How to check and improve your iPhone’s battery health

August 31, 2020

By Kim Komando

Smartphone users have had battery complaints for years. Whether it’s overheating and your battery life is draining abnormally quickly, the complaints have kept coming from people who are frustrated.

Battery life issues that occurred with some iPhones even led to a class-action lawsuit against Apple recently. The tech giant settled, agreeing to compensation for qualifying users. Tap or click here for details of the lawsuit and if you’re owed a piece of the pie.

It’s important to make sure your battery is in optimal health. If you’re using an iPhone 6 or later with iOS 11.3 or later, Apple recently rolled out new features in the Battery Health section of your phone to help you do just that. Let’s take a look at what these features are, how they work, and how you can help improve your battery life with a few quick steps.

New battery features for iPhone

Part of the issue with iPhones is that batteries use lithium-ion technology. While lithium-ion batteries charge faster, last longer, and have higher power, they can become less effective as they age. That means while you may be able to keep your operating system up to date on an older iPhone, you can still end up with battery problems as your iPhone ages.

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Luckily, you can check your battery performance in your iPhone’s Battery Health section, which was recently updated to give you a ton of info on your battery life, including:

Your current battery performance

The new Battery Health features rolled out for iPhone 6 and later will give you specific information on your battery’s life and will recommend if a battery needs to be replaced. To see these features open Settings > tap Battery > tap Battery Health.

When you access this screen, you’ll see one of the following messages under Peak Performance Capability:

• Performance is normal — When the battery condition can support normal peak performance and does not have the performance management features applied, you’ll see this message: Your battery is currently supporting normal peak performance.

• Performance management applied — When the performance management features have been applied, you’ll see this message: This iPhone has experienced an unexpected shutdown because the battery was unable to deliver the necessary peak power. Performance management has been applied to help prevent this from happening again. Disable… Note that if you disable performance management, you can’t turn it back on. It will be turned on again automatically if an unexpected shutdown occurs. The option to disable will also be available.

• Battery health unknown — If iOS is unable to determine the device battery health, you’ll see this message: This iPhone is unable to determine battery health. An Apple Authorized Service Provider can service the battery. More about service options… This may be due to having an improperly installed battery or an unknown battery part.

• Battery health degraded — If battery health has degraded significantly, the below message will also appear: Your battery’s health is significantly degraded. An Apple Authorized Service Provider can replace the battery to restore full performance and capacity. More about service options…

• Important Battery Message — If you see the message below, it means the battery in your iPhone is unable to be verified: Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple battery. Health information not available for this battery. Learn more… To have your battery checked, contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

Peak Performance Capability

By accessing the Battery Health section, you can also change settings for the Performance Management feature, which throttles your iPhone speed when it determines the battery can no longer deliver “necessary peak power.”

This section called the “Peak Performance Capability” section allows you to disable Performance Management. Disabling this feature will ensure your iPhone runs at full speed constantly, even if your phone battery isn’t delivering the “necessary peak power.”

This will also keep your iPhone from unexpectedly shutting down if your phone isn’t functioning the way it should. The current iPhone operating system doesn’t enable this feature until an unexpected shutdown occurs due to a battery with diminished power, but once it is enabled, you’ll want to turn it off to keep your iPhone running smoothly.

Tips for maintaining your battery life

It’s important to keep your iPhone battery in good health, even with the new Battery Health features that were rolled out. In order to keep your phone in tip-top shape, consider following these tips:

1. Choose the right case to protect your phone.

Your phone case is there to protect your phone from damage, and if you aren’t choosing the best one for your iPhone, it can directly affect your battery life. Dropping or cracking your phone doesn’t just damage the exterior. It can also cause damage to the inside of your phone, which can cause your battery to have issues, too.

To avoid these issues, use a case that will fully protect your phone from any damage — water, drops, dirt, snow, or otherwise. Tap or click here for some good iPhone case options from Amazon.

2. Protect your screen.

Damage to your screen may not seem like it would directly affect your battery, but a cracked screen can quickly lead to battery issues. Invest in a screen protector — not just a good, sturdy case. It will protect your screen from damage and in turn, your battery. Tap or click here for Amazon iPhone screen protector options.

3. Don’t overcharge your phone.

You can charge your phone for too long and cause battery damage over time. Using the wrong phone charger cord can cause similar issues. Make sure to follow the rules for protecting your battery while charging your phone. You can find more information on how to properly charge your phone by tapping or clicking here.

4. Avoid extreme temperatures.

Extremely hot or cold temperatures can do serious harm to your phone battery. Keep your phone out of direct sunlight, avoid leaving it in your pocket for extended periods of time, and watch out for cold temps, too. All can harm your battery irreparably and cut down on the life span of your phone.

5. Make sure to install all updates.

Updating your phone can take a while, but don’t avoid it. Your phone won’t run well if you’re putting off updates and security patches. Some updates also help optimize your battery life, so be sure to download any updates or security patches that roll out for your device.

Bonus: Keep an eye on your battery health

coconutBattery

If you use the coconutBattery app for Macs you can get helpful details on the battery health of all your Apple devices, including your iPhone.

Simply download coconutBattery, open the app and make sure your iPhone is plugged in. CoconutBattery will give you details on your Mac but click on the iOS Device tab to see what’s up with your iPhone (or iPad) battery.

You will see information including the age of your devices and their batteries, how often the batteries are charged, your battery health and more. You can also save the current battery health information so you can track changes over time.

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