Apple has always insisted that users don’t need to worry about leaving the iPhone battery plugged in when it reaches 100%, as the system would be capable of managing the power input to avoid overcharging the physical components.
But one of the new features of the new iPhones 15 and 15 Pro is precisely a new setting that allows you to limit the phone’s charge to 80%, which many say preserves the battery’s lifespan by not subjecting it to high loads when it’s fully charged.
Did Apple lie to us all these years? Or did it take them a while to realize something that many were already discussing?
Limiting the charge to 80%
It’s safe to say that Apple was aware that leaving the iPhone plugged in when it’s already at 100% can damage the battery’s lifespan.
That’s because they implemented a feature called Optimized Battery Charging in the system a while ago, which uses artificial intelligence to determine times when the iPhone is not in use, interrupting charging when it reaches 80% and resuming it to reach 100% when the user needs to use the phone.
Now, the iPhone 15 offers even more control over this.
One of the main additions is the ability to limit the battery’s maximum charge to 80%. This feature aims to extend the lifespan of lithium-ion batteries by reducing the stress caused by full charging.
The option works similarly to “Optimized Battery Charging” but allows the user to maintain the charge limitation at 80% permanently, offering greater flexibility.
Another significant addition is related to transparency and access to crucial battery information.
Battery Cycle Counter
The iPhone 15 models also feature a more elaborate battery health section, allowing users to check details such as the battery’s manufacturing date, the date of first use, and the number of charge cycles.
These details were previously accessible through third-party tools, but they are now integrated into the iOS system, making it easier for iPhone 15 owners to monitor the state of their batteries.
This information is crucial for understanding the relationship between the device’s usage patterns and the physical battery’s lifespan. The more the iPhone is charged, the more wear and tear on the battery.
Unfortunately, this feature remains exclusive to the new models.
Only for iPhone 15 and 15 Pro
It’s hard to understand why Apple doesn’t offer the same feature in iOS 17 for other iPhone models.
Although we don’t have access to technical details at the moment, there don’t seem to be any obvious reasons why a special processor would be necessary for this functionality, especially since the standard iPhone 15 chip is exactly the same as the one in last year’s iPhone 14 Pro.
However, as many people are likely to complain about this, Apple may release the feature for all models in the future, as they did with battery percentage, for example.
It’s worth noting that there are numerous reports on the internet from iPhone 14 and 14 Pro users regarding rapid battery degradation in less than a year of use. This likely prompted Apple to include all this additional information in the Settings.
