Why Can’t We Just Recharge Our Phones Like a Battery?

Phones have batteries inside them, like the ones in your remote control or watch. These batteries can be recharged by plugging them into a charger, but they don’t just magically recharge on their own. Even though it would be cool if we could just set our phones down and watch them get power from the air, that’s not how most phone batteries work yet.

Right now, charging your phone takes time because it has to move energy from the charger into the battery. If scientists find a better way to store and move energy more quickly inside your phone, maybe one day you’ll be able to just place your phone on a table and watch it recharge like magic.