The right thing to do: Charge your battery properly to make your phone last long

The real Achilles' heel of our giant pocket PCs, the battery remains one of the components that wears out the fastest. Who among us has not complained about the poor battery life of their phone after only a few years of use? The situation is such that some manufacturers do not hesitate to limit the performance of their devices so as not to reduce the autonomy too much.

The lithium-ion technology found in most of our modern electronic devices is actually flawed, as it is only calibrated for a set number of recharging “cycles” before it loses its capacity. For example, the latest iPhones promise to last up to 1,000 cycles before dropping below 80% of the battery's functional capacity. Although this number may seem impressive, it has only been reached in just a few years, and thus our phone batteries are deteriorating inexorably, as the laws of physics become inevitable.

However, there are a few tips to extend your battery life as much as possible. As DxOMark showed us in 2022, the best thing is to charge your phone between 20 and 80%. Batteries tend to wear out prematurely when their voltage is too high or too low. And if monitoring your mobile phone's battery while it's charging sounds too tedious (rightly so) for you, know that there are software options to make your task easier.

…on iOS

In iOS, most modern iPhones use “smart” charging cycles by default. These attempt to determine your usage habits to limit the charge to 80% up to one hour before you wake up, for example. This avoids keeping the phone on charge overnight when the battery is full, which can also damage the component. To make sure the option is activated you must:

• Open the Settings app
• Choose the Battery tab
• Go to Battery health and charging
• Select Optimization
• Make sure you select the optimal shipping option

The iPhone 15, unfortunately, only lets you go further by strictly limiting charging to 80% of the battery capacity. In the same submenu, choose the 80% limit option.

…and on Android

Many Android mobile phones also offer the smart charging option. Often called adaptive recharging, it is generally found in:

• Settings app
• Battery tab
• Adaptive shipping list

This option does almost the same thing as in iOS, limiting the time that the battery remains 100% charged. At Google, most Pixel smartphones can take advantage of this and the phones depend on your charging habits and what time you wake up to adapt charging.

On modern Samsung phones, it is possible to set the charging percentage to 85%. To activate this mode you must:

• Go to the Settings app
• Choose device maintenance
• Select the battery
• Enable battery protection option

Feel free to change your battery!

Low phone autonomy is often cited as the first reason for device changes, even if the latter is still working. The rest of the components age much more slowly than the batteries. According to the 2021 Digital Barometer“functional dysfunction”Due to a defective battery, broken screen, or other technical problem“It is the main reason we renew our smartphones.

However, replacing the battery is not rocket science. According to a 2015 study conducted by UFC Que Choisir15% of phone repairs are due to a battery-related issue. Latest study from repair specialist Save Even notes that battery changes represent the second most common repair (30% of cases). Therefore there is no shortage of experience in this field.

For those who wish, it is also possible to carry out this type of DIY yourself, provided you have the right tools and resources. The availability of spare parts such as batteries is guaranteed by French and European laws, and the more expensive and complex parts are rarely replaced.

In the same way that you wouldn't replace your car if your tires were badly worn, there's no reason to replace a phone because your battery is dead. Repair rather than replacement remains the most environmentally responsible action you can accomplish in your daily relationship with digital technology.