Does overcharging an X damage it?

[Sir Topham Hatt]

So a work colleague told me today their iPhone stays charged for 3 days because they unplug it when it's fully charged.

 

I've charged mine overnight before, which she says damages the battery or so she read.

 

I'm a bit confused as I have a speaker, which also needs charging but the instructions say to keep it charged as charging and depleting the battery will damage it.

 

Can anyone explain?

[Draconian Guppy]

every modern li-on  liPo charger has a built in "switch" which turns off chargers and thereby limiting current.  Unless a device its faulty, its impossible to "over charge".

 

If her smartphone lasts 3 days, she's just not using it, Your coworker is completely lost, please point her to:

 

http://lifehacker.com/5875162/how-often-should-i-charge-my-gadgets-battery-to-prolong-its-lifespan

 

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries

 

 

Edited May 20, 2016 by Draconian Guppy

[Ryoken]

Older generations of batteries had issues, it's that big of a deal anymore. That said, I know from experience people that use their phones and let them die down before a charge, can have better battery life/longevity than those that have it plugged in much of the time (over night, in the car, while at their computer, etc..).

 

I generally only charge mine when it's 30% or lower, unless I KNOW I'm gonna need a full change for xyz, and I generally get a good 2 days out of it with normal use.

[Draconian Guppy]

6 minutes ago, Ryoken said:

Older generations of batteries had issues, it's that big of a deal anymore. That said, I know from experience people that use their phones and let them die down before a charge, can have better battery life/longevity than those that have it plugged in much of the time (over night, in the car, while at their computer, etc..).

 

I generally only charge mine when it's 30% or lower, unless I KNOW I'm gonna need a full change for xyz, and I generally get a good 2 days out of it with normal use.

Mate, please look at the links also, that's pure FUD.

7 minutes ago, Draconian Guppy said:

every modern li-on  liPo charger has a built in "switch" which turns off chargers and thereby limiting current.  Unless a device its faulty, its impossible to "over charge".

 

If her smartphone lasts 3 days, she's just not using it, Your coworker is completely lost, please point her to:

 

http://lifehacker.com/5875162/how-often-should-i-charge-my-gadgets-battery-to-prolong-its-lifespan

 

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries

 

 

 

[Tidosho]

The charging regulator in most devices, not just new ones, will drop to trickle charge mode when almost full, then off when full. If your battery or charger explodes, then they're faulty, or cheap. I leave my phone on charge under my pillow, it gets warm but has never swelled or overheated. I always use genuine batteries and chargers. It is better to discharge and recharge, and is what I do, but it's no longer an issue.

 

NiCad's were the ones easily affected by overcharging (memory effect), modern batteries just wear out naturally over time. Everything does. My Ace 2 is used daily, is hitting 4 years old, and still runs all day, and then some, and is charged frequently. Still original battery.

[Ryoken]

5 hours ago, Draconian Guppy said:

Mate, please look at the links also, that's pure FUD.

Funny how your links actually back up wait I said. 

Quote

The table below, from Battery University, shows that discharges to 50% are better for your battery's long-term life than, say, small discharges to 90% or large discharges to 0%

Quote

Don't leave it fully charged. Similarly, lithium-ion batteries don't need to be charged all the way to 100%. In fact, they'd prefer not to be—so the 40%-80% rule you heard is a good guideline. When possible, keep it in that range to prolong its life as long as you can. And, if you do charge it to 100%, don't leave it plugged in. This is something most of us do, but it's another thing that will degrade your battery's health.

 

[Draconian Guppy]

On 5/21/2016 at 6:50 PM, Ryoken said:

Funny how your links actually back up wait I said. 

 

you said 30 or below, or even let them die down

[restroom]

To be honest, in terms of smart phones, IMO the battery life is simply as good as the strain you put on them, So if you are using the touchscreen constantly, that's a strain, playing games constantly is another strain, having a "rogue app" that is using a lot of system resource is another.

 

The only way to really tell weather any of the discharge stuff is true, is by having two identical phones and using them the same amount, but discharging one and not the other. Having a friend who hardily uses their phone and someone who uses it constantly, is going to give totally different results.

[HawkMan]

discharging Li** batteries repetaedly dammages them and causes shorter lifespans and lower capacity and bloating. 

 

generally phones will actually say 0% when it actually has more than that to prevent this, but even then it's very low if you keep letting it go to 0.