Have you noticed that your iPhone has been performing sluggishly as of late? If you have noticed that, there are several reasons why that could be, and one of those reasons is due to your iPhone’s battery degrading, in which Apple has decided that batteries that have degraded to a certain extent will result in the iPhone’s performance being throttled.
This guide will show you how to check the health of your iPhone’s battery, and also how to prevent iOS from throttling your iPhone when the battery becomes too degraded.
How To Check Your iPhone’s Battery Health
- Go to the Settings app
- Go to Battery
- Select Battery Health
This page will tell you the maximum capacity of your battery. A brand new phone should say 100%, but over time don’t be surprised if it falls to ~90% or even ~80% or lower.
What Is Maximum Capacity
Do not confuse maximum capacity for how much battery your phone has at the moment. The capacity being referred to here basically indicates what is the maximum charge that the battery can hold in its current state.
For example, a 10,000mAh battery at 100% capacity is 10,000mAh. However, when its capacity reaches 90%, it means that at full charge, it is only at 9,000mAh, and so on. The reason for this is because as lithium-ion batteries age over time, they start to lose the amount of charge they hold.
Each charge cycling is typically viewed as charging your phone from 0% up to 100%, meaning that each time you charge your phone from 0 to 100, it uses up one charge cycle, which is why there are some who actually recommend that you keep your phone charged between 40% to 80% if you want to optimize your battery’s health. In that particular scenario, in theory, it would mean that it would need 2.5 rounds of charging (from 40% to 80%) before it consumes one charge cycle.
After a number of cycles, a battery eventually loses its charge, which is why over time you’ll notice that your phone’s battery life isn’t what it used to be back when it was brand new. While Apple actually lists the charging cycles for its MacBook computers, unfortunately, the company does not openly advertise the charging cycles for its iPhones.
How To Turn Off iPhone Throttling
If your battery capacity is lower than 80%, under the “Peak Performance Capability” section, there will be a message that reads, “Your battery’s health is significantly degraded. An Apple Authorized Service Provider can replace the battery to restore full performance and capacity.”
- Go to the Settings app
- Go to Battery
- Select Battery Health
- Under the message that says, “This iPhone has experienced an unexpected shutdown…” tap Disable
However, as Apple notes on its support page, should your phone crash again as a result of this, throttling will be turned back on automatically.
At this point, you should probably consider either getting a brand new iPhone or swap out its battery for a new one if you plan on keeping it. The prices, according to Apple’s website, will range from $49 for older iPhone models, and $69 for the iPhone X or later.
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