Phone batteries. It’s a dark art in many respects. Most assume a phone battery is much the same as the AAA size batteries you replace in your TV remote when flipping channels gets a bit sketchy, but there’s a lot more to phone batteries and iphone battery health than a simple swap out.

Modern phones are complex devices based upon incredibly fast computers. They’re far more advanced than the old-school phones from years ago where a battery could be simply swapped out for a newly charged battery – changing a battery on the run while the device is turned on could result in data corruption or damage to the device’s hardware. For example, the current iPhone 14 Pro A16 processor runs two primary cores at 3.46GHz, and four energy-efficient cores running at 2.02GHz. You don’t want to mess with the battery driving that processor. Consequently contemporary phones have batteries permanently installed with no user access to the battery compartment. A Battery replacement should be done by a professional who’s aware of the correct replacement procedure.

The Problem With Batteries

Inevitably, over time battery life deteriorates from everyday battery usage, and eventually batteries lose their ability to hold peak power and iPhone battery health begins to wane. Naturally you want to keep your phone battery health as close to original capacity as possible and stave off a battery replacement.iPKeeping Your iPhone Battery Health Tip-Top

Foremostly, take note that modern lithium-ion batteries don’t suffer from ‘memory effect’. This was a weakness suffered with older nickel-cadmium batteries, which haven’t been used for years. The theory of discharging your battery to 0% before recharging doesn’t hold true for lithium ion batteries, yet the idea has become a myth surrounding the battery charging rules. Keep your battery at between 20% and 80% for best results. Equally, if you’re storing a device for a long period, keep the battery level between 40% and 60%.

Choose the right charger

Ideally charge your iPhone battery as slowly as possible in a single charge, so avoid high wattage fast chargers where possible. Sure it’s great to have your phone fully charged in half an hour but this will greatly decrease your battery capacity and longevity. Typically, wireless chargers will be low-wattage so these are often a better option for overnight charging.

Temperature

Ideally keep your lithium-ion battery at an ambient temperature of between 10°C and 35°C. Extreme temperatures, hot and cold, can adversely affect your phone battery’s maximum capacity, so don’t leave your phone in the car during hot weather, siting in direct sunlight on your work desk, or outside overnight if you live in an icy cold climate. Bear in mind your phone case could also affect the temperature of the device, and therefore raise the battery temperature. Another nail in the coffin for your battery lifespan.

Use high quality cables

Cheaper cables can often omit proprietary components designed to aid the charging process. In the case of Apple style Lightning cables, always choose cables displaying the ‘MFi Certified’ symbol.

Optimise battery charging and discharge

Since iOS 13 a feature of the system is Optimised Battery Charging. This feature uses machine learning to optimise battery charging levels and times to extend the battery’s lifespan. Charging will stop at 80% until you need to use the device. To turn this feature on go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging > Optimised Battery Charging.

Turn on Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode can be useful if you’re running low on power and need to extend the available battery power. It can also extend your iPhone battery health and battery lifespan by not constantly running background activity. Your iPhone will prompt you to engage Low Power Mode when the battery level drops below 20%, but if you don’t need your iPhone constantly running background app refreshing such as checking for email, accessing Bluetooth devices, or scanning for GPS signals, switch this on whenever you wish. Typically the feature is accessed via Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode, or you can add a control toggle icon to the Control Centre. Unfortunately this feature can’t be engaged permanently.

Lower Screen Brightness

More light ultimately requires more energy, so turn down your overall screen brightness so it’s not draining your battery. Lower brightness decreases battery usage and increases iPhone battery health and battery performance. You can cut down on more battery usage by putting your iPhone into dark mode – less white light equals less battery drain!

Keep iOS updated

It’s often worth making a software update to the operating system for features designed to maintain battery health and charging regimes. Additionally, apply any available software update to your regularly used apps, they may also include improvements geared toward iPhone battery usage.

Know When Your Battery is Nearing End-Of-Life

Once a battery has gone through a number of charge cycles it becomes almost impossible for the battery to hold the energy initially stored in it. A complete charge cycle is a full charge then discharge of a battery.

Most iPhone batteries are reaching end-of-life after 800-900 complete charge cycles, with most users instigating 250-300 charge cycles per year. You can keep an eye on the number of charge cycles your battery has endured using various free computer based apps – you need to connect your iPhone to the macOS or Windows computer to check the number of cycles. Apps such as iBackupBot (macOS/Windows), CoconutBattery (macOS – free), and iMazing (macOS/Windows – free for battery diagnostics). These apps will give you definitive information regarding your iPhone battery health.

Another more immediate method of checking the iPhone battery health by taking a quick look in the iOS Settings battery performance management. To check your iPhone battery health, go to: Settings > Battery > Battery Health. If your battery health is close to 80% then the battery is close to its end-of-life.

About now you may also notice other ill-effects of your battery capacity such as excess heat, extremely slow charging, shutting down unexpectedly, even erratic battery percentage readings like jumping from 100% to 30% for no reason. These are clear signs your battery is defective and about to give up completely. At this point the battery may also succumb to swelling and expansion, which could lead to actually cracking the screen. In extreme circumstances this swelling could create a small explosion – a rare occurrence but it can happen.

Maximum iPhone Battery Health

With a little bit of diligence, the correct charging equipment, and some consideration toward your phone charging habits, you can easily achieve a long and fruitful lifetime from your phone battery’s peak performance capability, feasibly outlasting the typical three years use. Just pay attention to your iPhone battery health and the tell-tale signs of a defect so you know exactly when you require a professional battery replacement service for normal peak performance. And keep in mind, all these rules apply equally to any phone battery, including Samsung devices.

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