The IPhone has completely revolutionized mobile technology.
While older mobile technology was just restricted to calling or texting your family and friends, with an Iphone opened the doors to so many more possibilities.
You can browse the internet, take high definition video and pictures, play games, watch movies etc.
The great thing is that you can do these things no matter where you go as the Iphone has a portable battery which is rechargeable.
This means that sooner or later, you will have to recharge the Iphone. But, sometimes the only convenient time to recharge your Iphone to full capacity is during the night when you are asleep.
This means that you might not have the chance to unplug your Iphone when it reaches 100 percent.
But, do Iphones stop charging at 100 percent?
Yes, Iphones stop charging when they reach 100 percent .The newer Iphone operating system (iOS 13), has a feature known as ‘optimised battery charging’. What this feature does is to reduce the rate of ageing of your Iphone battery, by limiting the time the Iphone spends at 100 percent charge when plugged into a battery charger.
Why do Iphones stop charging at 100 percent?
Before we look at how the Iphone stops charging at 100%, let’s take a look at why it isn’t good practice to keep a battery charging past 100%.
Unfortunately, the rechargeable battery inside your Iphone has a limited life.
Over time, the battery is going to become less efficient. You might have experienced this personally when you charge the Iphone and its battery charge drops within a few hours of use.
With every charge and discharge, there is build up of internal chemicals which make it harder to charge thus making the discharge time shorter with time.
While this is not uncommon for a rechargeable battery, there are certain bad practices that speed up the process and lower the lifespan of an Iphone battery.
One of those bad practices is overcharging your Iphone battery.
If you constantly charge your iphone’s battery to 100% and drain it to 0, you are going to reduce the overall battery capacity which equates to less battery life.
This type of practice places a lot of stress on the battery.
Other possible issues which might occur if you kept charging an Iphone battery more than 100%, is that it could overheat and could lead to damage, or worst case scenario, start a fire.
This concept is known as Thermal Runaway.
As a battery overcharges, it heats up. Due to this, it can now take on more current heating up further and thus lead to battery damage or fire.
But, fear not, smartphones like your Iphone, have fail safes to prevent these exact scenarios. We shall take a look at them in the next section.
What happens when when an Iphone reaches 100 percent charging
We all live busy lives, and fully charging your Iphone to 100% during the day might not be a viable option.
So, why not charge it while we sleep? We tend to sleep 6-8 hours which is a perfect amount of time to fully charge your Iphone.
But, it takes about 3-4 hours to reach a 100% battery charge (this is just using a normal charger).
This means the Iphone is going to be plugged in for an extra 2-4 hours at full charge.
So, what happens when the Iphone reaches 100 percent charge and is still left plugged in for those extra hours?
Charging circuits inside smartphones use a method known as Trickle Charging to slow the rate of charging once your Iphone reaches 100 percent charge.
It charges the battery at a rate equal to its self-discharge rate which allows the battery to maintain it’s 100 percent charge while plugged in and also avoiding damage at the same time.
However, while trickle charging is good for maintaining full charge and avoiding your battery overheating, it’s not the best practice when it comes to extending the life of your battery.
Even though the rate is slowed down, the constant application of voltage for a long period of time stresses the battery.
Iphone’s optimized battery charging
But, the great engineers at Apple have come up with a solution to combat this.
The iOS13 (or higher) have something known optimised battery charging. This feature was created to reduce the wear on an Iphone battery which helps to extend its lifespan.
It does this by limiting the time the Iphone spends fully charged.
When the Iphone reaches a charge of 80%, the feature delays the rate of charge so that it will take longer to reach 100 percent charge.
This might seem odd, but this will benefit your battery in the long run.
The feature is enabled by default when you purchase a new Iphone with iOS13 or higher.
Do all Iphone types have the same charging scheme?
All Iphone versions include a trickle charging circuit that slows down the rate of charge when it reaches 100 percent charge.
However, the optimised battery charging, which charges your Iphone to 80 percent, and then slows the charging from then, is only available to Iphones that have iOS13 or higher.
So, it’s not dependent on your phone, but what version of operating system it is currently running. It is more a software feature than a hardware one.
Does the battery charger affect what happens to Iphone after 100 percent ?
A battery charger is a device used to charge mobile devices with rechargeable batteries such as your Iphone.
A battery charger can come in a variety of output voltages depending on the mobile device you are charging.
Smartphones such as your Iphone will require a voltage of 5 volts.
Another characteristic of a battery charger is it’s output current.
You do not need a specific output current to charge an Iphone. However, the amount of current will determine how fast your Iphone charges to its maximum value.
The lower the output current rating the longer it will take, and vice versa.
So, no matter what battery charger you use, the trickle charging circuit (or the optimised battery charging feature, if you are using iOS13) will come into effect to prevent overcharging of your battery.
Charging your Iphone without having to keep it connected overnight
As you saw earlier, keeping your Iphone plugged in for long periods of time when it has reached 100 percent charge isn’t the best practice as it will reduce the lifespan of the it’s battery.
Below are some tips to charge your Iphone, without having to keep it plugged in overnight.
Tip #1 charging your Iphone: Fast charger
The first tip is to invest in something known as a Fast Charger.
A fast charger has a higher output power rating that will increase the rate of charge.
Standard chargers might be rated at 5 watts, which might take 3-4 hours.
But, fast chargers can have output power ratings that range from 15 watts all the way to 100 watts!
You will be able to charge your Iphone in as little as 1.5 hours (or less).
This means you can charge your phone to maximum (or thereabouts) while you eat your dinner and watch your favourite TV show avoiding keeping it plugged in all night.
Tip #2 charging your Iphone: Power Bank
A Power Bank is essentially a big battery that provides portable power which enables you to charge mobile devices like your Iphone on the go.
They come in a range of sizes each holding a specific amount of charge depending on your needs.
So why am I suggesting power banks?
Well, if you are out and about and your Iphone is starting to lose charge, rather than using it till the battery dies and then recharging to 100 percent (which is bad for it), you can use the power bank to recharge it in portions throughout the day.
That way you can maintain a certain battery level, and won’t have to fully charge it every night.
Tip #3 charging your Iphone: Airplane mode
The last tip is to turn Airplane mode on when you charge your Iphone.
What airplane mode does is disables hardware functions of your Iphone which include cellular (text and call), wi-fi, bluetooth, and GPS.
If not disabled, these functions can drain your battery whilst running in the background.
This means that it will take you longer to charge your phone. So, by turning airplane mode on, you will stop these functions draining the battery, and thus charge your phone faster.
How to prevent your Iphone from discharging so quick
Prevention is the best cure.
If you can prevent your Iphone from losing all its charge so quickly in the first place, you won’t have to always keep charging it.
Below are some tips you can use to prevent your from discharging so quickly.
Tip # 1 to prevent your Iphone discharging so fast: Airplane mode when you drive
Driving while using your phone is a very bad habit.
Many accidents on the road nowadays occur because the driver is distracted. One of the main reasons is using your phone.
Avoid using your phone when driving!
Since you won’t (and shouldn’t) be using your phone when driving, you can put it in airplane mode which will help conserve battery power at the same time.
A double win!
Tip # 2 to prevent your Iphone discharging so fast: Minimum brightness when indoors
The higher the brightness of your Iphone, the more power is needed. This means that it’s battery is going to drain faster.
When you are indoors, you do not require a lot of brightness, as there isn’t much glare from light outside to obstruct your view.
So, reduce the brightness of your Iphone when indoors to again conserve it’s battery levels.
Also, all Iphones have a neat function known as auto-brightness, which adjusts the brightness of the phone based on light levels.
This is a great option compared to leaving your Iphone at full brightness all the time.
Tip # 3 to prevent your Iphone discharging so fast: Close apps running in background
There are many apps that run in the background even though you might not be using them.
You might assume that if you aren’t using them they don’t use any battery, but, these apps can drain the battery whilst running in the background.
Some of the most popular apps are the culprits which include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Youtube, Whatsapp, and many dating apps.
So, if you want to prolong the battery life of your Iphone, close these apps if you are not using them.
Tip # 4 to prevent your Iphone discharging so fast: Lock phone before putting it in your pocket
It might have happened to you, or you might know someone who has been butt dialed before.
This happens when the person has their phone in their pocket and inadvertently calls someone as a result of pressure being applied to buttons.
If you don’t lock your screen, you run the risk of alos opening apps which will start running and draining the phone’s battery while in your pocket.
The best way to avoid this scenario is to lock your phone before placing it in your pocket.
