Let's face it, most of us are pretty reliant - if not addicted - to our mobile phones.

But it turns out that we aren't actually looking after them in the best way to get the most out of our beloved gadgets.

Yes, you might have the most hardy phone case, but do you know how to best preserve your battery life?

In fact, there seem to be a lot of misconceptions in this area which aren't helping things.

Inside the vast majority of electronic gadgets are lithium-ion batteries, which contain an anode, a cathode and a chemical electrolyte, The Mirror explains .

When the phone is being used, charge is pushed from the positive cathode through the electrolyte and attracted to the anode before flowing out to the different components of the phone.

Once you’re plugged in and charging, this process is reversed.

Cadax, a company that offers devices that test smartphone and other batteries, runs a free educational website called Battery University.

It offers a host of tips for prolonging the life of your phone:

Charge your phone little and often

We're all used to plugging in our mobiles for the long, overnight charge.

But it turns out that juicing up frequently and in small doses might actually be the best option for your battery's health.

It doesn't matter if you only charge up 10% or 20% as, according to Battery University: "Partial charges cause no harm."

Don't let your phone run out before you plug it in

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We're often told that you should fully deplete your battery before you charge it right back up again.

Again, this isn't ideal.

According to the experts, a "deep-discharge" where you run it down to a fraction of its power is actually bad for batteries and will wear them out quicker.

So avoid the red warning if at all possible. Keep your phone's battery between 65% and 75%

It turns out there's an optimal point to maintain your phone's power - kind of like the optimal speed limit for burning gas and covering distance in a car.

According to the team at Battery University, the sweet spot is between 65% and 75% of your battery's full charge. Best keep that power pack handy.

Never fully charge your battery

This one might seem a bit counter-intuitive - but it appears that you should never charge your phone up to 100%.

That's because modern lithium-ion batteries "do not need to be fully charged, nor is it desirable to do so".

The website states: "In fact, it is better not to fully charge, because a high voltage stresses the battery."

You don't need to remove the charger when it's full

Your charger automatically turns off when it hits 100%

If you do decide to ignore the point above, the good news is that you don't have to remove the phone after you've hit 100%.

Battery University points out that the charger automatically turns off when it hits 100% so you're not doing any extra damage by leaving it connected to your device.

That being said, if you're not doing the battery any good by keeping it at 100%, it might be best to leave it alone overnight.

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