7 tricks to speed up your iPhone's charging process
Every iPhone addict has experienced a moment of panic at some point: You're about to head out the door, grab your phone and realize it has low battery.
You have 10 minutes until you have to leave and you're in the red. So, what do you do?
Well, you may not be able to charge your phone to 100 percent within 10 minutes, but there are ways to speed up the charging process to give you more time -- at least before you have to find another outlet.
Here are 7 tricks to help your iPhone battery get to green faster:
Put it in Airplane Mode
The less your iPhone is doing the faster it will be able to charge. If you can avoid surfing the web or making a call for a few minutes, switch to Airplane Mode while charging up. This feature will prevent your phone from wasting battery searching for cellular and Wi-Fi signals, so it will recharge faster.
Turn if off
What's better than putting your phone in Airplane Mode? Turning it off entirely. That way, your phone isn't using any energy and all of the charge is going straight to your battery.
Remove your case
Before you plug your phone in to start charging, you may want to remove the case. iPhones are able to charge more efficiently when they're kept in the right temperature. "Charging your device when it's inside certain styles of cases may generate excess heat, which can affect battery capacity," Apple explains. "If you notice that your device gets hot when you charge it, take it out of its case first."
Keep it cool
Speaking of temperatures, there is such a thing as it being too hot to charge. Avoid exposing your iPhone to temperatures higher than 95° F. When your phone is exposed to this kind of heat it can cause permanent damage to battery capacity, and your battery won't power as long on a given charge, Apple warns.
Similarly, if your battery is in a cold environment, you may notice the charge start to decrease. However, this is only temporary and your phone will return to its normal range when it warms up. (Note: 62° to 72° F is the ideal comfort zone for your iPhone.)
Use a wall charger (specifically, an iPad charger)
According to Apple, it's safe to use iPad USB power adapters to charge an iPhone (just steer clear of counterfeits). iPhones come with a 5-volt charger, which uses 1 amp for 5 watts of power. iPads, on the other hand, have chargers with 5.1 volts, 2.1 amps and 12 watts of power.
What does this mean? "The figure that's relevant from a charging-speed point of view is wattage: this is a function of time, and defines the speed of energy transfer," Macworld, a website dedicated to Apple products and software, reports. "The higher the wattage, the faster the charger can fill up your device's battery."
Plug it into an active computer
If you've misplaced your charging block and have no other option, then plugging into an active computer may be your best alternative. But if your device is connected to a computer that's turned off or is in sleep or standby mode, that can cause problems. To avoid battery drain, make sure your computer is plugged in and powered up, remove all other USB devices that may be drawing power and don't sync your iPhone while it's charging.
Keep up with battery maintenance
There are two things you can do to maintain your battery:
- Allow your iPhone battery to die at least once a month. "For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it's important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down)," Apple advises.
- Clean out your iPhone's lightning port. Before you complain about how slow your phone is charging, check the lightning port for lint and other debris that may have built up inside. Power it off, and with a normal toothpick, gently remove any material that may be clogging up the port. Watch CNET's demonstration here: