Despite containing chips to stop overcharging it could still be damaging, one expert has his doubts about plugging your phone in every night

Damaging your battery? Do you charge your iPhone overnight so it’s ready to go in the morning? Well, you could be doing long-term damage to its battery life.

That’s the message coming from Hatem Zeine, the founder, chief scientist and chief technical officer of a wireless charging company. He says excessive charging every night will take its toll on your iPhone’s battery.

Zeine argues that most phones are designed to accept current as fast as possible. This is why it can have negative, long-term effects. As current passes rapidly from one side of the battery to the other it can corrode it.

Modern smartphones are have chips that stop them from taking on excess electrical current once they’ve been fully charged. But while this may work for the first few years, over time the repeated charging has a lasting effect.

The effect can vary depending on whether you use different chargers with different gadgets.

Another trick for preserving battery life on your phone is to make sure it’s kept cool. Excessive temperatures can wear out lithium ion batteries used in the majority of modern smartphones and gadgets.

Apple itself says that if an iPhone is regularly exposed to temperatures above 35C can “permanently damage battery capacity.” Most phones begin to start showing battery decline after a couple of years – the time of your average phone contract. So, if you plan to update your phone in two years’ time then charging overnight may not be an issue.

But if you plan to hold on to it for longer, consciously charging it from a slower current and unplugging as soon as it tops up could be the way to ensure the best future performance.