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In a rush? Here’s how to charge your iPhone or Android battery as quickly as possible

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:48PM EST

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There’s a reason that battery life has become the biggest determining factor for consumers looking to purchase a new smartphone: battery technology continues to progress far slower than other mobile tech. Companies developing new, more efficient batteries simply cannot keep up with the higher-resolution displays and other power-hungry technologies smartphone makers are stuffing into iPhones, Android phones and other handsets. As a result, vendors have been forced to create extreme power-saving modes that cut off most of a device’s functionality in order to extend battery life when the charge gets dangerously low.

It will likely be quite some time before we see any huge progress made in terms of smartphone battery life, but there are plenty of ways we can improve the performance of existing batteries in the meantime.

We have shared a number of great tips and tricks over the years that can help smartphone users get the most out of their batteries. For example, check out these 15 tips for squeezing as much battery life as possible out of your iPhone (most of those tips will work for Android users as well).

One thing we have never really discussed, however, is how to charge your smartphone as quickly as possible when you’re in a rush.

Keeping different phone chargers at home, in your office and at other locations you visit most often is a necessity. Having a car charger is important as well. But sometimes you find yourself in a rush with barely any charge remaining in your phone, and you have to recharge your handset as quickly as possible before you leave.

Phone Arena has put together a short guide with some good tips on how to charge your phone as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Some of the tips seem obvious, but users might not always think of them while in a rush. For example, you should always turn your phone off or at least enable airplane mode when you need to charge it as quickly as possible. This will ensure that power-hungry features aren’t slowing down the charging process.

Also, using a wall charger will always charge your phone faster than a USB port on a PC, though the guide notes that there are certain accessories that will help your computer charge your phone much faster if there is no wall outlet available.

For the complete list of charging tips and tricks, visit the link below in our source section.

UPDATE: As noted by a Twitter user in response to this post, iPhone owners should also consider using the iPad’s 12W power adapter instead of the iPhone’s 5W power adapter. Your iPhone will indeed charge much faster this way, and we have been using iPad chargers with iPhones for years without any issues.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 15 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.