Avoid using the phone while it charges

Much as the cases of people being electrocuted by their mobile phones as they charge them are still rare in Uganda, in other countries, especially China and India, they seem to be receiving a lot of publicity. Not many months go by without one receiving a WhatsApp message about some young person who suffered serious burns after they decided to receive a call while charging their mobile phone.
The most bizarre incident involved a flight attendant in China who, according to Xinhua News Agency, died after using her iPhone in 2013 as it was still connected to a power outlet. The story received so much publicity that Apple Inc. came out to say it would thoroughly investigate the matter.
However, although the cases of such occurrences in Uganda have been rare, there seems to be a need to take precaution when using a mobile phone as with anything else through which an electric current passes.


Overheated battery
The effects of using your mobile phone while it is charging are not yet clear cut, because mobile phones have a low output of three to five volts, which cannot really harm the body.
However, mobile phones nowadays use lithium-ion batteries which have a lot of energy.

Ronald Kababa, a phone technician with Rivers Point Limited, does not advise anyone to answer a call when their phone is charging, however important the call may be. “The current going through a phone as it charges is so high that the phone can explode. You will notice that when your phone is charging, the battery area heats up. When a phone overheats, the processor goes off, and that is a time bomb. Using the phone at that time will be like committing suicide.”
You may also notice that when using your phone to play music as it is charging, its heat levels will increase because it is performing two tasks at the same time. This overheating can lead to leakage of harmful chemicals in the battery or your mobile phone my freeze and take some time before it can be turned on.
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), lithium-ion batteries are more sensitive to physical stress (charging) than the alkaline batteries found in toys and flashlights and need to be treated with more care.

Third-party chargers
The user manuals of most smart phones encourage users to only use manufacturer-approved batteries. However, it is not often that a battery or charger will last as long as the mobile phone does.
Usually a few years or months down the road, the user will feel the need to get another charger or battery.

Care should be taken that whatever accessories are bought meet international standards. “The third party accessories that people purchase increase the risk of the phone malfunctioning,” Kababa says, adding that nowadays, many uncertified phone accessories have flooded the electronics market.
In most cases, if you are using uncertified batteries, they will expand the longer you charge the phone.

Kababa advises, “If you make calls on a phone with an expanding battery, and which is connected to a direct power outlet, you are risking your life because the phone might explode.”
On the flipside, a counterfeit charger will charge your mobile phone at a very slow pace. If you use your mobile phone while it is charging make sure to use a charger with a surge protector. And even then, it is not wise to connect the charger directly to a power outlet.
Instead, charge the phone using a USB on a computer or power bank.