Read More: 3 Unlikely Things That Affect Your Phone’s Charging Ability

Still, even a fully charged battery can drain quickly if your phone doesn’t have a long battery life. Having a strong battery will allow longer excursions away from assured outlets, which means more exploration and fun for you. While keeping your battery charged while abroad is essential, a lot of the work is done on a daily basis in your own home before the trip. There is no way to make a battery magically better, but keeping a watchful eye on charges is a necessary step in order to not wear your battery down. Luckily, total charge will assist you in your everyday battery life.

total charge will carefully monitor your phone as it charges, sending you notifications when it is time to unplug it. This will prevent you from overcharging your phone, which can be harmful to its battery. By making sure you never leave your battery over- or undercharged, you can prolong its life. You’ll also feel safer stepping away from your charger and into the streets, parks, or forests of whatever beautiful city you find yourself in.

Of course, if you ever find yourself with a dead phone, step into a nearby cafe and ask if you can use a charger. More often than not, people will turn out to be friendly and excited to help out someone visiting their town. Just don’t forget to buy a coffee while you wait, and thank them for their help!

Read More: Ways You’re Reducing the Lifespan of Your Phone’s Battery

1. You’re Draining Your Battery to 0% Every Time

In the past, experts believed that you should wait until your phone fully drains of battery before recharging it, in order to extend your battery’s life. This rule typically applied to nickel-based batteries, but smartphones now use lithium-ion batteries, which are much different. Lithium-ion batteries are sensitive, and have a finite number of recharge cycles. Lithium-ion batteries are typically able to recharge 300-500 times.

2. You’re Charging Your Phone to 100% Every Time

Now, experts are saying that, for optimal battery health, you should follow the 40-80 rule. This means that you don’t let your battery fully drain, nor do you charge it to 100%: you should keep your battery life between 40% and 80% most of the time. Doing so will help to prevent your phone from overcharging and overheating, and it will extend the number of recharge cycles for your battery. Instead of 300-500 recharge cycles, you could double or triple that number by sticking to the 40-80 rule.

3. You’re Only Charging Your Phone Once a Day

If you thought that charging your phone all at once was the best way to protect your phone’s battery, think again. Apparently, your phone’s battery is in its best shape when you charge your phone for short spurts throughout the day. This will help to keep your phone battery stress-free and operating more efficiently.

Use DFNDR’s Total Charge feature to prevent your phone from overcharging whenever you plug your phone in. Total Charge will monitor your phone’s charging process and provide you with updates on your phone’s status. To prevent overcharging, Total Charge will send you alerts whenever your phone is fully charged so that you can immediately unplug it. That way, your phone’s battery will not be damaged, nor will your phone’s performance be affected. Click here to prevent further battery damage:

As we continue to trust technology, we tend to use it more, and a wide variety of it. We’re more willing to try out new technologies, such as a jacket that can charge a smartphone in its pocket, or even a wireless charging room. The latter is still in development, but it certainly feels like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Wireless Charging Rooms

Disney Research developers have created a wireless charging room that can charge any device in the room without cords or charging pads. They accomplished this feat by creating a room that is electrically charged. The walls, floor, and ceiling all produce a magnetic field that can wirelessly charge electronic devices. The developers can safely transmit up to 1.9 kilowatts of power into a 256 sq ft room — that’s enough power to charge over 300 smartphones.

Although this is just a test room, in theory, rooms of any size could be created. The technology could be used to power a warehouse, a garage for an electric car, or an office — that way, you never have to worry about a device losing power, or dropped productivity because a device needs to be charged. Developers also said that they could use this technology in a small box as well, to charge various gadgets at once.

Here’s how they work: you purchase the charging station, and most of them come in a dual formation where you can charge two at a time. The station comes with a rechargeable battery pack that you insert into your Wii remote. Simply set your Wii controller on the station each time you finish playing.

Read More: The Best Battery Packs to Use on the Move

Your remote will then charge while it is idle. This ensures that you never have to worry about going to the store to purchase AA batteries again. These remote charging stations run from $10-$40, depending upon what quality and power you want your station to run on. While the price tags can get a bit ugly, they are certainly worth the expenses you save in the long run.
To put it in perspective — a 2-pack of batteries can cost up to $5. If you are a devout Wii user, it should be a no brainer to go ahead and buy the charging station to avoid this frequent cost.
A lot of these devices come with a new wired sensor bar. These are important to set up in conjunction with your remotes. This is because the compatibility will likely be better with the sensor that comes with the charger compared to your old one.

Most of these charging docks plug into the wall. These are much more efficient than the old chargers that would only work if you left your device on while the remotes are charging.
Users complain that these battery packs are hard to take out once you insert them into your Wii remote. Be careful and patient if you wish to remove these batteries. However, most of them come with a gripped back that makes the remote both comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.

What is the danger?

A security firm known as Kaspersky Labs recently conducted a study to assess the security (or lack thereof) of these public charging docks. The results? They were able to easily install viruses through the USB cable. The scary part is it took them under three minutes. The study also shows that computers are highly vulnerable for the same reasons.

Read More: How can you Tell Which Android Phone is Right for You?

How does all of this work?

When you plug your phone into these charging docks, your phone leaks some information through the USB cable connected to your device. Hackers can connect their computers or phones to the same charging dock and retrieve the information. Some of the data your phone releases is incredibly private, including the device type, serial number, list of files, and the name of the manufacturer.

How can I protect myself?

1. Encrypt your text messages. If you are concerned about the privacy of your text messages, third party apps such as WhatsApp will successfully shield your messages from hackers.
2. Protect your phone with a fingerprint ID or a password, and maintain the phone’s lock during its charge. This will make it much harder for the hackers to access your information.
3. Constantly check for updates. Your phone company should update your phone with security programs that can help prevent these hacks.
4. Antivirus protection. PSafe’s antivirus system vigilantly scans all of your phone files and searches for security breaches.

Easiest of all, don’t plug your phone into these public charging docks. There are mobile phone chargers that are available for purchase that are much safer and inaccessible by hackers.