Our smartphones have become such an essential part of our lives that it can sometimes be hard to leave them alone, even when they are charging. But using your phone while you are charging it can be hazardous. It can threaten your life and cause potential damage to your phone. There have been several reports of people either being very seriously injured or killed due to explosions when using their phone while charging.

Is it bad to use a phone while charging its battery? You may have asked yourself this and continued to use it anyway, but here are some reasons why you should stop:

1. Affects Charging Capacity

While the battery of your phone can last for 18 hours after being fully charged, always using it while charging will spoil the battery, so eventually, you might get just 7 hours of battery life after it is fully charged.ADVERTISEMENT

2. Overheating

If you keep using your phone while charging it, it will become prone to overheating – a problem that could cause the harmful chemicals present in the battery to leak, which could cause the battery to explode or the phone could switch off permanently.

3. Messes Up The Charger

If you constantly use your phone while it’s charging, you might end up ruining your charger. You may need to get a new one eventually.

4. Hurt Yourself

You are at risk of electrocuting yourself while using your phone when it’s charging. You can lose your life if your battery explodes or you get a severe electric shock.

5. Creates A Bulge

Using your phone while it is charging can cause the battery to expand in size which will eventually lead to the battery exploding. If you feel a slight bump at the back of your phone, there are good chances that its battery has started to bulge already.

Tips to Charge Your Mobile Safely

Here are some helpful tips for you to charge your phone safely:ADVERTISEMENT

• In case you have a habit of using headphones while charging your phone, invest in wireless headphones.
• Do not put your phone under your pillow to charge it as this will reduce the amount of ventilation the device is getting and increases the risk of it exploding.
• Use chargers and batteries that you get along with the phone and avoid using chargers from other brands, even if they fit your phone. This will have a long term negative effect on the battery.
• Avoid charging your phone overnight as this will overcharge the battery.
• Removing the protective casing or phone cover while charging will reduce the chances of overheating.
• It is okay to charge your phone until it reaches 80% and it is best not to let the battery go below 20%. If you keep charging your phone often, the battery life may begin to wane so do not overcharge or undercharge your phone.
• Power banks are a safer option to charge your phone since they can be used on the go, eliminating the use of a plug point.
• Do not use apps that claim to help your battery life as they can have a negative effect on the life of your battery with continuous use. These apps also tend to forcefully shut down some other apps that are running and can cause other problems.
• Speed chargers use a higher voltage to charge your phone battery. This will result in the temperature of the battery rising too fast. If you notice that your phone is beginning to overheat while you are charging it, the best thing to do would be to switch it off and take it off charge. Once it is cool again, you can continue to charge your phone.
• Do not use cheap chargers or earphones in your phone as these may not be made well enough and can cause problems with the battery and perhaps even cause electrocutions.

FAQS

Is It Okay to Use a Phone While Charging It With a Power Bank?

While some may think that it is okay to use a phone if it is charging in a power bank, it is not actually safe. Even though the power bank is not connected to a plug point at the time, it can still cause problems if you use your phone while charging. The same rule applies where your phone battery begins to overheat if it is being used while charging. This can happen even while it is a power bank and does not necessarily have to be only while it is charging in a plug point.

Smartphones are everywhere, and they are reaching a stage where even young children use phones to keep themselves occupied other than interacting with one another. We have reached a stage where we have apps that can be downloaded onto our phones to help us with pretty much everything. From game apps to apps that help you track your period, there seems to be no way people can live without their phones anymore. This makes it all the more important to spread the word on safety while charging your phone. Remember that avoiding the use of your mobile phone while it is charging will avoid fatal accidents like explosions and electrocutions and will prevent your battery from spoiling earlier than it would had it not been used while charging.