Enhancing iPhone 15’s Battery Longevity: New Features Explained

Battery life is a paramount concern for every iPhone user. In today’s world, our phones are our lifelines, and the dread of a dead battery can leave us feeling disconnected and unable to capture those essential moments. Apple understands this concern, and with the iPhone 15, they’ve introduced innovative features aimed at prolonging your battery’s overall lifespan. While these features won’t extend the duration of a single charge, they are designed to mitigate the natural wear and tear that occurs in all rechargeable batteries over time.

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iOS 13 brought us the Optimized Battery Charging feature, which, when activated, studies your iPhone’s usage patterns and intelligently stops charging at 80% when it predicts you won’t need a full charge before your next charging session. This was a step in the right direction, but it still left the decision up to the system.

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With the iPhone 15 (available on all models, including the Pro), Apple has taken battery management to a new level. You can now navigate to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging > Charging Optimization, where you’ll find the new “80% Limit” option. When enabled, this feature ensures that your iPhone will cease charging once it reaches 80% of its full capacity, regardless of the circumstances. It’s a proactive approach to battery preservation.

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Additionally, in Settings > General > About, there’s a new Battery section that provides valuable information about your battery, including its manufacturing date, date of first use, and cycle count. This information can be particularly useful if you’re considering third-party battery repairs or replacements down the line. While iPhones store this data, accessing it usually requires third-party apps or some convoluted methods like copying your iPhone Analytics Data to Notes and sifting through it. This newfound transparency can be especially valuable, especially after some users reported unusual battery degradation on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

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But why would anyone want to limit their charging to 80%? The answer lies in the fact that rechargeable batteries gradually deteriorate over time due to regular usage, resulting in decreased capacity and shorter battery life. This degradation accelerates when batteries are exposed to extreme thermal conditions or kept consistently at a full charge.

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To draw a parallel, it’s akin to how modern electric cars recommend limiting charging to 80-90% for everyday use, reserving 100% charging for longer journeys.

For users like me, who typically work at a desk with a readily available charger and rarely let their battery levels drop below 40% during the day, setting a fixed charge limit of 80% can be a wise choice. However, it’s essential to remember to disable this feature on days when heavy usage is expected away from a charger.

Importantly, both the 80% Limit and Optimized Battery Charging are optional features. You can enable or disable them at your convenience, giving you more control over your iPhone’s battery life and overall longevity.

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One lingering question remains: why restrict this useful feature to iPhone 15 models? There are undoubtedly many existing iPhone owners who would benefit from this option, and it seems like a relatively straightforward addition. Perhaps, we can hope to see it in a future iOS update, perhaps in iOS 17.1.