Whether you charge your phone on an evening or overnight, you’ve likely been told to unplug it as soon as it gets to 100% to ‘save the battery’. But according to tech experts, there’s no reason to rush to the off switch as soon as your phone reaches full charge because it has no impact on its overall battery health.

The revelation comes after a Reddit user asked: “Is it really that bad to overcharge your phone / charge it overnight? Every time I search it, I get a lot of answers – some suggest that it is bad for the batters, and others saying that there is no problem. Now I’m confused.”

Commenting on their post, one tech expert said: “It doesn’t overcharge, and you don’t need to baby it. Just plug it in when you feel like it and leave it plugged in as long as you want, the charging controller will take care of the battery.

“If you have an iPhone, leave Optimized Charging turned on and only turn it off temporarily if you know you want 100% before going on a hike or whatever. Batteries are consumable though, no way around it. It would lose capacity over time even if you didn’t use/charge cycle it at all.”

In agreement, another said: “The other commenter is 100% correct. Modern phones & chargers are smart enough to slow the charging down and then stop it as the battery gets full, so you don’t have to worry about it at all.”

A third user said: “Don’t worry about it. The only thing to avoid really would be getting your battery down to under 20-30% frequently especially if it gets hot (mobile gaming) and then wireless charging immediately after while it’s still hot.

“Heat isn’t good for batteries, nor is cycling down to very low %s. Other than that don’t worry much.”

Sharing how iPhone users can improve their batteries lifespan with ‘charge limit’, an Apple Support statement reads: “With iPhone 15 models and later, if the charge limit is 100 per cent, you can also turn on Optimised Battery Charging. Your iPhone has these settings by default.

“Your iPhone will charge to within a few percentage points of your chosen limit and then stop charging.

“If the battery charge level drops more than 5 per cent while connected to power, charging will resume, again charging to within a few points of your chosen limit.

“If iOS determines that a charge limit will help preserve your battery’s lifespan, you’ll see a recommendation.

“For example, you may see “Based on your iPhone habits, a charge limit of 95% is recommended to help preserve your battery”.”

You can change your ‘charge limit’ on iPhones 15 models and later by going to Go to Settings > Battery > Charging.

From here, you can choose a charge limit between 80 per cent and 100 per cent in 5 per cent increments. When the charge limit is 100 per cent, Optimised Battery Charging is available.

For those with an iPhone 14 model or earlier, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging.

Following this, turn Optimised Battery Charging on or off. Turning off charging optimisations can increase wear on your battery and reduce its lifespan.

However, Laurie Pollard, managing director of Firechief Global, has urged people to remain mindful of the fire hazard posed by charging your phone when you’re in bed.

He said: “Phones generate heat during charging, and covering them with pillows or blankets can trap that heat, increasing the risk of overheating and potentially causing a fire.”

He stressed the importance of charging phones on open, flat surfaces away from flammable materials to mitigate these risks – and warned people against overcharging their devises, saying it is a leading cause of fires in devices with lithium-ion batteries.