In the past, I've always charged my phone to 100% right before going to bed and then take it off the charger, and in the morning it's still at 100/99%. But now, I just leave it on a MagSafe charger all night and use it as a clock. I don't really fuss about it anymore. It is what it is. Be happy.
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Other Is it bad practice to leave your iPhone & Apple Watch on a wireless charger overnight?
- Thread starter The Cockney Rebel
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I charge my Series 9 and 15 Pro with the Magsafe Duo overnight every day. Both are at 100 Percent Capacity after 8 and 9 months.
All true. This and everything you've posted is solid and interesting. But "interesting" science is not practical science. You've made no argument why anyone should care beyond reasonable, practical behaviors: Don't dramatically over-heat the device and charge it using high-quality, approved charging equipment intended for the device. Allow the device to manage its battery health in accordance to its factory specifications.
The problem with a theoretical, science-forward approach is it gives people like the OP of this thread (and the 6,000 others like them who keep posting variations on the same questions here) zero guidance of applicability. Manually managing a battery to a 99.9% optimal lifespan is unreasonable and laudable only in the abstract. It does not entail behaviors that the average consumer should be expected (or intended, or advised) to pursue. The irony is, when you encourage people to override a self-managing system, you just encourage the actual, applicable science to be ignored in favor of conjecture and unnecessary fear. Trust the device.
You say it yourself: Batteries degrade. That is their natural state. Rather than assuming we can cheat age indefinitely, better that we set reasonable expectations for what the lifespan is and plan for the replacement of the battery or the device on the timeframe that matches that lifespan.
Perhaps the one thing we could agree on, then: All the more reason that any step, no matter how small, that Apple takes toward making it easy and economical to replace batteries in the devices it sells (death to glue!) is vitally important. Both the device and the battery have a lifespan. There is zero reason they need be intertwined.
Let's dial it back a bit. Comparing occasional overnight charging to a fire hazard is a bit of a stretch. We're talking about convenience versus a very small risk here. Yes, we leave appliances plugged in, but those are designed for continuous use and have safety mechanisms in place. Phone chargers, on the other hand, are meant to be disconnected once the device is charged. It's a simple habit that minimizes unnecessary energy consumption and potential risks, however small they may be. If the fear of a rogue charger sparking a fire keeps you up at night, by all means, unplug it. But let's not equate a basic safety precaution with reckless abandon. It's like saying you'd rather walk barefoot on broken glass than wear shoes because, hey, who knows, those laces might spontaneously combust! Or not taking your car because you might get in an accident or the engine might explode. is it possible? yes. will it happen? probably not. by the way enjoy your spoiled food.
wtff no 😂 i just happened to be obsessed with charging
You're arguing with the wrong person here. If you search my name in any of these charging threads (or just look for the angry face reactions) you'll see I share your point of view on this.
However, I also don't think that a single minded focus on convincing people to trust their devices is worth leaving people ignorant of the actual science or, worse, letting false statements about the science propagate.
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There are more than zero reasons. Every decision in these products has engineering tradeoffs associated with them. If a decision appears simple, you're not thinking about it enough.
You're proposing trading robustness of the device, which relies on laminating all the assembly layers together for strength, for a replacement that only a fraction of people utilize and which isn't that hard to begin with. Put a dollar in a jar every week, and in a couple years you can have your battery replaced if it really needs it. I don't think I've needed to replace a battery in less than 5 years, but I also don't obsessively watch my battery health page.
Charge and maintain your iPhone battery
Charge and maintain your iPhone battery - Apple Support
Learn about charging the battery in your iPhone and how you can prolong your battery's lifespan.
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Charge and maintain your iPad battery
Charge and maintain your iPad battery - Apple Support
Learn how charging and using your iPad in ideal conditions can prolong your battery's lifespan.
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A google search can answer these questions.
I actually have a family member who had a kitchen fire start due to a malfunctioning small appliance with a heating coil, so I do unplug my coffee maker and toaster until I use it.
it’s rare but it can happen. Yes they’re made to have safeguards to prevent it - but safeguards fail all the time. I’m not worried about my phone overnight though (or my fridge or freezer).
My point was more about everyday devices like phone chargers. When you're using a quality charger and not some sketchy knockoff, the risk of a fire is pretty minimal. It's like comparing a toaster oven to a nightlight – different levels of risk involved. I totally get being cautious, especially after your family's experience. And it's a good reminder that even with safeguards, accidents can still happen. But if we live in a constant fear that your phone is going to catch on fire if you plug it in overnight (or leave your fridge plugged in over night) is not a great quality of life.I actually have a family member who had a kitchen fire start due to a malfunctioning appliance with a heating coil, so I do unplug my coffee maker and toaster until I use it.
Really? I've never seen a warning on any charger I've ever bought saying this. Every one I've ever had mostly just lives in an outlet semi-permanently installed. I suspect a lot of people use them this way.
You're right, i haven't seen a specific label on chargers instructing us to unplug them. It's a common practice to leave them plugged in, many people do and vice versa. What I meant to say is that while chargers are designed to handle being plugged in continuously, it's generally considered a best practice to unplug them when not in use. This helps conserve energy and may slightly extend the lifespan of the charger. But yhis can be mitigated by using a quality charger with Optimized charging enabled on iPhone which allows both of them to be able to communicate and charge the most efficient.
Woah! After reading all this, my hearing aids are now a fire hazard but it’s even worse because it could ignite in my ears at any given moment. Oh, lawd.
Hardly a scientific study but the iPhones I’ve had and used overnight charging lost battery health quicker, most recently was a 14 Pro. Optimised charging was hit & miss as it needed charges through the day which disrupted this feature.
Currently have a 15 Pro Max and use the 80% limit most days with no overnight charging.
The fire risk will be very low due to the BMS and the phones regulating charging to prevent over charging the device.
Charge how you want & don’t worry about it.
Currently have a 15 Pro Max and use the 80% limit most days with no overnight charging.
The fire risk will be very low due to the BMS and the phones regulating charging to prevent over charging the device.
Charge how you want & don’t worry about it.
I don’t know if anybody has mentioned this yet, but:
It’s not bad practice. It’s actually expected practice. Both the iPhone and the Apple Watch have “Standby Mode” and “Nightstand Mode” respectively.
Both modes turn your iPhone or Apple Watch into essentially a nightstand clock (with the iPhone’s “Standby Mode” having other non-clock features as well). And these two modes can only be activated if your device is charging.
Apple expect you to charge at night and has made modes for charging at night.
It’s not bad practice. It’s actually expected practice. Both the iPhone and the Apple Watch have “Standby Mode” and “Nightstand Mode” respectively.
Both modes turn your iPhone or Apple Watch into essentially a nightstand clock (with the iPhone’s “Standby Mode” having other non-clock features as well). And these two modes can only be activated if your device is charging.
Apple expect you to charge at night and has made modes for charging at night.
Usually I agree with the majority on MacRumors but I have to say my experience of battery health has been that leaving it for Apple to manage has ruined a few devices batteries.
My current iPhone 13 Pro was bought the same week as my partners. She would randomly charge hers, never leaving it charging overnight. I would almost never charge mine during the day, leaving it charging from around 11pm to 8am.
After one year my battery health was 88% and hers was 96%. I know, a small sample but we had the same experience with Apple Watches bought around the same time.
Since then I have bought a smart plug to turn off the charger at midnight and turn back on at 6:30am. During the day it turns off when my iPhone reaches 85% through a shortcut.
That was nearly 2 years ago. My battery health now? 87%. I lost 12% in the first 12 months. 1% in the next 20 months.
It was a similar story for previous iPhones and iPads. Especially iPads actually which I’d leave charging for longer periods.
I know it’s not ‘conclusive proof’ but it is my experience and I can see from other posts it deviates from the majority of thought. The general experience is that normally Apple nails it on system management but specifically with battery health, if I want my iPhone battery to last longer than 2 years, a smart plug doing all the thinking for me is no hassle and I’ve seen no further significant health change.
My current iPhone 13 Pro was bought the same week as my partners. She would randomly charge hers, never leaving it charging overnight. I would almost never charge mine during the day, leaving it charging from around 11pm to 8am.
After one year my battery health was 88% and hers was 96%. I know, a small sample but we had the same experience with Apple Watches bought around the same time.
Since then I have bought a smart plug to turn off the charger at midnight and turn back on at 6:30am. During the day it turns off when my iPhone reaches 85% through a shortcut.
That was nearly 2 years ago. My battery health now? 87%. I lost 12% in the first 12 months. 1% in the next 20 months.
It was a similar story for previous iPhones and iPads. Especially iPads actually which I’d leave charging for longer periods.
I know it’s not ‘conclusive proof’ but it is my experience and I can see from other posts it deviates from the majority of thought. The general experience is that normally Apple nails it on system management but specifically with battery health, if I want my iPhone battery to last longer than 2 years, a smart plug doing all the thinking for me is no hassle and I’ve seen no further significant health change.
Only 1% lost over 20 months? Assuming that was everyday normal usage over those 20 months… that sounds like your battery health estimate isn’t giving you a very accurate estimate.
Those claiming that users who like to keep their batteries below 80% when possible are doing it wrong, and that Apple knows better, should give Apple engineering a call, because it seems they implemented an 80% hard limit for no reason and in fact they don't know better 🤦♂️
That may be the case, but my battery is pretty consistent and I haven’t noticed it being any worse the last year and a half. I certainly have days where the battery isn’t holding up but it’s commensurate with a heavier use day.
I put my 13 pro max on a wireless charger every single night since october 2021 and almost 3 years later the battery health is at 89%. The option to stop charging at 80% is also turned off. I just systematically put my phone on the charger every night no matter whats the battery % and took it off when I wake up.
All those battery advice guides is pure crap in my book. Just use and plug your phone whatever you want. In my experience, having a good or bad batteries is just pure luck based.
All those battery advice guides is pure crap in my book. Just use and plug your phone whatever you want. In my experience, having a good or bad batteries is just pure luck based.
Confirmation bias I reckon. I've never babied my batteries and I've had remarkable battery health on all my phones for years.
It's pure luck.
I quit using wireless charging on my 15 ProMax after finding it “warm” when removing it from the charger morning after morning. I just plug in now and it never gets warm.