There are many myths regarding cell phone batteries. So many that it is often impossible to know which ones are true and which ones are not. Letting the battery discharge completely and the mobile to turn off is one of them. And the truth is that years ago it was advisable, although not so much anymore.
Moreover, it can be counterproductive to the health of the battery. Although, in the same way, it could also be inadvisable to never let it download. What explanation is there for this contradiction? When and how should we let the mobile turn off? We explain it to you.
Letting the battery run out always deteriorates the battery faster
In the same way that it is not good to let the mobile charge at 100% and remain in that state for a long time, it is not good to let it run out as a general rule. And the reason for this is derived from the materials with which the batteries are made.
In the past, it was advisable to let them turn off, since the materials of the batteries, metal or nickel fundamentally, required that their care include exhausting it completely due to the well-known memory effect. However, in the lithium batteries of current smartphones, it is not necessary and it is even worse to drain them.
And it is that, in these aforementioned lithium batteries, what we know as charge cycles is relevant, which are nothing more than a meter with which to establish if the battery health of mobile is good or bad. And it is that when a complete charge cycle occurs, a series of movements are carried out internally in the electrons that affect the deterioration of the battery.
Not letting the mobile go below 20% and not exceeding 80% during charging is the most standardized for the care of lithium batteries.
Therefore, knowing that a complete charge cycle occurs when charging a mobile from 0 to 100%, studies indicate that 20 to 80% is the most reasonable for charging, so letting the mobile always turn off for lack of battery will accelerate the deterioration of the same. And yes, in the end, sooner or later, a complete cycle will be consumed and the battery by its nature will wear out, but by preventing it from turning off, you will always save a little more time.
However, there is no need to obsess either. You should take this advice into account and allow the battery to oscillate between 20-80% battery, but nothing will happen if circumstances prevent you from charging it before. Thus, although it is true that if it is a constant, this degradation is accelerated, you will not notice a negative effect in the short term if it is casual.
There is an occasion in which it is advisable to drain the battery
At the beginning of this post, we showed a contradiction by saying that it was bad to let the mobile turn off when it ran out of battery and, immediately afterward, saying that it was good to do so. Well, without downplaying what was said in the previous section, we must say that it is also important to calibrate the battery of a mobile phone relatively frequently.
And precisely in the process of calibrating the battery is where letting the mobile phone turn off fully enters. And it is that for a calibration to be carried out well, an indisputable step is for the mobile to turn off having a 0% battery. This is followed by other steps such as letting it rest for a few hours and charging it back to 100%.
It is true that charging cycles are consumed in the calibration process and hence it is not good to calibrate the battery very constantly either. However, sporadically is recommended. We would even say that it is mandatory when some battery problems occur, such as the device showing a battery percentage much higher than 0% and yet turning off.
Therefore, by way of conclusion: if you want to extend the useful life of the mobile as much as possible, it is advisable not to charge it up to 100% and not to let it run out completely. Similarly, try to perform a battery calibration approximately every three months so that this also serves as an aid to preserve your health.