We're not proud of it, but we've often gone into a coffee shop with the sole intention of charging our phone. It's bad, we know. But when you're out and about and using battery-draining smartphone apps like Citymapper, it's necessary.
However, this problem could soon be a thing of the past in one London borough, which has unveiled London's first solar-powered 'smart benches'.
The five benches, which allow you to charge your phone and access free wifi, can be found in Islington, north London, across Islington Green, Newington Green, Old Street and Essex Road, Time Out reported.
There are also plans for a further 10 benches to be installed in different areas of the capital.
The benches have sensors that monitor the borough's air quality, too. This is handy considering London mayor Sadiq Khan recently advised Londoners to avoid spending time outside because of high pollution levels.
They are the result of a collaboration between Strawberry Energy UK, MKTG and Cancer Research UK and were launched on World Cancer Day on the 4th February. You can also donate £2 to Cancer Research UK through the benches' contactless payment feature.
We reckon these benches should become a permanent feature in the capital. At the very least, it would mean no more surreptitiously hogging a plug in Starbucks while we nurse our small Americano.
Currently, abysmal battery life is the bane of most smartphone users' lives (personally, I have to charge my iPhone up to four times a day), and there is a severe lack of public charging points in the UK.
So much so, that many people resort to buying and lugging around their own charging docks or bulky re-chargeable phone cases – Ikea has a great selection – while going about their daily lives.
Until smartphone manufacturers finally improve our battery life, maybe being able to charge our phones at lightning-speed could be a decent substitute. A few years back, Israeli company StoreDot developed a device that can charge your phone from empty to 100% in five minutes. Want.