Does Using Your Phone While It's Charging Have An Adverse Effect On Battery Life?

It's a long-standing rumor that has reached the level of urban myth: the idea that continuing to use your phone while it's plugged in and charging will have a deleterious effect on the long-term battery capacity. It's entered the pantheon of myths alongside the idea that charging your phone overnight is a bad habit. However, it is just that, a common battery charging myth that you're safe to put out of your mind; instead, to extend your phone's battery life, focus on the common mistakes that may be destroying its longevity.

It is true that using your phone while it's charging may slow the speed at which the battery tops off, because the charger is forced to split power between filling the battery and powering your phone while you're scrolling. However, the only reason the long-term battery health would be negatively affected is if your usage pattern combined with the charging cycle to generate an inordinate amount of heat, which can degrade a lithium-ion battery. But that's highly unlikely unless you're engaging in unusual behavior that's pushing your phone's internals beyond their normal operating limits.

Typically, if you plug a charger into your phone while you're still actively using it, the handset will begin splitting power, shunting some of it to charge the battery while reserving enough to continue powering it. However, a number of modern phones now include a feature called bypass charging. Bypass charging, as the name suggests, eschews charging the battery completely, and instead utilizes all the available power to drive your apps and other on-device functionality.

The upside of channeling all available power directly to device activity is that it can improve performance. It can also help mitigate heat buildup. While for most productivity tasks, like browsing the web or reading your email, neither heat nor performance will likely present an issue, it can be a problem for more significant loads, like an extended gaming session or video editing. Simultaneously charging the battery and powering the device can lead to excessive heat, which can damage a lithium-ion battery and may lead to CPU throttling to avoid those same damaging heat levels. Bypass charging can help avoid both, though naturally, you won't add any battery charge during the process.