The definitive guide to correctly charge the mobile (and how to solve the main problems)

Mobile battery life has become one of the main selling points from the perspective of manufacturers.

With more and more resources making use of the processor (social networks, videos, games...), charging needs a few years ago were not the same as today.

On the other hand, mobile phones are —for the sake of design— increasingly compact and stylish.

How to correctly optimize the use of the battery and how to deal with the main problems when charging it?

What to do if the mobile does not charge

Clean the charging port.

There are few scenarios more daunting than plugging the charging cable into the mobile and verifying that absolutely nothing happens.

One of the main reasons can be found in the charging port.

"This is one of the most common problems," explains José Hernández, from the repair company Europa3G, who recommends "cleaning the port, which may be clogged", but doing it "always with soft objects such as the head of a toothbrush." teeth and with the mobile turned off”.

In this way, a simple blow or brush can bring the mobile back to life and its usual charging process.

Try another cable (and another plug)

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Hernández explains that another of the problems in the charging process is in the cable.

"It is possible that the connection pins are bent or damaged due to incorrectly inserting the charger or using a low-quality one," he explains, "sometimes parts remain inside the mobile itself."

How do you know if the cable is responsible for charging problems and should be replaced?

The best option is as simple as "trying with another cable, since most problems come from the charging cable and not from the wall plug," they suggest from this repair center.

If with a new cable, the mobile still does not charge and before running to the technical service, it does not cost much to try another plug;

It will be less common, but it could be a current problem in the house.

Be careful if it gets wet.

It is less frequent, but it does happen: sometimes mobile phones fall into the water or get wet during a downpour.

We already know what to do and what not to do, but what precautions should be taken into account when charging a wet mobile phone accidentally?

The main thing is "never put it to charge until a few hours have passed", since the current input can cause irreparable damage to the internal circuitry.

Reboot the mobile.

Sometimes, the charging problem can be found in the device itself and both Google and Apple recommend doing a simple test that can solve all problems: restart the mobile.

After that and to check if this was the charging problem, it is recommended to leave it plugged in for at least half an hour.

How to get optimal battery health

Avoid abusing wireless charging and fast charging.

Manufacturers have made an effort to simplify charging processes for mobile users.

In this sense, both wireless charging (leaving the mobile on a base that starts charging without cables) and fast charging (charging systems that speed up the charging process) represent a great advance for the user.

But its excessive use pays a toll: "wireless charging further erodes the battery," explains Javier Lacort, technology blogger and podcaster, and it is convenient not to abuse it "if what we want is to preserve the health of the battery as much as possible" .

Lacort also warns about excessive use of fast charging systems: "We should not abuse it, unless it is necessary."

These charging systems, he says, generate "greater stress for the battery", so the ideal is to use it "only when it is essential".

There is no problem in leaving the mobile charging at night.

One of the most established myths around the mobile battery is to believe that it is harmful to leave the mobile charging all night.

It is a legacy of the previous batteries that does not affect the current ones, lithium-ion.

Current mobiles have, on the other hand, systems that optimize charging according to the user's habits.

That is, if someone wakes up daily at 7 in the morning, the mobile will charge up to 80%, to complete the remaining charge minutes before that time.

It is "a myth that is not true", as confirmed by Fran Besora, creator of the Apple community in Spanish on Twitter.

This expert recommends charging the mobile at night, and "if you see that you can't make it, charge a little more during the day."

Samsung also confirms that "the negative effect that excessive charging may have for a long time is negligible",

The 80-20 rule.

Although manufacturers try to make the customer completely unconcerned, to ensure a long battery life, it is best not to let the battery run out completely.

It is the famous 80-20 rule, or what is the same, try to keep the battery in that range most of the time.

In this sense, what best suits the health of the battery are small partial charges during the day and not letting it run out completely.

This advice is corroborated by Hernández: "The recommendation regarding the use and conservation of our battery in good condition is to always try to maintain a charge between 20% and 80%."

Use official chargers and... don't worry

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Another aspect that most manufacturers recommend is to always use home chargers (or those approved for it), in order to extend battery life as much as possible.

And finally, possibly the most valuable piece of advice: don't get obsessed with the matter.

“There are people who spend a fortune on very expensive mobiles and then lose their health by worrying about the battery,” Lacort explains.

And the figures support this thesis: mobile phone renewal cycles are currently well below the useful life of a battery.

That is, the most normal thing is to acquire a new terminal before it completely degrades.

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