Can charging your iPhone in your car hurt your phone’s or car’s battery health in the long term?
Tags: wirelesscharger
Published: 2023-01-07 21:42:13


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/k6xmojas4lsmxylb8fvn.jpg)
While you are on your way to work, the worst feeling is to realize that you forgot to charge your phone last night. Not a great way to start your day, right?

But thanks to technology, this issue has become a worry of the past. Today, you can easily charge your device while you are traveling with the help of your car. Most cars either come with a built-in charging outlet for your device or a cigarette lighter that can be used to charge your device as well.

But then, there arises the obvious question, how safe is it?
Today we will be discussing how safe is it to charge your device from your car and the do’s and don’ts that you need to keep in mind while doing so.


## Is your car a good source of power for your mobile phone?


The power to charge your phone comes from your car’s battery, which is quite obvious. This source of energy is DC in nature and not AC. This means that your charger has to do one less task as your smartphone requires DC for charging. But that fundamentally does not make it the best option.

The power output you get from your car’s cigarette lighter is a 12v output. But your smartphone only requires 5v. This is not a problem usually if you use chargers of trusted and renowned manufacturers, or better, the phone’s original charger. But this becomes a problem when you use a cheap adapter from a random brand. This can compromise your device’s battery in the long run.

## Is it safe for your car?

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/jv1gahugq4ff1v0dzouy.png)

Well, the answer is yes and no.

Yes if you are using it when your car is running. This means that while you are driving your vehicle, your car’s battery is continuously being recharged. During that scenario, you need not worry about charging your device from your car as the electric load your smartphone takes from your car’s battery has negligible impact.

The problem arises when you charge your devices for long intervals while you are in your car but it is not running. It may not seem to be a problem at first, but the prolonged practice of such may lead to discharging of the car’s battery. So occasionally it can be done, but you should not do it in the long run.

## Things to keep in mind while charging your device

Apart from the above precautions, here are some things you must keep in mind when charging your mobile in your car:-

While charging your device wirelessly, make sure your charger meets the Qi standards. Don’t cheap out on them. If you are an iPhone user, it's best if you stick with MagSafe but if you choose some other product, make sure it is Qi certified.

Also, this may not be directly related to your car’s and device’s battery, but it can prevent your device from getting damaged. While charging your device you can use a car mobile holder or any other thing that acts like that. This will shut out the chances of your device flying around in the car.

## So should you or should you not charge your device in your car?

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ft4zeoae0s2wedg4rfhx.jpg)
 
Ultimately it's a matter of fair practice. If you stick with the steps and instructions that have been discussed, you can charge your smartphone in your car. But if your car is quite old, its battery may have discharging issues. You wouldn’t want to upset your car’s battery over something that could have been done at home. But as long as your car works fine, and you keep in mind what you have read in this article, you would not have any issues charging your smartphone in your car.