What’s the best way to charge your iPhone or smartphone?

Should I charge my phone to 100% and let it die to 0%?  Or should I charge it periodically?  Does this question drive you as crazy as it drives me?

Maybe you feel like your phone doesn’t hold its charge much any more.  And maybe that’s because you’re doing it all wrong! Before doing anything, you should read the charger manual, which is available on Manualsnet, where you can download it free of charge. Read and learn how the charger actually operates.

Alright, according to a battery company called Battery University (but, of course it’s called that), here are the tips to take for the best way to charge your iPhone or smartphone:

Don’t keep it plugged in when it’s fully charged.

Why?  Slowly but surely, your phone is getting over-stressed with this overcharge.  In turn, your battery will not last as long over time.

Don’t charge your battery fully to 100%

Really you may say.  Really!  The Li-on battery not not need to be fully charged and it’s not optimal to do so.  Doing so wears away the high voltage and the battery charge itself.

Incremental charging is the way to go.

Yup, don’t charge to 100% and let it die a slow death.  This extreme charging stresses the battery too much.  And I used to do this all the time.  The periodic taps of battery juice is the best way to charge up your iPhone or smartphone.  It’s low stress and allows it breaks in between.

Check your case.

If you have a huge, monster encapsulating case, get rid of it.  Make sure your phone has lots of breathing room.  The game plan is to keep you phone as cool as possible.

Stay away from knock-off chargers and battery extenders.

You can’t trust anything but the real-deal Apple, Samsung or other original chargers and cables.  And be very leary of those battery boosters or portable battery extenders.  They can surge through your phone if not grounded and manufactured correctly.

The take-away: Charge your phone in little charging chunks and don’t charge it through the nose!