It's a common habit to plug in your phone before bed and let it charge overnight. However, for the long-term health of your battery, it’s actually better to stop charging when it hits around 80 percent, rather than fully topping it off every time.
Recognizing this, many phone manufacturers have introduced features that help manage battery charging more effectively. For instance, Android phones now offer custom alerts at specific charge levels, like 80 percent, to help you manage your battery's health.
Different phones offer various ways to manage this. In this article, we’ll focus on Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices, but other models may have similar features. Even iPhones can be set to stop charging at 80 percent.
Why shouldn’t you charge your phone to 100 percent?
While it’s perfectly safe to charge your phone to 100 percent, regularly doing so can shorten the lifespan of your battery. Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in most modern smartphones, are prone to wear and tear over time. Keeping the charge level between 80 and 85 percent can significantly extend the life of these batteries.
This wear and tear occur due to the chemical aging process within the battery. Charging a battery that’s already full is like adding water to a sponge that’s already soaked; it accelerates the degradation process. Samsung, Apple, and other manufacturers acknowledge this, advising users to avoid frequent full charges.
Lithium-ion batteries store energy as chemical energy and convert it back to electrical energy when needed. These batteries are rechargeable, but each recharge cycle slightly degrades their capacity. The movement of electrons within the battery is a key part of this process, and charging your phone to full capacity too often places stress on these electrons, reducing the efficiency of energy transfer over time.
Fortunately, both lithium-ion batteries and the smartphones they power have become more adept at managing this stress. Yet, you can still take proactive steps to keep your battery healthier for longer by avoiding full charges.
For those using a Google Pixel, you can open Settings, go to Battery, and enable Adaptive Charging. This feature lets your phone learn your usage patterns and only fully charges the battery when necessary, like on days when you typically don’t have access to a charger.
Samsung Galaxy users can navigate to Settings, select Battery, and then Battery Protection. Here, you’ll find an Adaptive option similar to the Pixel's. Additionally, there’s a Maximum option, which prevents your phone from charging beyond 80 percent. Consider this when deciding which mode suits you best.
Another feature available on Galaxy phones is the ability to set an alert when your phone reaches 80 percent charge, allowing you to decide whether to keep charging. To enable this, go to Settings, tap Modes and Routines, and then tap the + (plus) icon to create a new routine.
Set the trigger to Battery level, specifying that the routine activates at 80 percent or higher. For the action, choose Notifications and Show custom notification, where you can set up an alert to sound when your phone reaches the 80 percent mark. You can also opt for a simple chime under Sounds and vibrations.
This routine-setting feature is unique to Samsung Galaxy devices. If you use another Android phone, you might consider using an app like Battery Guru, available on the Play Store. This app allows you to set battery level alarms, notifying you when your phone reaches a specific charge level.