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Charge your iPhone faster
As you’re about to step out the door, you get that dreaded low battery alert on your phone. You know you need to leave, but you can’t go MIA in the middle of the day. As you plug in your phone and wait for the battery to charge up, you realize that you’re going to be waiting a while.
If you’re one of those rare individuals who doesn’t rely on their phone for everything, or you have a brand new device, you may not run into an issue. But when you’re using battery draining features like streaming video and GPS navigation all day, it can take a toll on your battery life.
Thankfully, the introduction of rapid chargers has saved us. With significantly reduced charge time, you’ll be back up and running in no time.
About batteries
Batteries keep our devices working while we’re out and about by holding a charge of electricity to power the phone. The bigger the battery, the more power it holds. On that same note, the bigger the device, the more power it may use, depending on the type of use.
As far as battery terminology goes, capacity refers to how much charge it can hold (measured in milliampere-hours, or mAh), amps refers to how much charge a charger can provide, and voltage refers to how quickly that charge is delivered. Watts are the standard measurement for a device’s overall power (how fast and how much charge is delivered).
The typical charger provided to consumers with smartphones puts out 5 watts of power and carries 1 amp of power. Rapid chargers can charge your phone up to four times faster than standard chargers, supporting 2 amps and 12 or more watts.
About fast charge
Fast charge technology can effectively charge iPhone X, 8, or 8 Plus up to 50% in 30 minutes. All you need to do is use an Apple USB-C to Lightning cable and an Apple 29W, 30W, 61W, or 87W USB-C Power Adapter. Of course, you can always use a third-party USB-C power adapter as well, providing it supports USB Power Delivery (USB-PD).
To check which Apple Power Adapter you have, just look for the wattage on the bottom as shown below:
Does fast charge damage your phone?
In short, if you use the wrong type of charger for your iPhone, you run the risk of damaging the battery. The biggest concern is the use of generic or knock-off chargers. Regardless of whether you choose to use a standard charger or a rapid charger, you’ll always need to ensure that the charger you select is certified by Apple.
Even when using certified chargers, it’s important to note that using a charger that is not meant specifically for your device may not provide the speed you are looking for. For example, if your iPhone 6 only supports 1.6 amps and you’re using a 2 amp charger, it won’t charge your phone any faster than the 1.6 amps your phone supports.
How to charge your iPhone…fast!
We all have charging emergencies sometimes. Follow these guidelines to make the most of your iPhone’s time spent on the charger.
Plug it straight into the wall
The standard computer USB port provides about half the current than an AC plug. So if you’re hoping to get a fast charge, the wall outlet is your best bet. Convenience is not always the most effective route.
Upgrade your car charger
Find yourself a car charger that supports more than 1 amp of current to speed things up. When you’re on the road, you can power up quick!
Upgrade your computer
If you’re in the market for a new computer, keep an eye out for a model with USB 3.0 ports. When you charge your phone with a USB 3.0 cable in a USB 3.0 port, your phone charges faster, provided you have a phone that supports at least 1.5 amps.
Tip: Turn your phone on airplane mode to access the full potential of the USB 3.0 technology.
Use your iPad charger for your iPhone
If you have an iPhone 6 or newer, you can use your iPad charger to reduce the charge time in half. This is a less expensive fast charging solution.
Turn off your phone
All those background apps running on your phone are using power. When the phone is turned off, all the power goes straight to the charge, rather than ensuring that those apps can continue to function.
Reduce the power needed
If you’re in the middle of the workday and turning off your phone simply isn’t an option, make sure to exit out of all apps and lock your screen. Reducing the amount of power it’s using means your phone can retain the charge it’s receiving.
Keep the battery life you still have
Keep your phone in low power mode to reduce screen resolution, animations and background app refreshing so you can keep as much of the existing battery life as you can. Again, this helps your phone to stop fighting between supplying power to sustain the current activities on the phone and charging up the battery.
Tags: Apple, Apple iPhone, apps, battery/batteries, computer, devices, speed, upgrades
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