iPhone 14 Pro Max Bottom line, is leaving your iPhone/Apple Watch charging overnight, bad for the battery?

[reppans]

I’m a battery hobbyist - no it’s not ‘bad’ (per se) as consumer Li-ions are designed for it, only intended for ~500 cycles/2-3yrs of usage, and that coincides with how long most folks tend to upgrade these gadgets anyways. (Or perhaps it’s vice versa - folks upgrade because the batt dies?). However, the real question should be - is it possible to significantly extend li-ion batt service life by taking better care of it? All of the credible/corroborating scientific research I’ve seen says ‘yes’ (one good example).

With today’s automation options (smartplug+shortcut or Chargie USB dongle), you can create a custom charge optimization that (after initial set-up) eliminates the effort/worry/tending - ie, just plug at night and forget about it. For me, that’s easier/cheaper than having Apple replace my batt, and I live within 10miles of 2 stores.

It’s still early to really see the benefits, but my Aug ‘19 XR still has 92% batt health and the daily SOT is still more than enough from me. No interest in the iPhone15, but perhaps the iPhone16 or 17 (after Apple stops supporting my iOS). To be fair, I should also mention that my usage is unusually efficient (Apps, settings, wifi).

 

[ValerieDurden]

Been charging phones overnight for well over 20 years, never seen any negatives.

 

[johannnn]

Apple has optimized charging for a reason. Of course I charge overnight.

 

[Torty]

Then next questions arise. What’s better 100% and recharge at 30% or 80% and recharge at 10%?
Let it charge over night or charge it at day and use it while charging?
With my X it was easy I charged it every night. But should I charge my 14 PM over night when it shows 70%+?

 

[zorinlynx]

If my phone has over 60% or so left, I don't charge it overnight. Otherwise I do.

I get between 1-2 days of usage on a charge, depending on how much I use it.

2019 iPhone 11 Pro Max with original battery. Yes, still. I'm actually impressed.

 

[jm31828]

These phones have protection built in that protects the battery- slows the charge to a trickle at the end, and shuts down the current when the battery hits 100%.

I have been doing overnight charging almost every other day on my iPhone 13 Mini, I've had it for 7 months now and it is still at 100% battery health.

 

[JPack]

😄😁😆

Most people just don't care or know enough to avoid extreme states of charge. If you know or care about it, then avoid 100% whenever possible. Otherwise, ignorance is bliss. From a practical standpoint a $99 battery replacement service isn't that expensive either.

 

[Farrgazer]

Yes for my Apple Watch and no for my iPhone.

I usually work from home, so I don’t charge my phone overnight on a daily basis. I start charging when I am close to or get the 20% low battery warning, and unplug around 80-something percent or the next morning. If I go on-site for a multi-day project, I charge nightly.

 

[Asiatic Black Hebrew]

I’ve charged my 14PM every night since release & I’m still at 100% battery health. I have no idea where this narrative of the battery being ruined by charging stems from. I think people are still traumatized by the old nickel batteries from the early 2000s.

 

[xxray]

I just had to change my vote.

I voted NO based on "is leaving your iPhone/Apple Watch charging overnight, bad for the battery?" and have now changed it to YES as the question is actually "Do you leave your iPhone/Apple Watch on charge overnight?".

Not the best way to run a poll

I feel like a guide to polling on this site would be helpful. There are so many polls asked like this (opposing question in title of thread compared to actual poll question) or with biased/unclear answers that don't really make for a useful poll. Keep the questions consistent and just do yes/no/unsure/other!

No offense to OP or anyone else intended.

 

[saber32au]

If you know or care about it, then avoid 100% whenever possible.

That's what I try and do. Wish Apple would allow the user (in the battery app) to see a charge limit, rather than relying on hacks such as automation or USB dongles.

From a practical standpoint a $99 battery replacement service isn't that expensive either.

No it isn't, but to be honest, I haven't had the best luck with Apple's replacement batteries...

Might be just my bad luck, but I've had 2 battery replacements (SE1 and XR) completed at official Apple stores in two different countries....the replacement battery's just don't seem to last as long as the orignal battery which came with the phone.

Take for example my XR: battery replaced in Jan 2023 (by Apple). Battery health is now down to 95% after 6 or so months. I rarely charge the phone to 100%, most times I stop charging between low 70's to high 80's...

Using 3uTools, I found out the replacement battery was manufactured in April 2022...so the battery sat on a shelf for 8 months before being inserted into my phone. Not sure if the 8 months of sitting on a shelf has negatively impacted the battery's capacity...

 

[nburwell]

I have been charging my iPhone’s overnight for as long as I can remember (same with AW and iPad). I have yet to experience any adverse effects to my devices. I will note that I usually upgrade devices on a yearly basis, sans iPad. Though that may change this year for the iPhone and AW.

 

[ab2c4]

No, it’s how fast you charge your phone is what matters at least from my experience. The slower you charge it the better, along with never letting the battery get below 30-40 percent charge.

 

[JuicyGoomba]

Going to assume it's the same as the battery saving features in Android, whereby a full charge only completes 5-10 minutes before your alarm goes off.

It's not bad at all, and never was in the first place.

The biggest battery killer is using your phone all day to the point where it needs multiple charges, followed by using said phone to cry on MR/Reddit about your phone having terrible battery life.

FWIW I'm at 2 1/2 years of using a Pixel 5, and it's at 90%. 10% wear is very good for most Li-ion batteries over that time, and I still regularly get 7-8 hours of SoT over 2-3 days. Compare this to a family member who regularly buys the smallest iPhone available and runs it into <80% territory in less than a year. And yes, they always complain about iPhone batteries being awful.

TLDR: Actual usage matters more than charging overnight. Abuse your stuff and avoid the real world for long periods of time then expect to pay Apple many monies for new batteries.

 

[JuicyGoomba]

No, it’s how fast you charge your phone is what matters at least from my experience. The slower you charge it the better, along with never letting the battery get below 30-40 percent charge.

The first part definitely is a good point. I've always charged on a 5W wireless charging pad. More heat than a crappy 5W wall charger, but significantly less heat than any fast charger.

Heat is a bigger killer than speed though, as not all chargers are created equal. For example, all the huge fast chargers from chinese brands often subject the charging brick itself to the heat, while the device remains cool and healthy.

The second part about not letting it go below 30-40% is borderline fearmongering though. Just use your device and don't stress about such pointless things. My Pixel 5 regularly goes below 5% out of pure laziness and it's still going strong.

 

[kiranmk2]

As far as I can tell, the biggest things that kill battery health are heat (when charging) and sitting at 100% charge for long periods. Since I got a replacement battery in my X in February I have tried to avoid overnight charging and my battery health is still 100% almost 6 months later.

I'm still traumatised from when I used my 6s as a satnav in the car on a really warm day. The combination of data, GPS, extended screen on (at high brightness), charging and Sun through the window got the phone so hot that the battery health dropped after less than an hour of that scenario!

The Apple optimised charging feature only works if you have a very rigid routine (e.g. take the phone off charge at the same time every day). I would be much better to have a limit maximum charge feature - my work Samsung phone has a toggle to prevent charging past 85%.

 

[Phil A.]

I wear my watch all the time and charge it when I’m in the shower with top-ups when needed and charge my phone wirelessly every night.

To be honest, I can’t be bothered to worry about whether I’m shortening the life of my phone battery: I change my phone at least every other year and AppleCare will provide me with a new battery if it drops below 80% anyway.

I just use my devices in the way that is most convenient to me and trust Apple to know what they’re doing with regard to charging

 

[reppans]

FWIW, a couple credible/corroborating batt research articles on high states of charge vs heat. My take-away is that time spent at 100% SoC at room temp is about equivalent to time spent at 120F+ at lower SoC… or high SoC is the #1 battery stress factor, ahead of heat.

This one implies massive cycling is achievable at lower SoC, incl down to 0% (?):

The link I posted earlier also addresses low low states (my phone sees 8% SoC way more than 80%).

 

[iJest]

My trusty iPhone, my digital sidekick, has been indulging in an all-night electric feast every night since its grand debut last year. And guess what? It's still strutting around boasting a battery health of a whopping 100%! That's right, not a wrinkle in sight, folks. It’s like the Dorian Gray of smartphones!

What's even more mind-boggling? The power-sipping, battery saving feature? Nah, my phone doesn't believe in diets. It's been living the full-fat digital life with the battery saving turned OFF and yet here we are, defying all the rules of Battery University. It's just sitting there, smirking at me with a full bar, living its best battery life. So, here's to another year of nocturnal charging parties!

 

[UKapple73]

I don’t understand these people who limit their full charge to 80%.
Surely if you don’t mind starting your day with only 80% battery, then why the hell are you worried about losing a few percent of your battery health- it’s never going to lose 20% over a 1-2 year period anyway!!

In essence all you’re doing is limiting yourself to 80%, which is exactly what you’re trying to avoid, ie less battery life- only you’re limiting yourself from day 1 and furthermore, more limited than you’d likely be even if you charged to 100 all the time

 

[Steve121178]

Just don't wirelessly charge and you won't have to worry about anything. Leaving it cabled 24/7/365 wont do any harm at all.

 

[Pecka]

Just don't wirelessly charge and you won't have to worry about anything. Leaving it cabled 24/7/365 wont do any harm at all.

I have done wireless charging on my iPhone 13 mini since June last year and the battery is at 99% capacity.

 

[Steve121178]

I have done wireless charging on my iPhone 13 mini since June last year and the battery is at 99% capacity.

That's good. Wireless charging murdered the battery in my X, Xs & 11 Pro. The temps when charging the X & Xs were particularly concerning and clearly what was doing the damage as the one thing batteries don't like is heat.

Perhaps the official Apple charger is a lot less of a problem than the RAVPower ones I was using at the time as there were no official first party options available back then (maybe the MagSafe Charger was available when the 11 Pro launched?? Can't remember).

 

[JPack]

I don’t understand these people who limit their full charge to 80%.
Surely if you don’t mind starting your day with only 80% battery, then why the hell are you worried about losing a few percent of your battery health- it’s never going to lose 20% over a 1-2 year period anyway!!

In essence all you’re doing is limiting yourself to 80%, which is exactly what you’re trying to avoid, ie less battery life- only you’re limiting yourself from day 1 and furthermore, more limited than you’d likely be even if you charged to 100 all the time

Because battery health isn’t just runtime/capacity. When a battery is degraded, the internal resistance increases. In other words, iPhone is more likely to shut down unexpectedly when exposed to cold weather.

 

[UKapple73]

Because battery health isn’t just runtime/capacity. When a battery is degraded, the internal resistance increases. In other words, iPhone is more likely to shut down unexpectedly when exposed to cold weather.

What, even when it’s just lost a few percent in health??