Apple is quietly rolling out a feature in its next big software update that will prevent your iPhone's battery life from getting shorter over time
When you plug in your iPhone to charge, it'll only charge up to 80%.
It'll only finish charging the remaining 20% in the time before you typically unplug your iPhone from the charger.
Apple says your iPhone will "learn from your daily charging routine" when to top off the last remaining 20% of battery charge.
Overnight charging — a common way to charge smartphones — offers a perfect example.
You plug in your iPhone at night before going to bed, and your iPhone will only charge to 80%.
Your iPhone will eventually learn that you usually wake up and unplug your iPhone at, say, 8 a.m., and it'll only finish charging the last remaining 20% just before you typically unplug your iPhone.
For those who don't have such a predictable iPhone charging habit, Apple says the optimized battery charging feature in iOS 13 is only an option.
Your iPhone will have a hard time learning your routine if you don't have a charging routine, so it might only charge to 80% every time you plug it in.
You can enable or disable the optimized battery charging feature in iOS 13 if you'd rather charge your iPhone normally.
To be sure, all batteries age over time, and there's no avoiding it.
The one thing you have control over is how fast your battery ages. With its optimized battery charging feature, Apple is simply making it easier for you to control how fast your iPhone's battery ages. You don't actually have to do anything differently, which is great.
The optimized battery charging feature won't have much of an effect on iPhones that already have stale batteries.
If your iPhone's battery is already showing signs of aging, where it only lasts a few hours per day even if it started the day at 100%, you're not really going to see the benefits of Apple's optimized battery charging feature.
This is the kind of feature that's going to work under the hood over the long-term, and it won't really help a battery that's already aged.
The best way to use this feature is with a new — or at least recently bought — iPhone with a fresh battery.
That doesn't mean you should go out and buy a new iPhone as soon as iOS 13 rolls out. Quite the contrary! Apple actually gave you four good reasons not to upgrade to a new iPhone when iOS 13 rolls out. And if your battery is a little stale, you can get it replaced for $80 at an Apple Store instead of spending hundreds on a new one.
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement