and go to bed with no less than 70% of battery every night. My iPhone is off charger from 5:30am to midnight.
Click to expand...

My pops used to say.. only AC this thing has is 4/75 .. 4 windows at 75 mph.. we restored a lot of cars.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applejuiced and eyoungren
Gryfter said:
Its not about damaging, its about prolonging the battery for those who dont upgrade their phones every 1-2 years.

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

Have fun reading!!!
Click to expand...

Again, I pass my iPhones down every year to my wife, then child, etc. Meaning we have each phone up to my child for three years, yet I charge my iPhones overnight and have no issues with the battery on ANY of those phones. So, real world, it doesn't matter. Charging it overnight isn't going to matter.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applejuiced
PBz said:
My pops used to say.. only AC this thing has is 4/75 .. 4 windows at 75 mph.. we restored a lot of cars.
Click to expand...
If only my car had manual windows! :(

Unfortunately they are all power windows so unless I want the public traipsing through my parked car or borrowing it and not returning it I have to keep them up.

Right PITA when i's over 110º out during summer though. ;)
 
The problem with instructions like this is the user doesn't really know what 0% and 100% are versus what the battery meter displays. I know the phone will not let you completely discharge the battery but I don't know how close 0% is to fully discharged and I have no idea if 100% is really a 100% charge or not.

IMO, just let the built in charging logic deal with the battery and don't spend time worrying about it. If the battery does fail, the cost to replace is trivial compared to all the time wasted "managing" the battery manually.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cyb3rdud3 and eyoungren
rui no onna said:
Nah. That's only if you don't want battery health to affect device performance. :p

Battery will still deteriorate with use regardless of iOS version. It just won't slow down your phone. ;)
Click to expand...

While the physical battery will deteriorate over time... I can’t begin to tell you how many posts I’ve seen by other people on how iOS 11 decreased the battery life on their iPhones 7 or below.

I feel major iOS updates on older models have the potential to decrease both performance and battery life.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applejuiced
I for one find threads like this very useful, at least in helping me not do something glaringly wrong.

As long as Apple doesn't hold me responsible for following it to a "T" or otherwise I am "abusing" my phone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back