Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.
Question from Dorenda: Hi, Rick. I have a question about charging my phone.
I lead walking tours through the streets of my historic home town and I only have a few minutes here and there when I can plug my iPhone in for a quick charge.
Someone told me my phone will charge faster if I turn it off before I plug it in. Is that true?
Rick’s answer: Yes, that is true, Dorenda. The innards of your iPhone consist of some pretty sophisticated electronic devices, including a CPU, some memory chips and multiple send/receive radios.
All of those devices consume power, and when they are powered up they compete with your phone’s battery for the electric current that’s being delivered to the phone by the charger.
Turning off your phone won’t make your iPhone’s battery charge at lightning speed, but if you only have a few minutes of charging time a few times each day it can make a big difference.
Just be aware (as I’m sure you are) that you won’t be able to send or receive phone calls or texts until you turn your phone back on.
I do have another solution for you to consider, however. You an always get yourself an inexpensive portable external battery bank/charger and carry it around in your purse, bag or pocket.
You can leave your iPhone plugged into the portable charger throughout the day, then re-charge the battery via the wall charger at night. Just a suggestion…
And by the way, the info in this post applies to Android phones as well!