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itsmeorthedog

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 8, 2013
76
18
Is turning off the iPhone every night OK or will it damage the phone in the long run?

Just curious....
 
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hg.wells

macrumors 65816
Apr 1, 2013
1,055
785
I would avoid turning it off every night. If it’s notifications you don’t want try using the do not disturb feature during certain hours.
 
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jeyf

macrumors 68020
Jan 20, 2009
2,173
1,044
turning it off cant do any harm
with the phone off verify the battery is being charged
do it if you want.
 

now i see it

macrumors G4
Jan 2, 2002
11,118
23,841
Any time the phone is on, either in standby or actively being used or during charging, the battery is being used. The more it is being used, the faster it accumulates load cycles. The more load cycles the battery has, the more it has aged. Since its a good practice to reboot the phone every few days anyway, turning it off every night is a good idea if you dont need it.
Ive turned off my 5 year old iPhone 6 every night for 5 years. It runs exactly the same as the day I got it. Original battery too.
 

Deifie

macrumors regular
Apr 6, 2016
157
310
For most users the power needed to shut down and boot up is much higher than the power during standby over night...
 
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BigDO

macrumors 65816
Dec 9, 2012
1,327
2,046
Any time the phone is on, either in standby or actively being used or during charging, the battery is being used. The more it is being used, the faster it accumulates load cycles. The more load cycles the battery has, the more it has aged. Since its a good practice to reboot the phone every few days anyway, turning it off every night is a good idea if you dont need it.
Ive turned off my 5 year old iPhone 6 every night for 5 years. It runs exactly the same as the day I got it. Original battery too.

This is just ridiculous, and completely pointless.
 

Deifie

macrumors regular
Apr 6, 2016
157
310
That’s just nonsense.
Why?
During shutdown and boot there are many files needed to be stored and read from memory.
This consumes more power than sitting in idle mode or even flightmode for some hours.
If you don´t use flightmode the power consumption depends also on the cell reception, therefore for some users with bad reception the consumption in standby with flightmode disabled could be higher than during shutdown and boot.
 

MarkX

macrumors 65816
Sep 10, 2015
1,150
1,389
Fochabers, Scotland
Why?
During shutdown and boot there are many files needed to be stored and read from memory.
This consumes more power than sitting in idle mode or even flightmode for some hours.
If you don´t use flightmode the power consumption depends also on the cell reception, therefore for some users with bad reception the consumption in standby with flightmode disabled could be higher than during shutdown and boot.
I have just fully powered down and switched on my pixel 5 three times in a row without losing a single percentage point.

However, if I leave the same phone on my side table at while I sleep, I on average lose approximately 4 - 5 percent overnight.

The facts speak for themselves. You could argue and say why not put the phone in flight mode! If you do that then you're just as well switching the phone off are you not?
 

Deifie

macrumors regular
Apr 6, 2016
157
310
No, in flightmode you just switch off the wireless connectivity, not the complete phone.
You are aware that the reported percentage of your battery is non linear and also not the "real" level?
 

BigMcGuire

Cancelled
Jan 10, 2012
9,832
14,031
The last phone I turned off at night was a flip phone in the late 90s that had the habit of chewing through the battery on standby. Some Motorola flip phone, I can't even remember anymore.

I've let all my iPhones enjoy silence with a Do Not Disturb schedule that only allows people on my contacts list to contact me past a certain time.

I agree with the other posters here, rebooting the phone takes a good chunk of juice - I don't think you're going to gain that much in battery longevity by turning off your phone at night - which, fyi, only really benefits you if it is around 40-60%.

My view? These are tools, not pristine growing investments. In the case of an emergency, I want my phone available and ready to assist me and my family in any means possible. We've had to evacuate our house because of a massive fire here in California before. Having my phone off and at 40% is not worth the tiny battery savings imo. A phone can be a flashlight, a means of calling for help, and a means for others to contact you in their time of need or your time of need.
 

MarkX

macrumors 65816
Sep 10, 2015
1,150
1,389
Fochabers, Scotland
No, in flightmode you just switch off the wireless connectivity, not the complete phone.
You are aware that the reported percentage of your battery is non linear and also not the "real" level?
You're argument is the equivalent of the one that went on in the motor industry a few years back.

The myth was that stop/start systems(now common place in cars)actually used more fuel than leaving the car running when stopped at lights for a period of time.

The American Automobile Association did a study and found that the fuel savings were between 5 and 7 percent, not a massive amount but over time it soon adds up.

I know a smartphone isn't a car but the principle is the same.

I however, simply use the DND feature and couldn't give a toss about a few percent.
 
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eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,399
27,973
My view? These are tools, not pristine growing investments. In the case of an emergency, I want my phone available and ready to assist me and my family in any means possible. We've had to evacuate our house because of a massive fire here in California before. Having my phone off and at 40% is not worth the tiny battery savings imo. A phone can be a flashlight, a means of calling for help, and a means for others to contact you in their time of need or your time of need.
This.

We gave up home landline service about 17 years ago. If our phones are not on at night and there is an emergency, there's no immediate way to call for help or to contact us.

People get wrapped up in battery life when they should just be using the phone. The gains are insignificant in the long run.
 

snipr125

macrumors 68000
Oct 17, 2015
1,916
2,972
UK
This.

We gave up home landline service about 17 years ago. If our phones are not on at night and there is an emergency, there's no immediate way to call for help or to contact us.

People get wrapped up in battery life when they should just be using the phone. The gains are insignificant in the long run.
In the last couple of years, my Mum called me in a panicked state in the early hours twice as my dad had gone Hypoglycaemic due his diabetes. I immediately called the paramedic, got dressed and drove to their house about 10 miles away, and thankfully the paramedics revived him on both occasions (the second time took a while). Its that call in the middle of the night from your parents where you fear the worst, but if my phone had been 'OFF' I dread to think what would have happened.
 

itsmeorthedog

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 8, 2013
76
18
I have a iPad and a PC that I use while at the house, so everyone I know can contact me and I can contact them with that.

I use my iPhone when at work and when I’m out and about. I don’t see the point in using both devices when at the house, when the wife has a phone, tablet, MacBook...
 

BigMcGuire

Cancelled
Jan 10, 2012
9,832
14,031
I have a iPad and a PC that I use while at the house, so everyone I know can contact me and I can contact them with that.

I use my iPhone when at work and when I’m out and about. I don’t see the point in using both devices when at the house, when the wife has a phone, tablet, MacBook...
Well there you go. My wife does all the social media for me. I don't have Facebook but I know a lot of my family uses it so she keeps me updated on things like that. :) lol.
 

itsmeorthedog

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 8, 2013
76
18
Well there you go. My wife does all the social media for me. I don't have Facebook but I know a lot of my family uses it so she keeps me updated on things like that. :) lol.
This is my first iPhone, so wanted to make sure turning it off when i am at the house everyday did nothing "bad' to the device.
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,399
27,973
In the last couple of years, my Mum called me in a panicked state in the early hours twice as my dad had gone Hypoglycaemic due his diabetes. I immediately called the paramedic, got dressed and drove to their house about 10 miles away, and thankfully the paramedics revived him on both occasions (the second time took a while). Its that call in the middle of the night from your parents where you fear the worst, but if my phone had been 'OFF' I dread to think what would have happened.
Yes, this is one particular reason we leave our phones on. Both my wife and I have family in different states. My mom will be 80 in a couple of days. It's just important that people be able to reach us.

I see no difference between this and having a landline - except that it's a cellphone. You can't 'turn off' your landline, you can only unplug it from the wall. And if you do that you are being intentional about not being reachable.
 
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sparksd

macrumors G3
Jun 7, 2015
9,777
32,497
Seattle WA
This is my first iPhone, so wanted to make sure turning it off when i am at the house everyday did nothing "bad' to the device.
It won't hurt it turning it off and leaving it on will have minimal battery health impact over the time you'll have the phone. Bottom line, it doesn't matter either way.
 
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svish

macrumors G4
Nov 25, 2017
10,889
27,778
There is no need to turn off iPhone daily during night. Even if you do turn off, there is no harm done.
 

bd700pilot

macrumors member
Oct 10, 2018
72
33
Is turning off the iPhone every night OK or will it damage the phone in the long run?

Just curious....
Doesn’t matter, do what you like. Bigger fish to fry in your life. I reboot every few days. Not concerned with the ridiculous arguments here about the negligible power consumption differences between shutting down vs keeping on. Current OS and devices have smart charging features to prolong your battery lifetime. If your phone works fine and apps don’t crash, don’t bother worrying about rebooting. Carry on...
 
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