Chris Holmes Staff Writer

Updated 16 December 2024

Contents

In this guide:

Turn on airplane mode
Use a wall charger
Keep your phone cool
Use fast battery chargers
Turn your phone off
Charge on the go

How to make your phone charge faster:

Switch to Airplane Mode while charging
Use a wall charger
Keep your phone cool
Use a fast battery charger
Turn it off or stop using it while charging
Charge on the go with portable chargers

While there are many ways to conserve your phone's battery, there are also a few quick hacks you can use for faster charging on those days when you should have been out the door 5 minutes ago. Here are 6 ways to make your phone charge faster.

1. Turn on airplane mode

The easiest way to make your phone charge faster is to switch your phone to Airplane Mode before connecting your charger. This will shut off your cell phone's connections to the cellular, Bluetooth, radio and WiFi services that can use up power even when you’re not using your device. While on Airplane Mode, your phone will be using less power, allowing it to charge much faster.

Whether you’re an Android or iOS user, you can turn on Airplane mode by tapping the Settings app on your home screen, selecting Airplane Mode, and sliding the toggle to On. You’ll know this mode is enabled by the small airplane icon that will appear at the top of your phone’s screen. Switching to Airplane mode means you won’t be able to make or receive calls or texts, or use data or GPS until you go back to your phone’s normal settings, but it should help charge your phone faster.

2. Use a wall charger

When it comes to getting your phone battery charged, official wall chargers that come packaged with your smartphone are the optimal choice. Wall chargers have a stronger amp output than the USB ports on your laptop or computer, and a charger produced by your phone’s manufacturer will work better than a cheap, third-party imitation.

Be Warned!

Some imitation chargers have been associated with electrocutions and overheating, so we recommend avoiding them altogether, and sticking with chargers approved by your cell phone’s manufacturer.

Wireless charging, while also very convenient, is generally not the best option for getting your phone charged fast. Some “fast” wireless chargers are available (more on these below), but they're generally not a better option than wall chargers.

While a wall socket is best, sometimes it is most convenient to plug your phone into the USB port on your laptop. The downside here is that the power output from a USB port is much lower, which will significantly slow down your charge time. It can take hours to go from empty to fully charged.

If you regularly rely on your computer to keep your smartphone charged, you can work around the slower output from USB ports. Devices such as the ChargeDr claim to boost the power from your laptop or desktop computer’s ports, so that your smartphone will charge in half the usual time.

You can also hunt down specially designed cables with two "male" USB connectors and one micro USB connector, so that you can charge a single device using the power from two USB ports at the same time. And if you’re using an iPhone and have a newer model Macbook or iMac at home, your Apple product will automatically recognize your iPhone when it is connected, and will increase the output to your phone to speed up charging. Genius.

3. Keep your phone cool

In general, you want to keep your phone out of excessive heat. Smartphones tend to work better and more efficiently when cool; conversely, overheating can damage its internals, including the battery.

Keep your phone away from sunlight or anything else that might be warming it while charging. You might also want to let it breathe by taking off your phone case (if you use one).

4. Use fast battery chargers

If your cell phone's official wall charger just isn't getting the job done fast enough, your phone may be compatible with quick charging accessories such as HTC'S Rapid Charger or Samsung's Fast Charging pad. Most new high-end phones, like the Samsung Galaxy S24 or the iPhone 16, are fast-charge capable. However, not all phones all compatible with all fast chargers. Make sure you get one that works with your phone.

Most fast smartphone battery chargers offer around 1.4 times the charging speeds of standard models, but you'll find that while your cell phone will bounce back to 50% in no time, this may taper off as your phone's battery gets closer to 100%. Slowing down charging—usually at about 75% capacity—is necessary to prevent damage to your device, and although it's safe to use, you may notice that charging your cell phone faster will heat it up much more than a standard wall charger. faster—but it can help you from running out of battery in the first place.

5. Turn your phone off

Turning off your cell phone completely while charging can help charge your phone battery much faster, since the battery isn't being used to do anything else.

This option may not be ideal, since it means you won't be able to use your cell phone at all while you're charging it—no texts, alerts, calls, listening to music, playing games, etc. However, if you need as much juice as you can get in as little time as possible, it may be worth the hour or so to get your phone back up and running.

Letting your phone die

A common phone battery myth for giving it optimal battery life and charging faster involves letting it die completely every once in a while. This really isn’t necessary. You shouldn’t ever have to worry about purposefully letting your phone die. Go ahead and charge it whenever you’re ready.

6. Charge on the go

An alternative to charging your phone fast would be to invest in an external phone battery pack for emergencies when you can't get to a power outlet. Portable chargers are pretty cheap these days—ranging anywhere from $5 to $100 depending on the quality and power of the charger itself.

There are also now a range of cell phone cases that also double as chargers for your phone. Depending on the type of cell phone you have, the brand of the case, and the charging power, you should be able to find a charging case for around $30 to $40, although the upper-range cases can cost you upwards of $100.

Many battery cases give you around 60% more cell phone life, but some models now can double the amount of juice you have on your phone. Note that this option involves you spending a bit of money and doesn't actually make your cell phone charge.

Important note to remember

While all these tips are designed to help you get some extra juice for your handset when time is a factor, we don’t recommend using them on a daily basis. Overall, slow and steady charging is much better for your phone’s long-term battery life than pumping it full of power every time your device needs a top up.

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Chris Holmes

Staff Writer

Chris Holmes is a Contributing Writer for WhistleOut, where he covers the cell phone and internet industries. His work has been cited in publications like The Verge, The New York Times, and WIRED.

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