17 ProMax Battery Not Draining after Charge unless Restarted

[tonypalmtree]

I recently got a brand new IPhone 17 Pro Max and am currently updated to the latest version of IOS 26.
I have the issue every morning when I wake up my and take my phone off the charger it stays at 100% even with heavy use the battery won’t go down unless I restart it. The phone is fairly new (5 days) but this seems like it shouldn’t be happening. Anyone got any advice?

 

[MacCheetah3]

How long are you using/waiting before restarting? 10 minutes? An hour?

Put very simply, iPhones, iPads, etc., will show 100% for longer than most percentages. After it breaks away, the percentage should decrease ‘normally’. The simplified reason: your iPhone doesn’t show the exact/actual charge level of the battery. There are behind-the-scenes things that the user doesn’t need to know, including that 100% shown in the status bar isn’t exactly 100%, nor is the battery fully drained when a device shuts down after 1%.

By the way, if you run your iPhone down to automatic shut down due to low battery, it will seem like the device hangs onto the last 1% forever.

Additionally, new devices need to settle in, among the items is the device calibrating battery reporting. Every battery is a little different, including many being above target spec.

You can/should do a recalibration every few/several months:

Battery Calibration

All newly-installed smart batteries should be calibrated as soon as possible. This helps your phone or laptop get an accurate reading on the battery’s state of charge.

www.ifixit.com

 

[tonypalmtree]

How long are you using/waiting before restarting? 10 minutes? An hour?

Put very simply, iPhones, iPads, etc., will show 100% for longer than most percentages. After it breaks away, the percentage should decrease ‘normally’. The simplified reason: your iPhone doesn’t show the exact/actual charge level of the battery. There are behind-the-scenes things that the user doesn’t need to know, including that 100% shown in the status bar isn’t exactly 100%, nor is the battery fully drained when a device shuts down after 1%.

By the way, if you run your iPhone down to automatic shut down due to low battery, it will seem like the device hangs onto the last 1% forever.

Additionally, new devices need to settle in, among the items is the device calibrating battery reporting. Every battery is a little different, including many being above target spec.

You can/should do a recalibration every few/several months:

Battery Calibration

All newly-installed smart batteries should be calibrated as soon as possible. This helps your phone or laptop get an accurate reading on the battery’s state of charge.

www.ifixit.com

I’m waiting at least an hour before restarting, I am using apps like YouTube and instagram which normally drain a lot of battery but they don’t at all until I restart it. How long should this last and should I return the phone or just wait it out? Also when I restart it, then it quickly drops from 100 to 96 or 95 in a few minutes.

 

[MacCheetah3]

Also when I restart it, then it quickly drops from 100 to 96 or 95 in a few minutes.

Ah. Okay. That 95% - 100% range is key. Basically, don’t worry about it. But if you want more detail:

When connected to a charger, iPhones (and other Apple devices) charge to 100%, then it stops charging. When the charge level drops (back) down to ~95%, charging restarts/resumes. This cycle continues until the device is disconnected from external power. It’s primarily to prevent overcharging but also keeps the battery cells at least a little exercised. You won’t see this shown on the device. The UI will constantly show 100% despite the battery going through this partial cycle. Why? A user doesn’t need to know. When you restart the iPhone (while disconnected from external power), it checks the current, actual battery charge and will show the more accurate value the next time the percentage display updates. For example, if after you restart the iPhone, the battery charge level is at 98%, you’ll possibly see the percentage go from 100% to 97%, which is really going from 98% to 97%.

So, again, basically, don’t worry about it, this is normal.

P.S. In fact, you should be the opposite of concerned the iPhone is using only up to ~5% of battery with an hour or so of social media use.

 

[tonypalmtree]

Ah. Okay. That 95% - 100% range is key. Basically, don’t worry about it. But if you want more detail:

When connected to a charger, iPhones (and other Apple devices) charge to 100%, then it stops charging. When the charge level drops (back) down to ~95%, charging restarts/resumes. This cycle continues until the device is disconnected from external power. It’s primarily to prevent overcharging but also keeps the battery cells at least a little exercised. You won’t see this shown on the device. The UI will constantly show 100% despite the battery going through this partial cycle. Why? A user doesn’t need to know. When you restart the iPhone (while disconnected from external power), it checks the current, actual battery charge and will show the more accurate value the next time the percentage display updates. For example, if after you restart the iPhone, the battery charge level is at 98%, you’ll possibly see the percentage go from 100% to 97%, which is really going from 98% to 97%.

So, again, basically, don’t worry about it, this is normal.

P.S. In fact, you should be the opposite of concerned the iPhone is using only up to ~5% of battery with an hour or so of social media use.

Ah. Okay. That 95% - 100% range is key. Basically, don’t worry about it. But if you want more detail:

When connected to a charger, iPhones (and other Apple devices) charge to 100%, then it stops charging. When the charge level drops (back) down to ~95%, charging restarts/resumes. This cycle continues until the device is disconnected from external power. It’s primarily to prevent overcharging but also keeps the battery cells at least a little exercised. You won’t see this shown on the device. The UI will constantly show 100% despite the battery going through this partial cycle. Why? A user doesn’t need to know. When you restart the iPhone (while disconnected from external power), it checks the current, actual battery charge and will show the more accurate value the next time the percentage display updates. For example, if after you restart the iPhone, the battery charge level is at 98%, you’ll possibly see the percentage go from 100% to 97%, which is really going from 98% to 97%.

So, again, basically, don’t worry about it, this is normal.

P.S. In fact, you should be the opposite of concerned the iPhone is using only up to ~5% of battery with an hour or so of social media use.

Okay, should I restart the phone every morning to get the accurate battery percentage or just wait it out to let it correct it self?

 

[MacCheetah3]

Okay, should I restart the phone every morning to get the accurate battery percentage or just wait it out to let it correct it self?

Let it do its thing.

You’ll only notice, if you pay attention, after disconnecting from a charger.

Just enjoy your new iPhone.

 

[tonypalmtree]

Let it do its thing.

You’ll only notice, if you pay attention, after disconnecting from a charger.

Just enjoy your new iPhone.

Okay, thanks for the help.