So, now it’s bad to charge your phone to 100% ? Lol, so much different information out there. It’s hard to know what to believe.
Simple: ignore randombro69 on a forum and listen to the experts. We've detailed what you should and shouldn't do for iPhone battery health. My recommendation will always be "don't worry about it."
Really. This whole thing is getting silly. You can't beat physics.
And I would understand all the drama if battery replacements weren't readily available and cheap.
""""""expert""""""
You have a degree in electronics and/or battery chemistry do you? Clearly not.
This sounds like … sound advice, even though you are kind of advocating for the “don’t worry about it” option, which I subscribe to. It sounds like Apple’s Optimized Charging feature is actually providing a false sense of comfort when, in fact, it probably provides very little to no benefit in practice. The 20-80 hard-limit option, while not necessarily the best option for people who don’t adhere to the concept of the user catering to the needs of the device, rather than the device catering to the needs of the user, no matter the consequences, is at least a proven strategy for extending battery life in some cases. This absolutely makes sense. If you’re willing to jump through hoops to increase the probability that you can extend your device’s battery life, you may as well follow a process that has a higher likelihood of working. Accepting a reduced , even when it’s enforced automatically, is still jumping through a hoop.
I may be in the minority, but I’ve yet to have an Apple device of any sort run the battery down at a rate that led to what I considered premature loss of the use of the device. I am getting close with my Apple Watch Series 5 because its battery health is now at 81%. When it goes below 80% I will shell out the $99 USD for a battery replacement because the watch is otherwise impeccable. Part of me would like to use the need for a replacement battery as an excuse to purchase a brand new Apple Watch Ultra 2.
That said, I have lost a handful of devices (3 iPods, 1 iPad mini, 2 iPhones, and 1 third party storage device with built-in battery backup) to battery bloat even when the battery health was still showing a high level of health, at least in the devices that provided battery health indicators, or no noticeable loss in battery run time. I also lost an iPhone 11 to sudden and unrecoverable death shortly after its AppleCare expired. All attempts to resuscitate the iPhone 11 by me and Apple Geniuses failed. Totally bricked with no signs of life.
Could some or all of these device deaths have been prevented by following the 80-20 charging rule? I don’t know. None of them exhibited a loss in battery capacity over time as my Apple Watch has shown. The batteries simply expanded beyond the volume of their chassis. In the cases of the iPods, iPhones, and iPad mini the first warning indication was the device case looking like it had popped off on one side. When I removed the case, the screen popped out even further. The protective cases were actually keeping the screen somewhat attached to the device’s body.
Does non-optimal charging contribute to battery bloat? If it increases heat I can see where there may be a connection. I happen to believe that some super thin devices like the later iPod Touches and iPhones after iPhone 4/4s with ultra thin profiles are more prone to battery bloat failure. Some of the newer batteries also seem more bloat prone. I still have an iPod 2, iPod 4, iPad 2, iPhone 4s, and 2011 MacBook Air that are still running (slowly and with ancient software and OS versions) but show no signs of battery bloat related failure.
It's a personal choice, driven by a user's particular needs and goals. The best we could hope for is for the media to provide useful, factual information, but given in proper context, and permit everyone to act accordingly for themselves. Frankly, a lot of what I've seen written is poor, and betrays the authors' lack of depth on the subject, and it has become more acute with the iPhone's adoption of Type-C and its close relation to batteries and charging in general. USB standards are complex, and the misinformation and misconceptions being spread are regrettable, even though there are genuine efforts to write good stories, rather than simply clickbait, where Apple is an easy target.
I have a personal interest in this topic because I use devices that take bare lithium cells, and lack battery management systems to help manage and safeguard users from risk, or potential harm; it's almost entirely on me, as the user, and something I do take seriously.
But, I'm also pragmatic, and recognize that in real life, best or ideal practices aren't always adhered to, by most users, and sometimes even on my part.
However, I do understand the principles involved, and what drives the underlying recommendations. Whenever I see the "heat is bad for batteries" mantra given, and taken as the sole gospel, it's cringe worthy, because it's rarely given with any context. The fact of the matter is that electrical battery cells are chemical sandwiches, or containerized soups, don't adhere to precise rules, and yes, heat is a natural part of their environment and usage. To say that "heat is bad" is technically true, but to leave it at that is no better than saying "drugs are bad" without knowing or considering the deeper nuances.
With organic things, including our own bodies, it is accurate to say that eating junk, and not exercising is bad, and may generally lead to shorter life. But those things won't instantly kill you, or necessarily doom you to an early death. They are contributing factors, but hardly the only factors. And I suspect most people will tell you on their deathbeds that they didn't regret having that extra serving of their favorite unhealthy food, or indulging in dessert because they could have lived an extra six months, a year, or whatever longer. Especially when it could very well be something else entirely that kills them, including natural old age.
Comments
You have a degree in electronics and/or battery chemistry do you? Clearly not.
Running IOS 17.1 Beta, and it goes to 100 whether or not the option for 80 is selected.
Yeah…