Reasons Why You Shouldn't Charge Your Smartphone Overnight

Jakarta – Smartphone battery has become an inseparable part of everyday life. As we all know, we depend on our phones to communicate, work, and more. 

However, there are a lot of questions about smartphone battery. Should you leave your smartphone plugged in overnight? Is it bad for the phone? Bad for the safety?

Research has found a 2019 smartphone battery could, on average, undergo 850 full charge/discharge cycles before dropping to below 80% capacity. 

This means only 80% of the initial battery capacity remains after about two to three years of use. At this point battery begins to deplete noticeably faster. 

Is it okay to charge smartphone overnight?

Most new-generation smartphones will take somewhere between 30 minutes and two hours to charge fully.

Charging times vary depending on your device's battery capacity - larger capacities require more time – as well as how much power your charger supplies.

Charging your phone overnight is not only unnecessary, it also accelerates battery ageing. Full charging cycles (going from 0%–100%) should be avoided to maximise your battery's lifespan.

Can your phone be overcharged?

In theory, lithium-ion batteries can be overcharged. This can lead to safety risks such as the battery overheating and catching fire. 

The good news is most modern phones have an in-built protection that automatically stops the battery from charging further than 100% – preventing any damage from overcharging.

However, each time a battery drops to 99% (due to apps running in the background) it will "trickle charge", it will start charging again to maintain a fully charged state. 

Can your phone explode from charging?

It's very unlikely your smartphone will explode as a result of charging – especially since most phones now have automatic protections against overcharging.

Still, over the years we have seen several reports of phones exploding unexpectedly. This usually happens as a result of manufacturing faults, poor-quality hardware or physical damage.

Lithium-ion phone batteries overheat when the heat generated during charging is unable to dissipate. This may cause burns or, in extreme cases, lead to a fire.

Also, these batteries operate effectively within a temperature range of 0℃ to 40℃. They may expand at higher ambient temperatures, potentially causing a fire or explosion.

Using an incorrect, faulty or poor-quality charger or cable can also lead to overheating, fire hazards and damage to the phone itself.