Phone Charging on the Go

With our ever increasing attachment to our phones, it’s becoming more and more difficult to get through the day without recharging our batteries. Below, we’ve listed the main methods that people use to top off their phones and outlined the best practices for each method. Your biggest concern, when charging your phone outside your home, should always be security. Charging your phone properly ensures the device’s longevity and prevents theft or hacks. 

Read on for our best practices for charging outside the home if you’re using… 

Portable battery packs

A battery pack is probably your first line of defense against a dead phone battery. Increasingly common, there are many portable charger brands to choose from but a few of the most respected and well-reviewed ones include Anker, Mophie and AUKEY.

Some things to look out for when choosing a portable battery bank: power, portability (size and weight) and device compatibility. 

When it comes to power, you need to pick a portable charger that’s going to give your specific device at least one full charge. That’s where knowledge of mAh (milliamp hours) comes in. A battery’s power capacity is measured in mAh. A small, keychain sized charging stick typically comes with just 2,000 mAh but that’s not enough juice to give an iPhone X, with its 2,716 mAh battery, a full recharge. At the bare minimum, you should get a portable charger that can give your phone a full charge in one go. 

Portability concerns vary from person to person but obviously you’ll want to choose a battery pack that’s not so heavy and cumbersome that it won’t fit in your bag or it’s so heavy that you dread carrying it with you. 

And device compatibility is a no-brainer: some battery banks have charging cables meant for iPhones, some for Androids, and some have multi-device compatibility. Make sure you’re familiar with what kind of cable your phone requires and choose a battery pack accordingly! 

Public phone charging stations

Portable chargers are great but we don’t always remember to charge them, or to bring them along with us when we step out. Enter: public charging stations. 

While there are a variety of phone charging station providers out there, they are not all safe. You’ve probably already seen news headlines calling out public charging stations for making phones vulnerable to “juice jacking,” theft and other nefarious actions. The reality is that while juice jacking from public USB ports is exceedingly rare, you’re much better off using a charging kiosk that locks up your phone as opposed to one of those floor standing models with the dangling charging cords exposed. 

ChargeItSpot, the leading provider of phone charging stations for retailers, is the most secure option on the market today. We’ve designed our entire charging experience to ensure the highest levels of security – from the inside out. That’s why we’re The Trusted Charging Solution® for all the biggest retail brands, hospitals, casinos and sports arenas since 2011.

Our patented OptiCharge® technology delivers the most efficient charge to each phone, all while restricting any data transfer (aka juice jacking) with a one-directional, power-only charge. Our USB cables and ports are safely tucked inside a vault-like steel housing, inaccessible to any form of tampering from outside forces. Finally, we offer our customers peace of mind through a 24/7 security system which monitors the phone charging kiosks for lock-outs and thefts. 

For those who want an added layer of protection, we suggest picking up a USB condom, a little gadget that sticks to your phone and blocks any possibility of an unwanted data transfer.

A random outlet in a store, bar or other public venue

You may be wondering: Why can’t I just plug in my own power adapter using any exposed public AC outlet on the wall? There are a few problems with doing this. First of all, finding a free outlet isn’t easy, especially as more and more restaurants and coffee shops like Starbucks are covering up their outlets to reduce “computer parking” (laptop users who overextend their stay). 

Second, the venue owner will likely not appreciate you plugging in without their permission and some have even gone so far as to call the police and you could potentially get arrested for stealing their power. In 2014, there was a report that three people were arrested and charged with “theft of utilities” after plugging into Los Angeles Metro power outlets.

And third, let’s face it, no one wants to be sitting on the dirty floor at the mall or, even worse, hanging around a smelly public restroom by the outlet just so their phone can charge. So have some dignity and get yourself a cute little portable charger or download the ChargeItSpot app so you can always find a free and secure phone charging station near you.