How an iPhone battery works and how to manage battery health

Posted:
in iPhone edited August 2023

Your iPhone uses a lithium-ion battery that degrades over time, but there is little reason to worry about battery health in a new device. Here's what you need to know about your iPhone's battery.

What you need to know about iPhone batteries
What you need to know about iPhone batteries



Batteries are not mysterious black boxes that power your iPhone, in fact, they are quite simple products compared to the advanced silicon they are powering. The physical nature of batteries mean that they will ultimately wear out and become less useful over time, but device owners don't need to worry.

Understanding a little bit of the science behind batteries can go a long way in intelligently managing your device's lifespan. Controversies surrounding iPhone relating to planned obsolescence and expected upgrade cycles can easily be dismissed as hyperbole with a little bit of knowledge.

Lithium-ion battery basics



A battery consists of an anode (+) and cathode (-) separated by a generally flammable electrolyte. When a device draws power from the battery, charged lithium ions move from the anode to the cathode through the electrolyte, releasing electrons.

These freed electrons power the device and return to the cathode, creating a complete electrical circuit. The opposite occurs when charging the device -- electrons are passed into the anode and move to the cathode.

Without getting too technical, these two chemical reactions are imperfect and introduce heat loss and wear to the battery. The lithium material slowly depletes, oxidization reduces usable surface area, and filaments grow from battery plates. All this leads to cell degradation and eventual battery exhaustion.

Thin phones mean smaller batteries, which become exhausted sooner
Thin phones mean smaller batteries, which become exhausted sooner



There is nothing a user can do to stop this process utterly. Take using fuel in a car, for example, it eventually runs out. However, exhausting a lithium battery takes a great deal of time and can be mitigated somewhat by user and software behaviors.

So, when a new iPhone has a 100% battery rating, it has all of the rated milliamp-hours of power available when fully charged. It also means the battery can provide enough power to the CPU at peak current draw without issue.

Apple says its batteries are designed to retain up to 80% of their original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles. A charge cycle is defined by a complete drain of the battery to zero, followed by a complete charge to 100%.

Top: fast charging cycle explained. Bottom: Charge cycle explained. Image credit: Apple
Top: fast charging cycle explained. Bottom: Charge cycle explained. Image credit: Apple



This expected battery life can vary from user to user. The average user is expected to keep their battery health north of 80% for the first two years with regular use. Hitting 80% within a year is cause for concern, and Apple will replace your battery for free with AppleCare or for a fee without.

Others who use their iPhone constantly and charge their device from near dead to 100% multiple times a day will see their battery degrade faster. Looking at your Screen Time will reveal if you're unconsciously overusing your device -- maybe it's time to put down your iPhone if TikTok shows multiple hours of use in a short time.

Of course, iPhones are bought to be used. But, like anything, moderation is important, especially if you're worried about something as physical as battery chemistry.

Ultimately, once the battery degrades below 80% of its original capacity, protections within the operating system will engage to ensure the device doesn't shut down inadvertently. This throttling can be avoided by having the battery replaced at an Authorized Apple Service Provider.

After the iPhone throttles the processor for the first time to prevent a shutdown, a new toggle will appear in battery settings. This gives users the ability to turn off the throttling feature and allows the processor to draw full current.

However, the device will shut off as soon as the current draw exceeds what the battery can provide. It is highly unadvisable to turn off the throttling feature and can lead to battery damage.

Degraded batteries



Before iOS 10.2.1 in 2017, the iPhone didn't do much to account for aging batteries in its software. However, a perfect storm of circumstances set Apple up for user complaints about inadvertent shutdowns in older devices.

Recent devices had more powerful processors, thinner designs, and brighter displays. These factors led to smaller batteries with lower capacities that died faster. A smaller battery also meant a lower peak voltage, which meant aging batteries would dip below peak rated voltages sooner.

Those factors were coupled with more people buying iPhones than ever, then keeping them for longer than expected, which led to more reports of batteries becoming exhausted. Note that the "Plus" models and iPads were not encountering shutdown issues thanks to their larger battery capacities.

Lithium-ion can't provide peak voltage at lower charges, which gets worse with age
Lithium-ion can't provide peak voltage at lower charges, which gets worse with age



Intermittent shutdowns were reported by owners of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, and iPhone SE. Users complained that the device would show battery levels of 30% or more then suddenly shut off as if the battery died.

This occurred because these devices' batteries had been exhausted to the point that they could no longer provide peak power during peak CPU draw. Since there were no other protections in place, the iPhone would sense the CPU power draw exceeding the available current and just shut down to protect the battery.

The iOS 10.2.1 and subsequent updates created safeguards that throttle the CPU based on the device's remaining battery health. Fresh batteries above 80% health will never encounter this CPU throttling feature.

Apple hadn't considered its need until widespread reports of shutdowns began.

The iPhone 6 and iPhone SE suffered from inadvertent shutdowns thanks to aging batteries
The iPhone 6 and iPhone SE suffered from inadvertent shutdowns thanks to aging batteries



Apple never announced the battery safeguards publicly, instead, it included a footnote in the software update and left it at that. Users later began noticing their devices slow down, blaming it on planned obsolescence and other conspiracies until Apple made a statement.

Lawsuits began and Apple made a public apology about the feature, stating it was always meant to make devices last longer, not force users to upgrade early. New iPhones starting with the iPhone X had much larger batteries too, which means it takes much longer for the battery to degrade past peak current draw.

The CPU throttling feature protects batteries from current overdraw, which can lead to a thermal event or even fire. It is not a feature designed to frustrate users into upgrading their phones, despite what some YouTubers might tell you.

Managing your battery health doesn't need to be a full-time job



There are a lot of discussions around battery preservation and how users should charge their devices. Some say to avoid wireless charging of any kind for the best possible battery health, but that isn't the whole story.

An abundance of wireless chargers leave our iPhone topped off constantly, and that's ok
An abundance of wireless chargers leave our iPhone topped off constantly, and that's ok



Battery chemistry is affected by heat, charging speed, and the environment. In an ideal world, the longest battery shelf-life a person could achieve would be found if the room temperature was permanently 65 degrees, the iPhone only charged via a wire from about 20% to about 80% at about 10W, and the processor never got hot during use.

This fantastical scenario is impractical, if not impossible, for many reasons. Besides that, the theoretical gains in battery health would never equate to the work involved in maximizing battery life.

Temperatures over 95 degrees Fahrenheit can cause accelerated degradation of your battery, so keep the device out of direct sunlight and hot areas when possible. This is easier said than done when we've just experienced the hottest July in human history.

So, Apple has implemented several tools, invisible to the user, to make sure battery health is extended for as long as is practical. For example, A dedicated power management processor ensures power draw is controlled for optimum charging rates at any given moment.

The iPhone will also learn your charging habits and adjust how the device is charged based on that. So, it may fast charge to 80% once plugged in, but it will then keep the battery at a trickle charge until it is closer to your daily wake-up time before taking the battery to 100%.

These built-in systems aid in keeping the iPhone battery safe and can operate much more efficiently than human intervention. So, users need only decide how to charge their iPhone and when, then leave the rest to the power management software.

Choosing how to charge: wired versus wireless



Your iPhone can charge via a Lightning cable, a MagSafe puck, and a Qi wireless charging pad. These three methods each have advantages and disadvantages.

Wired charging of an iPhone



Wired charging is the fastest and most efficient way to get power into your devices. The iPhone 13, for example, caps out at around 22 watts, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max can even sustain charging at around 27 watts for half an hour.

The iPhone begins "fast charging" when using an adapter of 18W or greater that supports Power Delivery. This feature can let any iPhone 8 or newer reach 50% capacity in about 30 minutes. The iPhone 12 and newer need a charging adapter of 20W or greater for fast charging.

This 65W adapter can fast charge two connected iPhones thanks to its high wattage
This 65W adapter can fast charge two connected iPhones thanks to its high wattage



Wired connections are the most efficient because electrical conductors are physically touching. Power is transferred across the wire, through conductive surfaces, at the highest efficiency with minimal heat loss.

However, faster charging means more heat, more heat loss, and less efficiency overall. Users who rely heavily on fast charging will degrade their battery faster.

Wall chargers are getting higher wattages for less money, especially since the introduction of GaN. So, there's a very good chance that iPhones are being connected to fast chargers more regularly.

The iPhone does manage the charging rate even when connected to a fast charger, so it isn't as if the battery is being slammed at full power at all times. However, fast charging is a tool, so use it only as necessary. We'll get into charging best practices later.

Convenience will always sacrifice some aspect, and in this case, faster charging means wearing out electrodes at a quicker rate. The convenience factor also applies to wireless charging.

Wireless Qi and MagSafe charging of an iPhone



Wireless charging is a highly convenient form of charging that allows users to place their iPhones on a surface to begin charging. MagSafe takes this a step further by securing the iPhone to a magnet and increasing the speed and efficiency of the charge.

Wireless charging uses coils separated by a small air gap to transfer power from one set of coils to the other. Efficiency and speed are improved the closer the coils are to each other, which is why MagSafe's magnetic alignment makes things much more efficient.

MagSafe is a more efficient form of wireless charging
MagSafe is a more efficient form of wireless charging



The iPhone will charge at up to 7.5W on a wireless charging pad, while MagSafe enables up to 15W. The standard Qi wireless charging is not only slower, but it is much less efficient and can heat up the iPhone more than MagSafe in some instances.

The air gap between coils, no matter how small, creates significant efficiency problems. As electricity passes through the charging coils, it generates a magnetic field, which interacts with the coils in the iPhone to provide a charge to the battery. This magnetic field is inherent inefficiency since much of the field is lost to empty air.

Coiled wire packed close together with electricity running through it gets really hot, so wireless charging pads tend to be warm surfaces. The coils in the iPhone heat up as well during power transfer, introducing yet another heat source. Overall, wireless charging is a very warm process that can affect battery chemistry long term.

Qi chargers exacerbate these issues due to poor alignment and a manufacturer's tendency to use cheaper parts. Just because the iPhone begins charging once laid on a Qi charger doesn't mean the coils are perfectly aligned, which increases energy heat loss, and reduces charging speed. More heat, means a battery that degrades more quickly as we've already discussed.

MagSafe is a more efficient form of wireless charging
MagSafe is a more efficient form of wireless charging



MagSafe helps alleviate some of these problems by having a higher standard for materials, as well as having magnetic alignment. Some chargers take advantage of the MagSafe magnets while offering only Qi 7.5W charging speeds, which is a decent medium. However, customers should seek out true 15W MagSafe chargers when possible to ensure the best charging experience and efficiency.

Note that MagSafe chargers are still admittedly not very efficient and to achieve a 15W wireless charge, users have to have 20W power adapters with power delivery. Power adapters without appropriate specs would only charge the iPhone at 7.5W.

The iPhone will adjust charging speeds to manage heat or even stop wireless charging if it gets too hot at 80%. Using wireless charging in cool environments ensures the best performance.

Charging best practices



The most important rule of charging your iPhone is planning ahead. Have chargers where you need them, know what they are rated for, and know when best to use them. This level of understanding shouldn't require much time or effort beyond the initial setup.





Your battery will chemically deplete over time, and there's no avoiding it. On average, iPhone users can expect to see battery health drop by about 10% per year, depending on the factors discussed above.

What is adjustable is the rate of battery damage. The best way to do this while exerting the least effort, is to trust the battery management software and use some basic best practices.

For example, don't keep your iPhone in direct sunlight or don't have the heat full blast when using a car vent mount. Never leave your iPhone in a vehicle in the summer, and definitely keep it off of hot surfaces.

Keep your iPhone battery from dying completely, but try to avoid unnecessary charging too. If you're going to leave for a few hours, plugging in your iPhone to a fast charger is a great way to top off the battery while getting ready.

Battery health degrades over time no matter how you manage charging
Battery health degrades over time no matter how you manage charging



Overnight charging is perfectly safe, too, since the iPhone will manage the charging rate based on your usual sleep schedule. A wired charger with less than 18W by the bedside will ensure the best battery health, but MagSafe or Qi charging overnight isn't overly detrimental either.

If you're really worried about battery health, prioritize wired slow charging first, then fast charging, then MagSafe, and maybe avoid or minimize Qi charging. Of course, all available charging methods are safe, they may just lead to needing a new battery a month or two ahead of the expected two-year window.

For most people, it is simply best to keep your iPhone charged and not worry too much about battery health. If you intend on keeping the device or passing it on to someone so it is in use for over two years, expect to get a battery replacement for $99.

There's no fighting chemistry and physics.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 19
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,972member
    I have an iPhone 11 that’s closing in on three years old. I just checked and the battery health is 88%, which I think is pretty good given the age. I never let it go completely flat, and I try to stop charging at 80-90% full. I always use the wired charger that came from Apple. (Tried wireless but it was so bloody slow I gave up the experiment after a few months). 
    watto_cobraFileMakerFellerbaconstang
  • Reply 2 of 19
    Helpful, useful, good article thank you.
    watto_cobrawilliamlondon
  • Reply 3 of 19
    ciacia Posts: 267member
    This go around I've been pretty diligent about keeping my launch 13 Pro between 20-80%.  If I'm not in a rush to top off I just use an old 5w iPhone charger brick from a few years ago.  I don't just leave it sitting on the charger all day if I don't need the phone.  It's been about 10 months and battery health is still showing 100%.  
    JFC_PAwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 19
    That’s one of the better battery articles I’ve read. Well done!

    You can set a shortcut to alert you when your battery is charged over 80% if you want an easy way to stop charging if you’re nearby and don’t need full charge.
    watto_cobradewmeFileMakerFellerwilliamlondonbaconstang
  • Reply 5 of 19
    jas99jas99 Posts: 163member
    Very useful article. 
    My in-vehicle charger (original equipment) makes my phone very hot. 
    Anyone have advice about ways to make it run cooler?
    watto_cobrawilliamlondon
  • Reply 6 of 19
    jas99 said:
    Very useful article. 
    My in-vehicle charger (original equipment) makes my phone very hot. 
    Anyone have advice about ways to make it run cooler?
    Check to see if you have an app that constantly checks your location and change it to only when you use the app. It might affect the apps responsiveness and accuracy of your location, but in my experience, it was the main source of my phone getting really warm. 

    If your phone gets really warm when charging, that has been common since Apple started
    using USB-C. If your not using USB-C to charge your phone, and it only happens when you charge in your car, check the wattage of the in vehicle charger. 
    JFC_PAwatto_cobraFileMakerFeller
  • Reply 7 of 19
    fred1fred1 Posts: 1,130member
    Very helpful article. Thank you. 
    I had no idea that fast charging (20W+) degrades the battery. I was going to get the two-port charger when I buy the new MacBook Air so I can charge my phone too, but it sounds like it’s not a good idea to use that charger to charge my iPhone. 

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 19
    Wesley HilliardWesley Hilliard Posts: 242member, administrator, moderator, editor
    fred1 said:
    Very helpful article. Thank you. 
    I had no idea that fast charging (20W+) degrades the battery. I was going to get the two-port charger when I buy the new MacBook Air so I can charge my phone too, but it sounds like it’s not a good idea to use that charger to charge my iPhone. 

    While it does degrade the battery, it isn't so much so that you need to worry about it. Fast charging is a tradeoff. If you find yourself in situations where you want to get 50% charge in a half hour, like in a hotel on vacation, you'll find having a fast charger very useful. In the end, you're not degrading the battery that much faster, just faster than using a slower method.

    Something to keep in mind is all.
    watto_cobraFileMakerFeller
  • Reply 9 of 19
    I direct the air vent towards it. Great, except for in the winter.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 19
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,677member
    Very well written and informative article. The bottom line is that Apple should be doing all of the heavy lifting with respect to managing battery charging and optimizing battery usage and longevity. End users just want to use their devices and not have to worry about or babysit their devices’ batteries. Apple can incorporate all of the necessary sensors inside of its devices coupled with AI/ML logic to maximize battery lifetime.

    The end user should only be notified and called upon to intervene if Apple’s battery management logic detects an out-of-bounds condition that it cannot mitigate using the levers the logic has at its disposal, for example, the user trying to use the device outside of the device’s environmental limits, e.g., too hot or too cold. In these cases the user should also be allowed to purposely override warnings and safeguards because the situation may dictate that battery longevity is less important than the scenario, for example, an emergency. 

    The whole notion of relying on users to babysit or constantly monitor low level technical details like this is inappropriate for where we are today with the evolution of the devices Apple sells. It’s reminiscent of the days when PC users, at least some of them, had to worry about low level concerns like disk fragmentation. If a condition exists within a system that requires periodic maintenance, the responsibility for the maintenance should fall upon the process that is most knowledgeable about how the condition is created in the first place and the implications of the maintenance.

    In the case of defragmentation users would typically use a utility provided by the OS or third party that visually showed how individual files were broken up and scattered across their disk, the horror of all messy horrors. Something had to be done to clean up the mess and make everything look tidy. But in doing this they usually ended up setting the disk up to immediately start to fragment the very next time the OS did its normal storage allocation process or a file changed. A better solution would be to have the OS process that has intimate knowledge and control over how storage is allocated and managed handle the fragmentation and defragmentation concerns, not the end user. I think some of the angst around iOS “Other” storage falls into this same category, where some users feel compelled to intervene in functions that they don’t fully understand.

    These machines are here to serve us, not the other way around.
    FileMakerFeller
  • Reply 11 of 19
    dewme said:
    Very well written and informative article. The bottom line is that Apple should be doing all of the heavy lifting with respect to managing battery charging and optimizing battery usage and longevity. End users just want to use their devices and not have to worry about or babysit their devices’ batteries. Apple can incorporate all of the necessary sensors inside of its devices coupled with AI/ML logic to maximize battery lifetime.

    The end user should only be notified and called upon to intervene if Apple’s battery management logic detects an out-of-bounds condition that it cannot mitigate using the levers the logic has at its disposal, for example, the user trying to use the device outside of the device’s environmental limits, e.g., too hot or too cold. In these cases the user should also be allowed to purposely override warnings and safeguards because the situation may dictate that battery longevity is less important than the scenario, for example, an emergency. 

    The whole notion of relying on users to babysit or constantly monitor low level technical details like this is inappropriate for where we are today with the evolution of the devices Apple sells. It’s reminiscent of the days when PC users, at least some of them, had to worry about low level concerns like disk fragmentation. If a condition exists within a system that requires periodic maintenance, the responsibility for the maintenance should fall upon the process that is most knowledgeable about how the condition is created in the first place and the implications of the maintenance.

    In the case of defragmentation users would typically use a utility provided by the OS or third party that visually showed how individual files were broken up and scattered across their disk, the horror of all messy horrors. Something had to be done to clean up the mess and make everything look tidy. But in doing this they usually ended up setting the disk up to immediately start to fragment the very next time the OS did its normal storage allocation process or a file changed. A better solution would be to have the OS process that has intimate knowledge and control over how storage is allocated and managed handle the fragmentation and defragmentation concerns, not the end user. I think some of the angst around iOS “Other” storage falls into this same category, where some users feel compelled to intervene in functions that they don’t fully understand.

    These machines are here to serve us, not the other way around.
    Yup, this all would be ideal. Nevertheless, in our non-ideal world, with a little knowledge we can show empathy for the trials of the silly machine and help it out now and again. Optional, but one of the reasons sites such as this exist — to share knowledge and tips. I enjoy the process, but like you say, geeky knowledge should not be necessary.
  • Reply 12 of 19
    mayflymayfly Posts: 385member
    Too bad people have to go to third parties for this level of information. Apple should meta tag it on every search involving "battery" or "batteries."

    And we need a paradigm shift in battery technology. We're still mired in technology developed a century ago. Anode, cathode, electrolyte. I guess there must be a theoretical limit to how much energy can be stored in a given space, but I don't think we're even close to it yet. Nuclear technology proves that. What we need is something like "Mr. Fusion" like we saw in "Back to the Future 3!"
  • Reply 13 of 19
    red oakred oak Posts: 1,104member
    Excellent article.  Thanks 

    williamlondon
  • Reply 14 of 19
    Generally good article but I think the headline message is somewhat scattered and diluted. All rechargeable batteries have a longer life if charged slowly. For most chemistries the rule of thumb was no faster than at a rate of capacity in Ah/10h, i.e. at a rate that a flat battery would take 10 hours plus a little, another hour or two to allow for charging inefficiencies, to charge. However, consumers want 'fast charging' and herein lies the compromise. Modern Lithium battery chargers, start by charging fast then gradually slow down to avoid 'excess' ageing. Apple uses such an algorithm for all its devices. People want fast charging but they also want long-lived batteries. This is the compromise that battery chargers are programmed to deal with. 

    However, if you wanted the absolute longest battery longevity, i.e. in terms of 'number of cycles', you would only ever use very slow charging and only ever take the device, whether phone, tablet, laptop, or car, away from power when necessary and leave their intelligent chargers to manage charging the rest of time. Of course all these things are designed to be used away from power which is why they have batteries!

    So the intended use pattern is what really determines battery longevity. A cat has 7 lives. A lithium ion battery is around 20% dead after around 400 complete cycle equivalents. All rechargeable battery capacities follow an exponential decay curve, diminishing in capacity every more slowly until they can no longer supply the peak current asked of them. (The one exception to this is nickel cadmium which has an unusually long lifespan, easily 3000 cycles but has to be occasionally fully-discharged to restore capacity and has the most toxic chemistry of all). 

    The less you need to use the battery and the more slowly it is charged, the longer and happier life the battery will have. 

    Which is why I think the the wireless Qi charging is unduly criticised in the article. Keeping an iPhone on a Qi wireless stand by default is a very convenient way of supplying a slow charge whenever not on the move. Instead of being in a pocket or plopped on a table using up one of its lives, pop it on a (slow) Qi charger and your battery will love you for it. 

    If selling or buying a used battery-powered device - phone, tablet, laptop or car - the first concern should be the battery health and then, crucially, how much it costs to replace the battery. Caveat emptor. 
    edited August 2023 williamlondon
  • Reply 15 of 19
    That’s all well and good, except I think cats have more lives!
  • Reply 16 of 19
    That’s all well and good, except I think cats have more lives!
    I think they only have seven. I will stand corrected with evidence :-) 

    williamlondon
  • Reply 17 of 19
    Hmmm, tricky challenge… 😹
    I can offer that my 9 month old iPhone 14 Pro still says 100% battery maximum capacity. 
    I almost never charge it above 80%.
    If I drop it, it usually spins round and lands on its feet. 🤣
  • Reply 18 of 19
    TRAGTRAG Posts: 55member
    fred1 said:
    Very helpful article. Thank you. 
    I had no idea that fast charging (20W+) degrades the battery. I was going to get the two-port charger when I buy the new MacBook Air so I can charge my phone too, but it sounds like it’s not a good idea to use that charger to charge my iPhone. 

    I am planning on doing the same.

    Don’t quote me on this but I think I saw a tear down video and that the charger is adaptive to the device plugged into it.

    Worth checking with Apple if you want to take that route, I will be.
  • Reply 19 of 19
    doubtydoubty Posts: 1member
    mayfly said:
    Too bad people have to go to third parties for this level of information. Apple should meta tag it on every search involving "battery" or "batteries."

    And we need a paradigm shift in battery technology. We're still mired in technology developed a century ago. Anode, cathode, electrolyte. I guess there must be a theoretical limit to how much energy can be stored in a given space, but I don't think we're even close to it yet. Nuclear technology proves that. What we need is something like "Mr. Fusion" like we saw in "Back to the Future 3!"
    The theoretical limit to the amount of energy stored in a given space is given by mr one stone’s famous equation E=mc^2
    so given a 150g battery, you could potentially have 45MJ of energy stored… That’s about 12,500 kWh… We are a very, very long way off from that tho….
    appleinsideruser
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