Saving a battery cycle

[poakenfold]

Hi guys,

I know this question has been asked many times but i still haven't been able to get a solid answer.

If i keep iPhone plugged in to the wall charger at 100%, will it still draw power from the battery or from A/C? Will I be able to save a charging cycle and is this a good habit according to Apple?

Thanks in advance.


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[scifan57]

Hi guys,

I know this question has been asked many times but i still haven't been able to get a solid answer.

If i keep iPhone plugged in to the wall charger at 100%, will it still draw power from the battery or from A/C? Will I be able to save a charging cycle and is this a good habit according to Apple?

Thanks in advance.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Your iPhone is powered by the battery even when plugged into the charger. The charger keeps the battery from discharging while you're using it.
This will eventually use charge cycles, but at a much slower rate. For example, my MacBook Pro is used most of the time plugged into the charger and has gone through 44 charge cycles in the last 3 years.

 

[poakenfold]

Your iPhone is powered by the battery even when plugged into the charger. The charger keeps the battery from discharging while you're using it.
This will eventually use charge cycles, but at a much slower rate. For example, my MacBook Pro is used most if the time plugged into the charger and has gone through 44 charge cycles in the last 3 years.

Thanks for your reply. So would it qualify as one of the methods to increase battery life?


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[scifan57]

Thanks for your reply. So would it qualify as one of the methods to increase battery life?


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The lithium ion batteries in an iPhone are rated for a certain number of charge cycles. Using the iPhone extensively while plugged in will not add any charge cycles to the battery's lifespan but the battery could take longer to reach the maximum rated number of charge cycles.

 

[DaveM]

Think of it like this...
The battery is like a bucket full of water with a hole in the bottom. The hole represents the battery current drain during phone usage. Now imagine that there's a controlled stream of water at the top of the bucket that fills the bucket and keeps it filled. That's the charger. As long as the phone is kept plugged in the battery is either being charged, or is being kept at full charge, even if the phone is being used. Once the battery is charged, as long as the charger is plugged in there is no charge cycle. The battery just stays fully charged. As a side note, the reason that I said "controlled" stream is because the regulating circuitry of the charger only provides the amount of current that's needed.

 

[bear7962]

But, while I agree with all the responses you have receive, I remember reading something about electrons moving and using the battery ( which is a drain but not a huge one) is best for maximizing the battery. Anyone else remember this with better knowledge than me? The gist was you battery needs some drain and use to be maximized.

 

[poakenfold]

Thanks guys I've got what you said. I asked this question at few forums yesterday. Some answers were confusing But I've come up with following conclusions:

- The iPhone is charged by battery under all circumstances.
- The A/C will not bypass the battery when fully charged.
- The charging stops at 100% and kicks-in again at around 97-98% (correct me if I'm wrong here)

Given that the charging stops at 100%, a "cycle" is unavoidable. The only advantage of keeping plugged in will be to avoid long cycles.

I would love to hear about that electron theory as well.


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[bear7962]

How Will Leaving Your iPhone Plugged in Affect Battery Life?

Here, read that ^. It's more than a theory, in fact they used to tell you this in the Apple Stores, early on. I suppose they were trying to get as used to lithium batteries, prior to that, nichel batteries had a lot of issues we no longer have to deal with.

 

[bear7962]

This is what Apple has said on the Apple website:

"Exercise Your Machine
Lithium-ion batteries need to be used for maximum performance. If you don’t use your device often, be sure to complete a charge cycle at least once a month. ...."

It's all about keeping the battery working - while also keeping it within optimum operating temperature as much as possible. Using it regularly away from the charger helps with both.

 

[poakenfold]

Guess it's time to forget battery life and enjoy my iPhone. After all these factors don't have much impact as long as you use your phone responsibly.
Cheers have a nice day.


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[DaveM]

Guess it's time to forget battery life and enjoy my iPhone. After all these factors don't have much impact as long as you use your phone responsibly.

Well said. As a tech guy I'm often accused of overthinking things. I believe this is one of those topics where it's definitely possible to overthink it. When I got my 5s I took the Apple advice to heart and once a month I'd drain the battery and recharge. After about a year of that I realized that whatever I might have gained by performing that exercise was minimal and not worth the worry. I quit doing it. Last November I got a 6s and all I do is use it to whatever discharge it gets in a day and recharge overnight. Not going to fret anymore, especially since I plan to upgrade on a 2 year cycle anyway.

 

[Ledsteplin]

Guess it's time to forget battery life and enjoy my iPhone. After all these factors don't have much impact as long as you use your phone responsibly.
Cheers have a nice day.


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Most of us upgrade every year or two anyway. Why obsess over the battery?
When you're plugged in to a power source, the iPhone will not use the battery unless for some reason you are using more power than the charging source can provide.
The phone has a limited number of charge cycles. One cycle is from 100% to 1%. If you go from 100% to 50%, you have used half of a cycle. 100% to 90%, you have used 1/10 of a cycle.
Power is to your iPhone battery as sweets are to a human: It has the potential of inflicting too much of a good thing. Keeping your iPhone plugged into power can shorten its battery’s life span, or the amount of time before you must replace it. You actually strengthen your lithium-ion battery and prevent its premature demise each time you make it power your iPhone on its own, without the crutch of a power source. As Apple puts it, “It’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally.” So, if you keep your iPhone plugged in in an attempt to save a charge cycle, you'll actually defeat your purpose. The best way to conserve charge cycles is to use the device less. If you average 8 hours per day usage, cut it back to 7½ hours per day.

 

[Nancybout]

I just don't even think about the battery.
If I even still have this phone come the day battery life is so bad (I also have a mophie lol) I'll just get a new battery installed.
I don't think it's really a big issue


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