GoKawiilThere are plenty of myths and superstitions about smartphones that continue to persist in 2026. Some are based on things that were once true about mobile devices, like the idea that leaving them plugged in is bad — a concept that predates the advent of USB power delivery. Others are urban legends that were never rooted in fact, like the extremely false claim that submerging a water-damaged device in rice will salvage it. Seriously, don't do that.
One claim that has more legs is that you should routinely power cycle your smartphone. While the technological logic behind it is nuanced and varies between iOS and Android, it's hard to think of a scenario in which rebooting your mobile phone is a bad idea. At worst, it's a placebo fix, and at best, it genuinely solves minor performance issues your device may be experiencing. In rare instances, it can even be a powerful security tool.
With that said, there's rarely a benefit to ritually rebooting your phone on a fixed schedule. Having long ago reached maturity, mobile operating systems include plenty of under-the-hood processes to support long uptimes. Android phones can benefit more than iPhones from regular reboots, but most people using either don't need to bother. Here's what you should know in order to determine whether you should be rebooting your phone more regularly.