Apple has recently issued an important warning to iPhone users about the risks of charging their devices overnight. For those who are accustomed to plugging in their phones next to their bed before sleeping, this message is particularly relevant.
Personally, I often charge my phone by my bedside before falling asleep to ensure the battery lasts throughout the day, and because I want to make sure my alarm goes off.
However, there’s no need to worry excessively, as Apple is not advising users to stop charging their phones overnight completely. Instead, the company is advising caution regarding the location and method of charging, particularly with regard to potential overheating.
Apple specifically cautions against charging your phone in areas where it cannot be adequately ventilated. This means no more falling asleep while watching Netflix and waking up to an iPhone enmeshed in its cable under your duvet or hidden beneath pillows and blankets.
This advice can be found in Apple’s ‘Important safety information for iPhone’ documentation, where it warns that charging a device in a confined or poorly ventilated space can result in discomfort or even injury.
The guidelines advise users to ‘avoid prolonged skin contact with the charging cable and connector when it is connected to a power source because it may cause discomfort or injury’.
The document explicitly states: “Sleeping or sitting on the charging cable or connector should be avoided.”
Apple further emphasizes: “Use common sense to avoid situations where your skin is in contact with a device, its power adapter, or a wireless charger when it’s operating or connected to a power source for long periods of time.
“For instance, don’t sleep on a device, power adapter, or wireless charger, or place them under a blanket, pillow, or your body, when it’s connected to a power source.”
The company advises keeping devices in a well-ventilated area and notes: “Take special care if you have a physical condition that affects your ability to detect heat against the body.”
While this may seem excessive, fire services have confirmed that the risk is significant.
A firefighter from Kent Fire Rescue in the UK has previously shared on TikTok why charging phones overnight can be hazardous.
They explained: “We get a lot of questions here at Kent Fire Rescue about why you shouldn’t charge phones overnight. So here are the reasons why.
“Firstly, you can’t smell anything when you’re asleep, so if it starts to burn, the fire won’t wake you up.
“Secondly, it only takes three breaths to render you unconscious.”
They continued: “Many people use cheap or faulty phone chargers, and even genuine ones have been known to start fires.”