Tech News Today
  • Hardware
    • Motherboards
    • CPUs
    • Graphic Cards
    • RAM
    • SSDs
    • Computer Cases
    • Monitors
    • Peripherals
    • Power Supply Unit
    • PC Builds
    • Computer Tips
  • Software
  • Operating System
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
  • Gaming
  • Mobile
  • Console
  • More
    • Internet
    • Networking
    • Security
    • Buyer’s Guide
    • Gadgets
    • Laptops
    • Reviews
    • How To
    • News
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Tech News Today
  • Hardware
    • Motherboards
    • CPUs
    • Graphic Cards
    • RAM
    • SSDs
    • Computer Cases
    • Monitors
    • Peripherals
    • Power Supply Unit
    • PC Builds
    • Computer Tips
  • Software
  • Operating System
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
  • Gaming
  • Mobile
  • Console
  • More
    • Internet
    • Networking
    • Security
    • Buyer’s Guide
    • Gadgets
    • Laptops
    • Reviews
    • How To
    • News
Tech News Today
Home»Mobile»Charging While Using Phone – Is It Really Bad?

Charging While Using Phone – Is It Really Bad?

jabinBy jabinOctober 11, 2022
charging-while-using-phone

Under normal circumstances, it’s perfectly fine to keep using the phone while charging. You can continue performing any tasks you want, open your favorite apps, listen to music, watch a video, or do anything else you wish.

Having said that, you might have heard people getting hurt due to a phone explosion or it catching fire. So, what’s happening here? Isn’t it dangerous, you might ask?

Well, it’s very rare, but a phone can indeed explode and even burn like a piece of paper while charging. The main contributor to these types of incidents is your phone battery.

In this article, we explain how the battery works and charges to help you better understand what happens when you charge the phone while using it. Also, we have compiled a list of warning signs to prevent unpleasant incidents.

Table of Contents

  • Charging Mechanism in Your Phone
  • What Happens When You Use the Phone while Charging?
    • Battery Performance Degrades
  • Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore
    • The Battery is Swollen
    • Phone Heats up Too Much
  • Can Phones Really Explode While Charging?
    • Using Third-Party Mobile Parts
    • Using the Phone Under Extreme Temperature
  • What Happens if You Leave Your Phone Charging Overnight?
  • Conclusion

Charging Mechanism in Your Phone

To keep your phone up and running, it needs some kind of energy, and the battery provides it by converting chemical energy into electrical energy. Most smartphones come with a Lithium-ion battery as its chemical composition is such that it has only one electron on its outermost orbit. Also, its batteries last longer and also charge quickly — making it a suitable element for a smartphones.

A Lithium-ion battery is basically made up of three components; a cathode (positive electrode), an anode (negative electrode), and a separator. The cathode is made up of Manganese, Cobalt, Nickel, etc. Likewise, the anode comprises graphite that contains Lithium between its layers.

The Lithium ions usually flow from the anode to the cathode, and once they all go to the cathode side, your battery charge is finished.

discharged

But when you charge your phone, they flow in the opposite direction. In this process, the electrolyte/separator helps the Lithium ions to move between the two electrodes while blocking the electrons from passing through to the other side.

charged

Now, a phone is unlikely to explode even if you use it while charging. But the main reason it can happen is due to excessive heat, thus resulting in thermal runaway.

When the phone overheats and reaches its maximum temperature, a chain reaction occurs inside it and ignites the fire, which can even result in an explosion. Therefore, you should avoid overheating and look for signs that can lead to such incidents.

What Happens When You Use the Phone while Charging?

Even though your phone may not blast while charging and using it simultaneously, it has some adverse effects on the phone and the battery.

Battery Performance Degrades

Battery-drain-too-fast-when-using-and-charging
Battery performance degrading

Using the phone while charging causes it to overheat, and if you are doing it frequently, the battery performance declines even faster; thus, it wears out earlier than expected. On the other hand, your phone won’t charge at full speed, and it will take longer to charge fully.

Phone Overheats Faster

When you perform resource-intensive tasks like playing heavy mobile games, along with charging, it puts pressure on the phone and increases its temperature. The heat depends on how many applications you have opened and how long you have been using it while charging.

Phone-overheating-problem
Phone temperature overheating

Also, the phone can overheat even faster if you are charging and using the phone despite having a low charge (below 15-20%). The optimum battery percentage to charge your phone is somewhere between 20% to 90%.

USB Port Becomes Loose or Damaged

Loose-USB-port
Loose USB Port

When you connect the charger and use the phone, the charging cable goes through many twists and turns. So, it might break sooner, and the port can also become too loose, obstructing your charging process.

Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

There are certain tell-tale signs that indicate your phone, specifically your battery, is having some severe issues and can lead to the phone catching fire or even an explosion.

The Battery is Swollen

If your battery looks swollen and your phone appears wobbly when placed on a flat surface, a chemical reaction might occur unexpectedly inside it, posing a dangerous fire hazard. Therefore, you should consider replacing such a battery as soon as possible.

the battery swallon
Swollen Battery

And, even though most phones come with embedded batteries, you can still remove them. However, you should only consider doing it with the help of an expert repair technician or go to the phone manufacturer’s official repair center. This is because it can emit harmful fumes or catch fire if not dealt with appropriately.

Phone Heats up Too Much

 While it’s quite normal for a phone to heat up when you use it on the charge, you should be careful when it starts to heat up more than it usually does. Some smartphones even warn when the mobile phone starts to overheat and asks to avoid using the phone to let it cool down.

Phone-overheating-problem
Phone heats up too much

However, if the phone overheats even when you are using none or light applications only, it might be a manufacturing defect (although very rare).

In this case, you should contact the manufacturer or the shop owner and ask for another one to be on the safe side.

Can Phones Really Explode While Charging?

An explosion is extremely rare, even if you use the phone while charging. However, when they occur, it’s generally because of the battery overheating, which in turn leads to a fire hazard and then an explosion.

Can-phones-explode
Can phones explode?

Otherwise, it’s most likely a manufacturing defect that happened in the case of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Later, Samsung decided to discontinue the specific model’s production permanently.

Nonetheless, here are some factors that can cause these incidents.

Using Third-Party Mobile Parts

Generally, overheating happens when the device’s internal components, like the battery, have been changed/modified and replaced with a non-genuine part. Also, it can occur if you use a third-party charger to charge your phone.

Therefore, make sure you always use genuine parts, and even if you use a genuine battery, don’t throw away the old one just yet. Since the battery contains highly reactive chemicals like lithium, dispose of it appropriately.

Using the Phone Under Extreme Temperature

If you use the phone in scorching hot conditions, it can heat up quickly and cause it to overheat. This may result in a swollen battery, and if it leaks, it could explode as Lithium is highly reactive to air and water. The chances of a battery swelling or expanding due to extreme temperature are slim, but you shouldn’t completely ignore it for your safety.

Using-phone-in-extreme-temperature
Using Phone in extreme hot temperatures

On the other hand, you should avoid using the phone while charging anywhere near water, especially having a bath, as it can get wet and you can get electrocuted.

What Happens if You Leave Your Phone Charging Overnight?

Smartphones these days are smart enough to stop overcharging and automatically stop charging when the battery level reaches its total capacity. Therefore, you can leave the phone charging as long as you like. But don’t put it under the pillow, so it doesn’t cause overheating issues.

Conclusion

Despite your phone containing a reactive element like Lithium, the manufacturers take great care in designing and testing them. Every phone goes through various quality control tests, and different safety checks are performed to ensure the phone is safe to use. Furthermore, the phones must meet the industry safety standards before being approved and sent to the market.

So, except for extreme cases like a swollen battery or the signs mentioned earlier, you can use the mobile device while charging without worrying too much.

Question
jabin

Hello there! I'm an IT graduate familiar with troubleshooting for Windows, Android, iPhone, and several other devices. I love to help people with thorough how-to guides and interesting tips & tricks. When I'm not writing, I love to watch movies, especially the thriller ones.

Related Posts

samsung-galaxy-not-turning-on

Samsung Galaxy Not Turning On? Try These Fixes

January 9, 2023
phone-goes-straight-to-voicemail

My Phone Goes Straight to Voicemail – How to Fix it?

December 29, 2022
how-to-screen-record-on-android

How to Screen Record on Android?

December 26, 2022
how-to-block-a-number-on-android

How to Block a Number on Android?

December 22, 2022
how-to-tell-if-your-phone-has-been-hacked

How to Tell if Your Phone Has Been Hacked?

December 16, 2022
restore-contacts-from-google

How to Restore Contacts From Google

December 16, 2022
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Latest Posts
what is ghost of tsushima legends

What is the Ghost of Tsushima Legends Mode

January 12, 2023
raid 5 vs raid 10

RAID 5 Vs RAID 10 – Which One Is Better?

January 12, 2023
best-tv-settings-for-gaming

Best TV Settings for Gaming

January 9, 2023
You may also like
tv-screen-goes-black-randomly

TV Screen Goes Black Randomly? Try These 11 Fixes

January 15, 2023
how to find unique values in excel

How to Find Unique Values in Excel

January 15, 2023
how-to-open-and-use-chrome-settings

How to Open and Use Chrome Settings

January 16, 2023
Recommended
Cookie Clicker Garden Guide

Cookie Clicker Garden Guide to Unlocking Every Seed

September 26, 2021
monitor no signal

Computer Turns On But Monitor Says No Signal (9 Ways To Fix)

November 10, 2022
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Fact-Checking Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
© 2023 TechNewsToday.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.