It is better not to charge the cold smartphone under freezing immediately

In winter, devices such as iPhones and tablets are often exposed to cold environments.

Sometimes you carry your iPhone when skiing, or you may put a new tablet outside the entrance.

The reason is that there is something important to let me know about devices that are exposed to the cold.

That is, when the device equipped with a lithium -ion battery is cold below freezing, do not charge it.

What happens if you charge a lithium -ion battery under freezing?

In this case, there are two major problems.

The first problem is that charging a cold lithium -ion battery under freezing reduces the capacity of the entire battery.Any battery decreases with the maximum capacity over time.

This is a phenomenon called chemical aging.

However, when charging under freezing point, the capacity will decrease at that point, and it will look like a much older battery than it actually.

I don't like the device where the battery runs out immediately, even though it's a new one.

The second problem is even more serious, which can be dangerous for users.When charged under freezing, the battery becomes like a timed bomb.In other words, the battery can literally explode.

It does not necessarily explode immediately, and it does not always explode, but it will be a fate that will break down somewhere in the future.

This information is a very detailed article posted by user Metacollin to the Electrical Engineering Forum.

It is a post that explains in detail, including the lithium -ion battery mechanism, so if you want to know the details, please read the post.

But here, I will explain it very easily to organize my head.

Reasons why the lithium -ion battery should be cold under freezing

The lithium -ion battery has two pides, an anode and a cathode, and plays a role like a lithium -ion sponge.When the battery is used, the lithium moves from the anode to the cathode.

If most of the lithium exit the anche and accumulate in the cathode, the battery will be "discharged" and the device will turn off.

While charging, the lithium moves from the cathode to the anode.If most of the lithium returned to the anche, the device would have been charged.Do you know so far?

By the way, if the battery is charged under freezing, the cathode does not "absorb" lithium, and the lithium covers the cathode.

This lithium aggregate gives a great stress on the cathode, and when the cathode expands naturally during charging, the lithium coated with the cathode enters inside.

As a result, it leads to an unexpected failure of the battery.On the contrary, in the process, the cathode and the anche may come into contact, and in the worst case, it may ignite or explode.

How to charge a cold device?

The above problems only occur when charging the battery exposed to the environment under freezing.If the temperature is higher than 32 ° F (0 ° C), it can be charged safely even if the battery is "cold".

For example, if a new iPad ordered online is placed outside the house on a cold day of 38 ℉ (about 3 ° C), you can charge the iPad.

However, if the outside temperature is below freezing, it is better to keep the iPad in the house for a short time so that the battery warms up sufficiently.It's easy because you just have to wait for charging.Let's turn on the power.

It is okay to have a battery under freezing or discharge.

In addition, most high -tech products are equipped with a charged battery to some extent, so you can complete the settings before charging.

Unfortunately, there is almost no information that explains in detail the time it takes to warm the lithium -ion battery to a safe level.

As a guide, you should wait until the device itself does not feel cold under freezing, but of course it is subjective.

Depending on the device, there is a way to check the battery temperature.Android devices allows you to use a third -party app called AMPERE to see if the battery is below freezing.

However, many devices cannot use this type of app.

In addition, most people do not have tools to open the device and manually check the battery temperature.

However, it is important not to think too much.

If the outdoor battery takes too long to warm up to a safe level, this problem should be more frequently featured.

Rather, it may be enough to wait a moment for the device to warm up before charging.

Source: Stack Exchange