The vast Network can meet a lot of advice, instructions and other guidelines to increase the life of batteries. As a rule, users are recommended to disable Wi-Fi and LTE, to control automatic updates and to run demanding applications. These guidelines accompany many of the myths associated with the preservation of autonomy of mobile devices: not all tips are of practical use, and some can aggravate the situation.
Myth #1: lithium batteries need training
Perhaps there is no one who has not heard about that before using the battery pre-need “coaching”. This myth pulls from the beginning of the two thousandth, when was spread the need to calibrate lithium polymer batteries. It is funny, one of the Chinese smartphone manufacturers have recommended in the form of tone pass 10 cycles of charge-discharge, and only then come with questions about work time. It is believed that immediately after buying the gadget need to completely discharge the device until it shutdown, and then recharge for several hours to 100%. And so a few times. Some people believe that this ritual helps to increase cycles of charging and make the battery pack more energy efficient.
Experts have proven that exercise lithium batteries consisting of a single banks, meaningless. They work on the principle of preinstalled cycles. Here is what is says about their batteries Apple:
“Li-ion technology, which we use in our products, do not require calibration. There is no need to discharge your iPhone or iPad down to 0%. You can use them as much as you want. Use up whether you are 25 or 75% – it doesn’t matter. Device in any case will work for the stated 10 hours under load or can remain for months without recharging. It’s all in the number of cycles. As a rule, after each charge, their number decreases. But don’t worry, our lithium-ion batteries will last you for years to come”.
Despite the fact that all modern batteries have a built-in calibration module, some manufacturers and sellers of electronics strongly recommends that in the next couple of weeks to drain the battery to “zero” and charge to capacity. Don’t fall for the admonitions of proponents of this method. No benefit to you or your device it will bring.
Rarely, however, there are cases where calibration is necessary. Perhaps you are faced with the fact that the battery for a few minutes lost the lion’s share of charging. The culprit can be both a software failure and a malfunction in hardware. In order to try to rectify the situation, you can calibrate the battery. Although, in such cases it is advisable to take it to authorized service center.
Myth #2: night charging reduce the battery life
The second widespread myth States: leaving the unit on charge for the night you “kill” the battery. Looking ahead, we note that the share of truth in this theory are still there, but it is indirectly connected with a night cycle.
There is some theory that your battery for a long period of charging may overheat and explode in the worst case. In the best – will simply refuse to function. Spontaneous combustion do occur, but the time of day and duration of charging does not influence.
However, variations in current strength can affect battery operation. Sudden power surge can cause overload. However, a technical expert Andrew Goldberg is an opinion on this:
“Trust my experience, the problem of “recharging” simply does not exist. Contrary to popular belief, leaving your phone or laptop to charge at night, you won’t be able to damage the battery. It’s all in the way they work. Batteries today are so “smart” that can restrict the flow of current when its jump. This is called trickle charging. This method allows the battery to recharge until it is needed. Once the required volume has been reached – the system will automatically shut off the power”.
Myth #3: the batteries need to charge as little as possible
On the third place by popularity is a myth about the frequency of charging. Many users – which is logical – are extremely protective of their devices and seek as long as possible to maintain them in working condition.
It is rumored that to charge the battery once every couple of days. Say, from frequent contact with electricity, the battery may degrade or completely oxidize. Don’t worry, the standard unit is designed for 2-3 years of comfortable use. Then the battery starts to “lose weight” that will be noticeable after a couple of years. Thus, we have the average lifespan of a battery is around 5 years old.
Myth #4: if you forcibly close the app, the iPhone will last longer
Today, smartphones and tablets will largely replace our desktop computers and laptops. Mobile technology has already acquired a good half of all those functions that were previously not available. For example, multitasking that lets you run multiple applications simultaneously and if you wish to navigate through them.
However, many of us somehow believe that more than two or three “hanging in the background” programs will have a negative impact on autonomy. We have already refuted this theory, but this article will quote the words of a former Genius Bar employee Scotty Loveless:
“The forced closing of applications shall not be of any use. Despite the popular belief that it allows you to conserve battery power, everything is completely different. When you start multitasking – you expend energy device. When you unload it from memory – you also expend energy. In addition, in the moment when you again start the application – you again-you expend energy. Wouldn’t it be easier to leave it as is? Believe my experience, multitasking in iOS is implemented perfectly. The “operating system” works in such a way that minimized applications do not require energy consumption. You need to use the device, not to be a janitor and not “clean” its memory”.
However, there are some usage scenarios that are very demanding even in the background. These include automatic downloads of updates, send mail, play music, Siri, and notifications.
Myth #5: only use the “official” charging
According to another theory, to charge the device it is necessary only authorized chargers. An example is the iPhone and the Lightning cable. Often the wires on the “$2 per bunch”, produced by craftsmen from China really refuse to function with Apple gadgets. It’s all about the technology of production and the compliance with common standards. However, decent manufacturers comply with all technical regulations and with them no problems.
With devices running Android even easier. As a rule, 99% of them are equipped with a universal USB outlet. Through this, you can use any tucked under the arm of an electrical cord.
Myth #6: disabling Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, you can significantly extend the autonomy
It is believed that the operation of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi significantly affects the autonomy of mobile devices. For this reason, many people try whenever possible to disable wireless connections. Hasten to disappoint you: this is a misconception. It’s all in a very low power consumption of these modules. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is so lightweight that their work will be completely invisible to you.
What really “kills” the battery is the screen. If you are really afraid to miss an important call, simply block the smartphone and put it in his pocket. It is highly recommended to also enable the power saving mode, which became available to all users iOS 9.
