Mobile phone batteries have improved significantly in recent years. Sometimes they don’t last as long as you would like, but they are a lot better than they used to be.
But despite the improvements in batteries, there are still a lot of myths surrounding them. Here are some of the biggest myths that refuse to go away but which you can happily ignore.
1. You Can Overcharge Your Battery
There is a prevalent myth that if you leave your phone charging overnight, this will somehow damage the battery. However, with modern phones, you do not have to worry about overcharging them at all, and it will not cause any damage to the battery or the phone.
The batteries in top handsets like the Sony Xperia will simply not be affected by such an issue as leaving the phones to charge too long. Instead, they will usually stop charging once they are fully charged, and the battery is not damaged at all.
This may once have been true with older batteries that could overheat, but for now it does not matter at all if you leave your phone plugged in once the battery has fully charged.
2. You Should Store Batteries in the Fridge
Wherever this myth came from, it is completely wrong. Not only is there no need to store your phone batteries in the fridge, but it can actually be dangerous.
After all, batteries contain chemicals and they should not be stored alongside food. Instead, forget about this myth and just store your phone at normal room temperature.
3. Batteries Should Be Left to Drain
This myth has been around for a long time, and the reason for this is that it used to be true for some older devices like laptops and phones with nickel-centric batteries.
But it’s not true anymore, and waiting for your battery to drain fully every day can actually make it less effective. On top of that, it’s not convenient for you.
4. You Shouldn’t Use a Phone while Charging
There is a myth that using your phone while charging is dangerous, that the phone could explode or that you will be electrocuted. But despite recent problems with the Galaxy Note 7, this is not a problem for phones that are safe to use.
Obviously you don’t want to charge and use your phone in the bath, but as long as you use it normally you’ll be find. The only problem is that it will take longer to charge up.
5. You Can Only Use an Official Charger
While some phones still come with their official chargers, these days you can use any charger that uses the same connection because modern USB chargers are all the same.
Some chargers may be better than others, but they all do the same job. However, you will want to avoid cheap and counterfeit chargers, which could be dangerous. As long as you use a branded charger, it doesn’t matter whether it came with your phone or not.
Forget About these Battery Myths
Some battery myths just refuse to die. Over time, more people will realise that they are just myths, but for now, don’t worry about leaving your phone charging overnight, using it while charging, or any of the other myths. Just use your phone normally, and the battery should be fine.
Isabel Skinner writes articles when she finds herself with some free time. She enjoys photography and writes about this along with broader technology articles for a selection of blogs.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.com