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It might be convenient, but is it secretly bad for your battery?
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Wireless charging has become a modern convenience. It’s easy, tidy and strangely satisfying when you feel that little magnetic pull, right? Just drop your phone on a pad and it starts charging. No fiddly cables, no worn ports, no cluttered nightstand. Some wireless chargers can even power multiple devices at once, and many are now built into furniture, cars and desks.
But although it’s convenient, it doesn’t always feel like the best option. It often takes your phone much longer to charge than just plugging it in and it can seem warmer while it’s sitting on the pad. That heat has sparked concern that wireless charging could wear out or even damage your phone’s battery over time.
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The myth: wireless charging 'stresses' your phone's battery
The supposed myth is that wireless charging damages your phone’s battery and the extra heat it produces makes your device degrade faster or lose capacity over time.
It’s an idea that feels easy to believe. When you charge wirelessly, your phone does often get noticeably warm, and that warmth makes the process seem harsher on the battery than a cable would be.
Add to that the fact that wireless charging can be slower and sometimes inconsistent, and it’s easy to assume something wasteful or damaging is happening when you put your phone on a charging pad.
There’s also a common belief that the electromagnetic field used to transfer power might somehow “stress” the battery or flood it with energy, as if the invisible current is somehow overloading your phone.
Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inboxContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.So could the warmth we feel during wireless charging actually be shortening battery life? Or is this just another misunderstood bit of charging folklore?
What experts say
Wireless charging won’t 'kill' your phone’s battery. It’s slightly less efficient and produces more heat, but modern devices are built to manage it safely. Just avoid overheating and use certified chargers.
“No, wireless charging does not ‘kill’ your phone’s battery,” says Associate Professor Ritesh Chugh, a socio-tech expert at Central Queensland University, Australia. “But it can make it run slightly warmer, which may have a small effect on long-term battery health if you’re doing it frequently.”
To understand why, it helps to know what’s happening behind the scenes. “Wireless charging works by transferring energy through electromagnetic induction,” Chugh explains. “Inside the charging pad is a coil of wire that creates an alternating magnetic field when electricity passes through it. Your phone has a similar coil inside its back. When you place the phone on the pad, the magnetic field induces an electric current in the phone’s coil, which is then converted into direct current (DC) to charge the battery.”
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The key difference between wireless and wired charging is efficiency. “In wired charging, electricity flows directly through a physical connection, making it faster and more efficient,” Chugh says. “In wireless charging, the power must first be converted into a magnetic field, then back into electricity inside the phone.”
Kent Griffith, an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at University of California, San Diego, says that while the process isn’t dangerous, we do need to remember it is less efficient.
“Wired charging is around 95% efficient, while wireless charging is typically 70-80% efficient – sometimes higher under ideal conditions,” he says. “Any time energy is lost, it’s lost as heat, and heat is what can speed up battery aging.”
However, both experts stress that modern phones and certified chargers are built to manage the heat safely.
“Wireless chargers follow standards such as Qi (pronounced “chee”), which regulate how much power can be transmitted and ensure safe alignment and communication between the charger and the device,” Chugh explains. “The phone and charger constantly ‘talk’ to each other, adjusting the current and voltage to maintain safe temperatures and avoid overcharging.”
So what's the best way to charge?
What's the ideal charging setup? “Occasional wireless charging is perfectly fine, and even daily use isn’t going to cause noticeable harm for most users,” Chugh says. “Just be aware of excess heat.”
He recommends keeping your setup cool and flat. “Avoid charging on soft or heat-retaining surfaces such as couches or beds. If your phone becomes noticeably hot, lift it off the pad for a few minutes to let it cool before resuming.”
Griffith explains that you need to think about the charger too. “Make sure the coils are properly aligned to ensure the best efficiency, and always use a wireless charger that’s compatible with your device,” he says.
Chugh adds that you need to make sure you have a Qi-certified charger. “They include important built-in safety features such as temperature monitoring, automatic shut-off, and foreign object detection.” You can find our recommendations for the top Qi2 options we've tested in our guide to the best wireless chargers.
So while wireless charging might make your phone warmer and is a little less efficient than wired charging, it isn't killing your battery. And though it could be aging it a touch faster, even experts say the real-world effect is minimal.
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Becca CaddySocial Links NavigationBecca is a contributor to TechRadar, a freelance journalist and author. She’s been writing about consumer tech and popular science for more than ten years, covering all kinds of topics, including why robots have eyes and whether we’ll experience the overview effect one day. She’s particularly interested in VR/AR, wearables, digital health, space tech and chatting to experts and academics about the future. She’s contributed to TechRadar, T3, Wired, New Scientist, The Guardian, Inverse and many more. Her first book, Screen Time, came out in January 2021 with Bonnier Books. She loves science-fiction, brutalist architecture, and spending too much time floating through space in virtual reality.
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