How To Charge Your Iphone Faster

8 ways to charge your iPhone faster, including using the right charger and taking it out of direct sunlight

iPhone wireless charger — How fast your iPhone charges has to do with what charger you're using, how you're charging it, and more.

Use a wall charger

First thing's first: Using a wall charger — any wall charger — is going to be faster than plugging your phone into a computer's USB port. Use a wall charger if you have one.

But not all wall chargers are equal. In general, the higher the device's wattage, the faster it can deliver a charge to your iPhone. The wall charger that comes with your iPhone is relatively anemic, rated at 5 watts.

If you have an iPad, use the wall charger that came with it instead, since it delivers 12 watts and charges about 33 percent faster.

If you have a new iPhone, use a fast charger

The newest generation of iPhones can take advantage of much higher wattage chargers for faster charging.

The newest crop of iPhones (which include the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and the iPhone X family) include fast charging. Paired with the right wall charger, these phones can go from empty to 50 percent charge in half an hour.

Apple doesn't include a fast charger in the box, though. You need to purchase a fast charger and a USB-C to Lightning cable. Apple offers its own 30 Watt USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C to Lightning adapter cable .

There are other fast charging options as well. Anker offers a 30 Watt USB-C Wall Charger , for example, and iClever has its own 30 Watt USB-C Charger . There are a lot of affordable choices.

Don't charge wirelessly

Wireless chargers are convenient, but slow.

Wireless charging (if you have a newer iPhone, or you've put an old iPhone in a wireless charging case ) is admittedly a convenience. But like most conveniences, this one has an unintended cost: slow charging.

Wireless chargers work much more slowly than plugging the phone into a Lightning cable, which is why you should skip wireless if you're in a hurry.

Turn the phone off

Shut your phone off completely for faster charging.

Your iPhone will charge more slowly if it's powered on and performing tasks while it's also trying to send current to the battery. The best solution is to simply power it down.

Start the Settings app, tap "General," and then tap "Shut Down."

Put it in Airplane Mode

Airplane mode turns off some power-hungry systems, so it can help charge your phone a little faster if you can't turn it off.

Sometimes it isn't practical to turn your phone off completely, but the next best thing is to put it in Airplane Mode. In Airplane Mode, your phone disables Wi-Fi and cellular service, which can save a significant amount of power, letting the phone charge faster.

To do that, pull down the Control Panel from the top right of the screen and tap the airplane icon at the top left. Or, if you're using an iPhone older than the iPhone X, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap the airplane icon at the top left.

Avoid using it

Leave your iPhone be, and it will charge faster.

You can probably guess where this is going: Just avoid doing anything with the phone while it charges. Don't stream music, browse the web, or check email. Put the phone down and leave it alone to charge in peace.

Keep it cool

Keep your iPhone out of the sunlight and take it out of its case to help it charge faster.

Batteries are little chemical factories, and when you charge a phone, the electric current causes chemical reactions to happen deep inside your phone.

These chemical reactions tend to heat up the battery, but they work most efficiently when the phone is cool. You can help the phone to charge faster by keeping it out of direct sunlight and in a cool location if possible. If you keep the phone in a case, consider taking it out of the case while it charges — many cases trap heat, which is bad.

In fact, if the phone gets too hot (about 95 degrees), it may stop charging completely until it has an opportunity to cool down.

Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.