How to Check iPhone Battery Health

We’ve all been there. You’re scrolling through social media, watching your favorite show, or streaming music, and once again, you’re reaching for your iPhone charger. You might wonder if you’re really spending that much time on your phone. However, the issue may be within the phone itself.

No battery is designed to last forever. Even with proper care, an iPhone’s capacity will degrade and eventually need replacing. Here’s how to check your iPhone’s battery health and steps you can take to help prolong its life.

How Do I Check the Battery Health on My iPhone?

To check your battery health is simple. Go to Settings then tap on Battery. Here, you’ll find several resources to help assess and maximize its health and capacity.

Battery Percentage

If you’ve ever looked at the battery bar at the top of your display and wondered how much charge you had, the Battery Percentage option will tell you just that. Turn it on, and you’ll get a more accurate charge reading throughout the day.

Battery Suggestions

Your iPhone can recognize patterns in energy use. Sometimes, you’ll see insights into your consumption habits, and your iPhone may suggest ways to use less energy.

Battery Life Stats

Here, your iPhone will tell you the percentage your iPhone was last charged to. Under the Last 24 Hours tab, you’ll see a graph highlighting your daily charge levels. It also shows when your iPhone was charging, in low power mode, or below 20 percent charge. Switching to the Last 10 Days tab will show you how much energy has been used daily.

Not only does your iPhone tell you how much energy you use throughout the day, but it also keeps track of how much activity is going on, whether on screen or in the background. The activity graph under the Last 24 Hours tab shows how much time is spent on your phone each hour and how much activity goes on when the screen’s off. 

Under the Last 10 Days tab, you’ll see the total amount of activity per day.

Battery Usage By App

Your iPhone can track activity and battery usage and separate it by app. Here, you can see how much time you spend on each app and the amount of energy each app is using.

Battery Health

The Battery Health & Charging screen shows you everything you need to know about your battery’s performance. The first thing you may see is an Important Battery Message highlighting the status of your device and whether a replacement is recommended.

Maximum Capacity refers to how much charge your battery can hold compared to when it was new. Check the maximum capacity if you feel that your iPhone has been dying much more quickly. It may be that your battery simply can’t hold as much charge as it used to.

Optimized Battery Charging and Clean Energy Charging are options that use your charging habits to avoid overcharging and maximize your battery health.

How To Maximize iPhone Battery Health

There are several options to preserve your iPhone’s battery - many of which are barely noticeable.

• Limit App Activity: The Battery Usage By App shows you how much energy each app consumes. Consider cutting back on those that are burning through your charge. Remember that the app using the most energy isn’t always the one you use most. Also, look out for any app running in the background that you don’t need.
• Adjust Your Brightness: The brighter your screen is, the more energy your iPhone uses. Adjust your screen brightness to an appropriate level to save energy and protect your eyes.
• Use Low Power Mode: Your iPhone will suggest turning on low power mode when it drops below 20%, but there’s no reason you can’t turn it on sooner. Go to Settings > Battery and turn on Low Power Mode. You can also go to Settings > Control Center to add the Low Power Mode function to the control center for quick and easy access.
• Don’t Let Your Phone Die: Letting your iPhone die makes the battery work harder to get it back on. If you don’t always have a charger cable handy, consider a battery case or a power pod for those with MagSafe technology.
• Turn Off Push Notifications for Certain Apps: Every time you get a notification, your iPhone lights up, makes a sound or vibrates, and tempts you into picking it up. Consider turning notifications off for those apps that just aren’t that important. Go to Settings > Notifications to edit each app.
• Lock Your Phone: Given how often we use our phones, we’re bound to forget to turn off the screen sometimes. Not only does leaving your screen on waste more energy, but you also run the risk of your phone overheating, which can further damage your battery. We recommend turning the auto-lock feature on as an extra safety precaution. To do so, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock.
• Edit Location Services: Many apps track your location, and most don’t need to. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and turn off location access for those apps that don’t need to track where you are.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Know If My iPhone Battery Health Is Good?

Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. Here, you will see your iPhone battery’s maximum capacity. Anything above 80% is “good.” Anything below isn’t bad; it’s just not ideal for maximizing your iPhone’s performance.

At What Percentage Should I Replace My iPhone Battery?

This part is entirely up to you. Once the maximum capacity drops below 80%, you will see a message recommending you replace it. However, if you don’t mind charging your phone at more regular intervals and you have the patience for slower performance, you may consider sticking with the same one until you just can’t stand it anymore.

Final Thoughts

Our phones are an essential part of our lives, and a phone that dies quickly is less than ideal. It’s important to check your iPhone battery’s health and make adjustments to maximize its lifespan.