Should you charge your phone overnight?

How often you charge your smartphone depends on your daily usage. Phones packed with mammoth battery capacities above 5,000mAh easily last an entire day. Anything less than that requires refuelling on a daily basis. This is also true if your smartphone is a few years old which might have degraded the battery health. Modern devices come with fast charging technology and also wireless charging.  

One of the most common queries is if you should leave your phone plugged in overnight. This is a valid doubt even in today’s times as devices are equipped with blazing-fast charging speeds and big battery cells.  

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Many people plug their smartphones and other devices to charge overnight as it is convenient. This is associated with justified worries regarding your smartphone’s health and also your own safety. In this article, we take a closer look at whether charging smartphones overnight is harmful or actually a safe practice.  

1. Modern battery tech

Modern smartphones come with lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. They have a longer lifespan and efficient energy storage. Additionally, phones these days are also smart enough to avoid being overloaded. Even chargers are smart enough to slow down the charging speed.  

Many OEMs have introduced adaptive charging on their devices that learn from your charging habits. The feature delays or slows down the speed if you leave your phone to charge overnight. Meanwhile, a new charging limit feature won’t top up the device over a specifically chosen battery level.  

If you’re still paranoid about charging your smartphone overnight, you can just get a smart plug that lets you schedule when it’s time to disable it.   

2. Battery health concerns

Smartphone batteries tend to degrade over time after years of usage. The general rule of thumb is to charge your phone from 20 per cent to 80 per cent. To preserve the battery’s lifespan, it should never be discharged fully nor topped up fully to 100 per cent.

This is called a full charge cycle and also the quickest way to lose battery capacity. Furthermore, charging your phone frequently to 100 per cent is a bad practice. Hence it is recommended to avoid excessive charging beyond 80 percent if you plan on keeping your phone for several years.  

Today’s flagship phones come with a charging limit feature that delays charging automatically once the battery reaches a chosen limit. This avoids trickle charge that refuels the battery each time it drops.  

3. Heat issues

Charging any smartphone via wireless or wired connectivity generates heat. It is one of the main factors that shorten the lifespan of a Li-ion battery. This is especially true if your device supports fast charging and has a bigger battery capacity. It’s also why Apple, Samsung, and even Google have stuck to slower charging speeds that do not exceed 50W compared to Chinese brands because their devices also lack a heat dissipation system.  

ALSO READ: 5 ways to find out if you need a new phone battery 

To avoid overheating issues on your smartphone, it should be kept in a cool and ventilated area. Charging your phone on a soft surface like a bed and between pillows is a big no as it traps the heat. It’s also not advisable to stack the device on books and near other devices. You should also opt for certified cables and chargers to minimise the risk associated with charging.  

Charging your smartphone overnight is generally safe if it’s a newer model. It won’t significantly harm your device in a shorter period. You may begin noticing the implications in the long run.

It’s unlikely that the smartphone will explode if you leave it to charge overnight as they come with built-in protection hardware inside. Keeping the device on overnight charge once in a while is fine. It makes sense to regularly check your battery health and look for any signs of overheating and swollen back panel.