The battery life of any gadget you use slows down as it ages. Its ability to hold power decreases and it starts giving less battery time overall. Talking about the iPhone’s battery life, it is no different and it degrades over time drastically. Therefore, keeping an eye on your iPhone’s battery health is very critical. This way, you come to understand whether it’s time to replace the inbuilt battery on your mobile phone. 

The iPhone is equipped with an internal, lithium-ion rechargeable battery. In contrast to traditional batteries, these are lighter, faster, have higher power density, and last for a longer period of time. Apple has a way for its users to monitor the health of the iPhone’s battery. With the release of iOS 11.3 in 2018, Apple introduced a tool by which users can check the battery health of an iPhone. All iPhone models having an iOS of 11.3 and above have access to check their battery health from the settings menu. 

How to Check Battery Life on iPhone

By repeatedly recharging your iPhone, the battery gradually loses its ability to hold power and starts giving less charge time with each passing day. This is truly unavoidable, and therefore, Apple introduced a way to monitor battery health to have a clear indication of when it’s time to replace the battery or get a new iPhone. 

For users having an iOS of 11.3 or higher, the Maximum Capacity gives a measure of battery capacity relative to when the battery was new. Lower battery capacity results in fewer hours of usage between each charge. The closer it is to 100%, the better.

Below are the three simple steps on how to check battery life on an iPhone. 

1. Go to the Settings app.

2. Tap the option Battery.

3. Tap the option Battery Health.

Here, you can see the remaining battery capacity along with other breakdowns of battery health. 

According to Apple, an iPhone’s battery is designed to retain around 80% of its original battery capacity after completing 500 charge cycles (approximately two years of use).

Turn on Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode can increase the battery life significantly. By switching to this mode when the iPhone’s battery is low, you can use it for a little longer time. Here’s how you can turn on low power mode:

1. Go to the Settings app.

2. Tap the option Battery.

3. Enable Low Power Mode. 

Turning this feature on will limit the background activity on your iPhone and optimize its performance for necessary tasks such as making and receiving calls, messages and emails, accessing the internet, and more. You can set the settings on your device to switch to Low Power Mode automatically and it switches back to normal power mode after reaching 80% on charging. In this mode, some of the tasks will be performed slowly. 

Optimize iPhone Battery Charging

This is another interesting feature by Apple. Your iPhone has an inbuilt setting to slow the rate at which the battery ages by reducing the time spent at full charge. This setting is based on machine learning that understands the daily charging routine of your iPhone and then waits to finish charging past 80% until you need to use it again. To enable this feature, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the Settings app. 

2. Tap the option Battery.

3. Tap the option Battery Health.

4. Enable Optimized Battery Charging. 

Check the Overview of Battery Usage

iPhone users can also see an overview of the battery level and activity for the last 24 hours up to 10 days. To enable this feature:

1. Go to the Settings app.

2. Tap the option Battery.

Here, you will get a complete overview of the apps that contributed to your battery usage during that specific period. You can also tap on any of the columns to see the details and proportion of the battery used for that app.

To observe the duration of usage of each app, tap Show Activity. In front of each app, you will see the proportion of battery usage whether on screen or in the background.