Can I leave my phone on the charger overnight?

The eternal question that plagues smart device users: should I leave my phone/tablet on the charger overnight? The short answer would be - yes, feel free. And here's why!

Almost all of today's devices use Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) batteries, which is a much better option than those older Nickel batteries with the so-called. memory effect. If you do not fill them to the brim, they "forget" their true capacity and "remember" the new limit to which you filled the last time. Li-ions don’t have that problem and that’s why you don’t have to worry about how much you’ll charge them.

Also, Li-ion batteries have a much higher capacity, charge faster, and are longer-lasting, but they are also more sensitive to temperature. So today, the biggest problem for li-ion or li-po batteries is the heat, and there is a lot of it in phones. These batteries matter if it is too hot but also too cold.

Heat problem

The temperature at which lithium-based batteries (li-ion and li-po) can be charged is from 0 ° C to 45 ° C, and they can also be discharged at a temperature of -20 ° C. And fast charging technologies work best when the battery is between 5 ° C and 45 ° C.

This data tells us two things:

1. Lithium-based batteries can be discharged at low temperatures, so you won’t prevent discharge if you keep them in the fridge (and people do)
2. These batteries heat up while charging, and the more they heat up, the faster they charge

But since the battery cannot be charged more than its capacity, all the excess energy is released in the form of additional heat. And if the phone is charged overnight, the problem is that the battery has nowhere to redirect excess energy after it is fully charged.

Fortunately, there is a solution!

Phones use the battery wisely

The batteries used in smart devices today are more or less the same as before, but the devices have become much smarter. Today, we have to worry the least about optimizing battery consumption because this problem is at the expense of software engineers (and there are also hardware innovations).

And here we come to the main question: should I leave the phone on the charger overnight? And the answer is of course - yes, why not?

Because, the main problem that can occur if we leave the phone on the charger overnight is overheating after the battery is fully charged, but that shouldn't worry us because smart devices are smart enough to regulate charging and take in as much electricity as they need.

Note that lithium-based batteries do not have a memory effect, however, it is recommended not to charge over 90% and discharge below 10%. There is a lot of wisdom on the Internet about this advice, but it is only advice, it is not obligatory, and it will only contribute to the battery having a longer service life.

If you still haven't, read these 5 myths about batteries in smart devices - https://do-you-know-tech.blogspot.com/2015/09/5-myths-about-batteries-in-smartphones.html

Source: androidauthority.com, personal experience