Bypass charging is an incredibly useful feature for gamers, video editors, content creators and just about anyone who wants to extend the life span of their smartphone.
We’ve compiled everything there is to know about bypass charging, including what it is, how it works, what it means for your performance and battery life and where you can find it.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about this hidden charging feature.
What is bypass charging?
Bypass charging is a charging feature that can be found on a range of devices, though we’ll primarily be focusing on smartphones in this guide. Regardless, this isn’t a feature that manufacturers tend to shout about, meaning it may have flown under the radar on your phone, tablet or even your laptop.
Bypass charging works by drawing power from the charger and sending it directly to the connected device. Unlike regular charging, this method bypasses the battery entirely (as you might have guessed by the name), sending the power straight to your phone.
It’s important to note that bypass charging doesn’t charge your phone to use later in the typical way you would expect a charger to function. Rather, this method gives your phone power to use in that moment. The battery, however, doesn’t receive any power. This means that. once you unplug the charger, you’ll be back to whatever battery percentage you had when you started bypass charging.
Essentially, if you’re looking to charge your phone before heading out, bypass charging won’t give you the battery boost you need to get through the day. It’s more useful for when you plan to stay put and play games or edit videos and don’t want to drain the battery you have.
Does bypass charging improve performance?
Yes, one major benefit of bypass charging is that it can improve the performance of your device. This is especially handy if you’re gaming or editing a video on your phone and need your phone to remain cool and running smoothly.
Bypass charging generates less heat than regular charging, which helps prevent the battery and other components in your phone from overheating. Your phone can then prioritise performance rather than focus on managing that excess heat.
Can bypass charging damage a battery?
Quite the opposite – bypass charging can actually extend the life span of your battery in the long term.
All smartphones have an estimated number of charging cycles they can handle before the battery health takes a hit. For example, Apple previously claimed that all four iPhone 15 models were designed to retain 80% of their original battery capacity for up to 1000 complete charge cycles. Because bypass charging skips the battery, it doesn’t result in one of these charging cycles, pushing that date further back and thus extending the life of the battery in the long run.
Is bypass charging safe?
Bypass charging is generally considered very safe.
That said, you’re unlikely to leave your phone alone while bypass charging anyway. The feature is only useful when you’re using the phone and don’t want to impact the battery life, meaning there’s no reason to leave the room or leave your phone unattended while bypass charging is switched on.
Bypass charging phones list – the compatible handsets
A large number of modern smartphones and many on our best smartphones and best gaming phones lists support bypass charging – even if they don’t appear to advertise the feature.
It also might not be immediately obvious where the setting is, with some brands putting it under battery settings and others hiding it under game mode settings. In fact, the first phone to include the feature, 2020’s Sony Xperia 1 II, had bypass charging listed as ‘Heat Suppression Power Control’.
Manufacturers that have supported bypass charging recently or in the past include:
- Asus
- Infinix
- IQOO
- Samsung
- Xiaomi
- ZTE
