The Best Way to Charge Your Device Will Make Its Battery Last Way Longer

Finding an outlet in any place and situation to quickly charge your phone or other devices has become somewhat of a modus operandi for any tech user. Its always the same old story, too: As the batteries in our electronics endure daily wear and tear, their ability to hold a charge becomes weaker and weaker leaving us with a dead smartphone or a low laptop battery life at the worst possible moment. Why exactly does that happen? We’ve got the answer, along with a handy tip for charging your device’s battery. Bonus: This power strip solves so many charging woes.

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All about genetic inheritance©ADragan/Shutterstock

Do you have your mom's button nose? Did your dad pass on the curse of sneezing in bright sunlight? And where did your baby's red, curly hair come from when there hasn't been a redhead in your family for generations? These questions may sound simple, but the answers get complicated fast. Why? Because the science behind inherited traits is complicated. Your hairline, rare hair color, freckles, dimples and even intelligence can be passed down genetically, but it's complex.

"There are 20,000 genes in your body, and half come from your mom and the other half come from your dad," says Heather Hampel, a genetic counselor at City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, California. "Each gene codes for one protein or substance, and this mix is the recipe for you—from hair color and eye color to height and predisposition to certain diseases."

Of course, genes aren't destiny, and only a small fraction of genes are completely penetrant, which means that if you inherit this gene, it will 100% express itself, says Hampel. But which characteristics are influenced more by your mother or father? We spoke with Hampel and Taylor Sabato, a licensed genetic counselor in Ohio, to break down the science.

What are inherited traits?

There are many ways you can inherit traits from your parents, says Sabato. First is through a dominant gene—if you inherit a dominant gene, you will develop that trait. Take eye color, for example. If either of your parents has brown eyes, you likely will have brown eyes, as this is a dominant trait. Second is through a recessive gene—both parents have to have the recessive gene for you to have that trait. For instance, if you have blue eyes, then both of your parents must carry a gene for blue eyes, even if their eye color isn't blue.

"For dominant inheritance, a single gene variant from your mom or dad may influence whether you will get that trait," Sabato explains. "With a recessive trait, you need to inherit a gene variant from your mom and your dad."

There are more complex gene inheritance patterns that require multiple gene variants from mom or dad for you to develop a trait or condition, but the most common inheritance pattern is X-linked inheritance. These are conditions influenced by gene variants on the X chromosome. "It is the variants/variation within the coding sequence of the genes that causes the differences among us, including benign things like hair color and/or medical conditions, such as sickle cell anemia or cystic fibrosis," says Sabato. Ahead, we're explaining which of those inherited traits you're getting from mom, and which come from dad.

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About the experts Heather Hampel, MS, CGC, is an internationally recognized cancer genetic counselor and researcher at City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, California. Taylor Sabato, MPH, MMSc, LGC, is a licensed genetic counselor and an assistant professor at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She has a master of medical science degree and a master of public health degree.

Why do some device batteries seem to die quickly?

There is a simple explanation for why this happens, as it turns out. (The dead battery, that is; not your bad luck.) “The life of a lithium-ion battery is generally 500 cycles (about a year and a half). A battery cycle is measured by one full charge of 0 to 100. So, the more full cycles your phone goes through, the sooner you have to change it,” says Liz Hamilton, Director, People and Customers at Mobile Klinik, a mobile phone repair business. We can thank chemical reactions which create atomic buildup while the device charges for batteries limited lifetimes.

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How can you make your device’s battery last longer?

So, what is a techie (or just the average smartphone owner) to do? To make your battery last as long as possible, though, there  is a highly recommended method for charging your devices. And you can try it right now!

Hamilton says that you should only be partially charging your phone to slow down the depletion of your batteries life cycle. She says the sweet spot to keep your battery charged is at 25-85%. Find out why your phone is charging slowly.

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“Lithium-ion batteries can be stressed at the extremes. One of the biggest contenders for destroying your phone’s battery health is letting the phone charge past 100 percent,” says Hamilton. “Many people have this habit and don’t realize the damage it causes to their battery.”

So, the trick: Don’t let your phone’s battery drain completely to zero, and when charging it, only let it reach about 85 percent and then unplug. If you do filly our battery completely, don’t leave the device plugged in; doing so constantly can cause your electronics to age faster in the long run.

Hamilton also recommends turning down your screen’s brightness, disabling features that you don’t use such as location, certain apps, and notifications and using low power mode to extend the life of your battery.

Of course, these are just suggestions; you’re in no danger if you keep your phone charging overnight. But following the guidelines could make your battery last much longer, which ultimately saves you money down the road. To save even more money, use these tech tricks to save data and lower your cell phone bill.