This Hidden IPhone 15 Tweak Will Help Save Battery
Decreased battery life often makes people consider upgrading their iPhones. To be clear: There is nothing anyone can do to completely stop battery aging . However, over the years, Apple has added features that help reduce its impact. The last in this list of features is the charge limiter available for the iPhone 15 series. This allows you to stop charging the battery at 80%, thereby increasing the battery life.
Why do batteries age?
All batteries age; there is no escape from this. Each time your battery is completely drained, its overall efficiency decreases slightly. This is called a cycle, and it doesn’t have to happen all at once. Of course, you can use your iPhone from 100% to 0% and that will be one cycle, but you can also run it from 100% to 50%, charge it to 100% and use it again to 50%. complete one cycle.
One cycle by itself does not age the battery much, but over time these cycles will wear it down. Keeping your phone’s battery charged at 100% for a long period of time can also contribute to its aging. This is why charge limiters can be useful: you can stop your iPhone charging when it reaches 80%, which will extend its overall lifespan.
How to enable charge limiter on iPhone 15
All iPhone 15 series phones come with a new charge limiter option. To access this on iPhone 15, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging > Optimize Charging . Select the 80% Limit option to perform a hard stop when the battery charge reaches this level. This was reported by The Verge correspondent Allison Johnson in response to a question from MacRumors journalist Joe Rossignol .
Charging your device above 80% every day can accelerate battery aging, and the ability to stop charging at this level is a great tool for those who want to extend the life of their iPhone’s battery. This is especially useful when you need to keep your iPhone connected to a power source for an extended period of time, such as when connecting your iPhone to CarPlay during a long trip.
How to Monitor the Battery Status on an Old iPhone
Currently, the built-in charge limiter is only available on the iPhone 15 series. If this feature is entirely software-based, Apple may decide to implement it on older iPhones via a future iOS update, but if that doesn’t happen, here ‘s what you can still do to maximize battery life .
Do not disable automatic battery management
Your iPhone may stop charging when it reaches 80% charge, but only at times when iOS thinks you don’t need to use your iPhone. This feature is called Optimized Battery Charging: iOS learns your usage habits over time and only reaches 100% based on that usage. This usually means that it will be kept at 80% throughout the night until shortly before your normal wake-up time. You can check if Optimized Battery Charging is enabled by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging on your iPhone.
Avoid extreme temperatures
Extreme heat and cold are the biggest enemies of your iPhone’s battery. Your phone is designed to perform optimally in ambient temperatures between 62° F and 72° F (16° and 22° C). It will still work fine in slightly higher or lower temperatures, but the battery begins to be negatively impacted when the iPhone is used in ambient temperatures above 95°F (35°C) or below 32°F (0°C). ). If you can’t avoid these temperatures, Apple warns against charging your iPhone outside of this area.
Even if you ignore all these warnings, your iPhone has built-in protections to prevent battery damage. It will automatically shut down if the temperature gets too high, and sometimes stop charging when it reaches 80% when it’s not safe to do so. Your case may be causing your iPhone to heat up, so try removing the case while your iPhone is charging if it gets too hot.
Store your iPhone correctly
If you’re going to be away from your iPhone for a long time, you should charge it to 50% before turning it off and storing it. Store the device in a cool, dry place below 90°F (32°C).
Several software tweaks to improve battery life
Apple also recommends making some small changes to improve battery life. Here’s a quick checklist to help you quickly implement all these recommendations:
- Update your iPhone software.
- Use Wi-Fi where it’s available: cellular data can drain your battery faster.
- Reduce screen brightness and do not disable automatic brightness adjustment.
- Use Low Power Mode on your iPhone.
- Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off for apps that don’t need to fetch data in the background.
- Turn off location access for apps that don’t need this information in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services .
- Turn off unwanted app notifications by going to Settings > Notifications .
Replace the battery instead of the phone
If your iPhone battery continues to drain quickly despite your best efforts, consider replacing the battery . First, check your battery health by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging . If the maximum capacity is around 80%, replacing the battery may help. It’s free for those who have purchased AppleCare+ for their iPhone, but for those who haven’t it will cost up to $99. It’s much cheaper than buying a new iPhone and can help you hang on to your old iPhone for another year or two. You can sign up for battery service on the Apple website .