Questions abound with regard to how to best care for your iPhone’s battery. Here’s our roundup of the myths and truths about how to get the best life out of your device.
Q. Should you wait until your phone is dead to charge it?
A. Forget the myth that letting your phone battery die completely is good for it. In reality, those lithium-ion batteries inside are more like stubborn toddlers: they throw a tantrum (lose capacity) if you let them drain all the way. 
Newer phones are better at handling this, but older ones might still sulk after an empty battery tantrum. So, plug them in before they hit zero, and they’ll stay happy and healthy.
Q. Is it okay to charge your phone in public?
A. Be wary of public charging stations.
Places like restaurants and airports might have easy access to power but you don’t know what you are exposing your phone to when you plug in. There is potential for information to be stolen.
Instead, we recommend buying a portable charger which is safer and more reliable. We are big fans of the Anker brand of cords and portable chargers. The FCC has more to say.
Q. How often should I be shutting down my phone?
A. Ideally you should be shutting your phone off once a week for at least a minute. There are multiple reasons why you’re supposed to restart your phone at least once a week: retaining memory, running more smoothly, preventing crashes, and prolonging battery life. Much of the time there are background apps running and this closes them out.
Here are more myths about your battery life that you can read about.
Learn more about restarting your phone and why it’s a good idea.
Check out this post on iPhone Privacy settings while you are at it!
Want help making this change to your system? Digital Helpmates offers one-on-one tech tutoring to home and business users at affordable prices. Find out more about our dedicated tech tutoring and Jumpstart Office Teams at https://digitalhelpmates.com.
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