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Apple has issued a stern warning to smartphone addicts who fall asleep holding their device while it’s plugged into their charger.
In his online user manualthe tech giant says its iPhones should only be charged in a “well-ventilated room” — that is, on a flat tabletop and not on a thick duvet.
iPhones heat up when charging, so if this heat doesn’t have room to escape, it can cause burns or even start a fire.
This is why keeping a charging phone under your pillow is one of the worst things smartphone users can do.
Apple fails to tell people not to charge a phone overnight at all – although this is the official advice of some fire departments.
Apple does not recommend letting your iPhone sleep with you while charging. iPhones should only be charged in a ‘well-ventilated area’, it says – but some fire departments go further by saying devices should not be charged while the owner is asleep, whether or not they are well-ventilated
The tech giant says: “Prolonged contact with hot surfaces can cause discomfort or injury.
“Use common sense to avoid situations where your skin comes into contact with a device, its power adapter, or a wireless charger when it is in use or connected to a power source for an extended period of time.
“For example, don’t sleep on a device, power adapter, or wireless charger, or put them under a blanket, pillow, or your body when it’s connected to a power source.
Store your iPhone, power adapter, and any wireless charger in a well-ventilated area when using or charging.
“Take extra care if you have a physical condition that affects your ability to detect heat against the body.”
Apple doesn’t explicitly advise against charging your phone overnight; in fact, as long as it’s in a “well-ventilated area,” it should be safe, Apple’s blog post suggests.
However, some fire departments go a step further by advising against any kind of overnight charging.
Kent Fire Service has already warned of the dangers of keeping a phone on a charging dock or connected to a charging cord while we sleep, wherever it is placed.
In a TikTok videoone of his teaching staff outlines three important reasons why you should only charge when you are awake.
“Number one, you don’t smell anything when you sleep, so when it starts to burn, fire won’t wake you up.
Kent Fire Services, in a TikTok video, gave three main reasons why you should only charge when you’re awake
“Number two, it only takes three puffs of smoke to knock you out.
“Number three: Many people have cheap or faulty phone chargers, but even real chargers have been known to cause fires.”
Aside from Samsung’s catastrophic Galaxy Note 7 device, which exploded due to design flaws, smartphones that suddenly ignite are rare — but that’s not to say it never happens.
According to a 2015 report, an iPhone 7 “exploded” with a loud bang in China after being left on a bedside table to charge – so in a well-ventilated area according to Apple’s advice.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, but unfortunately this is not always the case.
In 2021, a schoolboy in Vietnam was tragically killed when his phone exploded while charging, though it’s unclear which model he was using.
Two years later, a girl in Kazakhstan was similarly killed when her phone exploded on her pillow after she went to sleep while plugged into a charger.
Another case from last year suggests that devices can explode at any time – day or night – if they’ve been charged long enough.
A Glasgow household was destroyed by a smartphone fire that started just after 8pm, though it’s unclear how long the device was plugged in.
Another reason not to charge your iPhone all night has less to do with the dangers and more to do with the impact on your device’s longevity.
Phones usually take two hours to fully charge, but if they’re plugged in overnight, they’ll get power for eight hours or more, depending on how long you sleep.
This increases the amount of heat the battery is exposed to and ultimately shortens its life, meaning you’ll need to buy a new phone sooner.
That’s why it’s worth remembering to take your phone off the charge when you wake up in the night – or change your charging habits completely.
Alternatives include a charger by your desk at work so you can unplug it once it reaches 100 percent, or give it a power boost shortly after you wake up in the morning.
On iOS 13 and later, Apple has a feature called “optimized battery charging,” which slows down the charge once it reaches 80 percent.
This limits the impact of overnight charging and extends the device’s battery life, Apple claims.