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I definitely don’t support Apple unconditionally. More often than not when people have a gripe it’s of their own fault but sometimes there’s a legitimate problem. They have these rules for a reason because there are many people here that would have their battery replaced at 90%.
So much this. ☹️😠 I could go on a multi-hour explanation but I’ll try to keep it brief and simple (with some “tough love”).

Foremost, to all of the worry warts, conspiracists, etc, stop obsessing or even looking at the number! In 99.999...% of a device’s operation, it’s pointless to monitor. In the vast majority of instances, it just goes to cause an irrational response.

Next...

Why extend to monthly Apple Care? If you don't, the money that you save could pay for your battery replacement once it actually does drop below 80%, which could still be months from now.
Very probable.

Complaints err discussions err threads such as this motivated me to learn and observe more about battery facts, including their behaviors. I’m still accumulating more data — in fact, it will be years as I want to observe and log the lifespan of my current devices. As an aside, I tend to run most of my tools, etc into the ground (i.e., use them until they’re definitely unusable) but never had the interest of logging the data for proof. Anyway…

Is it possible that Apple hardcoded it to stay at 81% until the plan expires? I sure did try to wear down the battery as much as possible in the days leading up to the genius appointment.
What’s often jumbled into a conspiracy is typical behavior:


On another thread, I posted my iPad (6th generation) battery degradation as a supporting example to the above.
full

…from...
full

As you can see, it is incomplete -- one of the reasons I want to log another set of devices, getting start to finish. Furthermore, the most recent record is 930 cycles at an estimated 20% capacity/health, and the device still can operate for hours.

EDIT:________________
In other words, in a little more than 2-and-a-half years and 400 cycles, 387 to 787, the estimated capacity dropped ~16%. Then, in the span of less than one year and almost 100 cycles, the ‘health’ dropped by ~33%.

Most recent records for the iPad 6:

2024-05-15 876 42.5%
2024-08-26 925 27.2%
2024-09-08 930 20.3%

_____________________

By the way, give (re)calibration a try, it might cause the result you desire 😉


Related:

 
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Some people are shocked when Apple does something that seems like they are only interested in profit. It’s a for profit company so that’s their main goal. I blame Tim Cook for pretending Apple is a benevolent organization or something.
Jobs had a choice I think. Innovator or caretaker. In the end, I think he chose caretaker to 'protect' the legacy of what he built. Cook has always been a logistics person. Unfortunately, that led to hiring Ahrendts for the Apple stores and she was more interested in sales instead of service.

And no one was acting as a check on Ive. As 'brilliant' as others like to think he is, there are a lot of design choices he made I have never agreed with.

And here we are.
 
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I purchased iPhone 14 Pro at launch with AppleCare, and my AppleCare plan expires tomorrow. My battery life has been much shorter lately, and according to the Settings app, its current health is 81%. I took it to the Apple Store today and they said the plan won't cover replacement if it's over 80%, even though I only have one day left and it's currently at 81%. I have to say, I am quite disappointed with this experience.

Yes, I can (and probably will have to) extend my AppleCare with monthly payments (so yet another expense). Yes, Apple did not technically violate any law or policy. But many businesses give their employees leeway to bend policies by a lot more than 1% if there is a valid reason to help the customer. Isn't Apple supposed to be the kind of company that cares more about its customers than about a tiny technicality? Isn't the purpose of AppleCare to have a bit of a "safety net"?

And think about this for a moment: iPhones know their expiration date for AppleCare (it is listed in Settings under Coverage). Apple just settled a lawsuit for intentionally slowing down older devices. Is it possible that Apple hardcoded it to stay at 81% until the plan expires? I sure did try to wear down the battery as much as possible in the days leading up to the genius appointment.

I concede that, currently, I have no proof that Apple has done anything wrong. But this sure makes me feel less valued as a customer. I never attempted to use my AppleCare before today, so that means my original purchase of the two-year plan was a complete waste of money.
I had a similar experience with iPhone 5S and never bought AppleCare after that

If you have AppleCare+ with accidental damage protection you could just drop the whole phone and get a new one?
 
What would cost less, extending Apple Care or paying to replace the battery when (or if) it becomes necessary?
 
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This reminds me of my first Apple product I ever bought--a new iPhone 4S. In I think its 2nd year, it inexplicably bricked during an OTA update. I mean truly bricked--I took it everywhere and no one could fix it. The first place I took it to was an Apple store. They couldn't figure out how to fix it of course, and all they "offered" was to sell me another iPhone, which I couldn't afford at the time. Also I'm pretty sure the worker indirectly accused me of jailbreaking it which he believed was the cause of the bricking. It was never jailbroken of course, which I told him, but I could sense he didn't believe me. Anyhow, I ended up having to sell it to some guy for $20, who probably used it for parts.
Not gonna lie, I was mad at the whole situation--I didn't have much money yet I made the switch to Apple because I heard from everyone how dependable the products were, but here my first purchase crapped out in two years. I had also heard how great the customer service was and how they often went above and beyond to make sure customers had a good experience, but it turned out they were inflexible in my case.
But one should expect fairness, not grace. Grace can never be expected or demanded, that goes against the definition of grace. Apple was fair, there was nothing they promised that they did not deliver. In the end, sometimes unusually bad things just happen. The only wrong Apple did me was that worker who wrongly accused me of jailbreaking 😑 smh...
I had the thought to be bitter and never buy Apple again, but I decided to let it go. Since then I've had many Apple products and they've been overall extremely reliable and their customer service great.
Sorry Apple didn't cut you a break. I hope overall your experience with Apple products and service is as good as mine has been.
 
This reminds me of my first Apple product I ever bought--a new iPhone 4S. In I think its 2nd year, it inexplicably bricked during an OTA update. I mean truly bricked--I took it everywhere and no one could fix it. The first place I took it to was an Apple store. They couldn't figure out how to fix it of course, and all they "offered" was to sell me another iPhone, which I couldn't afford at the time. Also I'm pretty sure the worker indirectly accused me of jailbreaking it which he believed was the cause of the bricking. It was never jailbroken of course, which I told him, but I could sense he didn't believe me. Anyhow, I ended up having to sell it to some guy for $20, who probably used it for parts.
This says just how much Apple 'Geniuses' don't know about jailbreaking and how they get a superior attitude about something they know little about. There was no JB during the time of the 4s that could brick your phone. Literally nothing. The worst that could happen would be a bootloop. And jailbreakers knew enough (at that time) to wipe their phones and restore as new before any Apple service.

It's like the old Starbucks barista attitude. "I work here, so you're supposed to worship my knowledge and never question me!!!!" I'm so over these so called geniuses and what they THINK they know but actually don't.
 
What would cost less, extending Apple Care or paying to replace the battery when (or if) it becomes necessary?
Ac+ for battery alone is an overkill. Accidental damage, theft are one of the main reasons I get AC+. I travel a lot so it’s just worth it. If you accidentally leave the phone or drop it in the flight, it ain’t coming back to you once you get off the plane.
 
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This is why I don’t do the locked in Apple Care. I pay for the monthly subscription. It’s paid for itself 10 times over.
 
This is why I don’t do the locked in Apple Care. I pay for the monthly subscription. It’s paid for itself 10 times over.

I just don't buy it at all. If I break my phone, I'll pay to fix it or buy another.
 
I purchased iPhone 14 Pro at launch with AppleCare, and my AppleCare plan expires tomorrow. My battery life has been much shorter lately, and according to the Settings app, its current health is 81%. I took it to the Apple Store today and they said the plan won't cover replacement if it's over 80%, even though I only have one day left and it's currently at 81%. I have to say, I am quite disappointed with this experience.

Yes, I can (and probably will have to) extend my AppleCare with monthly payments (so yet another expense). Yes, Apple did not technically violate any law or policy. But many businesses give their employees leeway to bend policies by a lot more than 1% if there is a valid reason to help the customer. Isn't Apple supposed to be the kind of company that cares more about its customers than about a tiny technicality? Isn't the purpose of AppleCare to have a bit of a "safety net"?

And think about this for a moment: iPhones know their expiration date for AppleCare (it is listed in Settings under Coverage). Apple just settled a lawsuit for intentionally slowing down older devices. Is it possible that Apple hardcoded it to stay at 81% until the plan expires? I sure did try to wear down the battery as much as possible in the days leading up to the genius appointment.

I concede that, currently, I have no proof that Apple has done anything wrong. But this sure makes me feel less valued as a customer. I never attempted to use my AppleCare before today, so that means my original purchase of the two-year plan was a complete waste of money.
Where should Apple draw the line? is it 82? 83?
 
You literally answered the question as to why they won’t replace it in your first paragraph. I mean what were you expecting?
 
To sum up: You are mad at Apple for adhering to terms you agreed to when you paid the extended care. And because Apple did that, you didn’t get your battery replacement at the expense of Apple.

Reconsider your thinking. It is really skewed in the wrong direction.
I agree. His thinking is skewed in the direction of I'm Special, Treat Me Different.
 
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Apple reading never in agreement with Coconut Battery reading. Who knows the true reading and why they disagree?
Apple's is more accurate, as Coconut Battery doesn't have the full access required to obtain the proper data of the battery. It's a security layer that is barred from third-party apps in macOS.
 
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I purchased iPhone 14 Pro at launch with AppleCare, and my AppleCare plan expires tomorrow. My battery life has been much shorter lately, and according to the Settings app, its current health is 81%. I took it to the Apple Store today and they said the plan won't cover replacement if it's over 80%, even though I only have one day left and it's currently at 81%. I have to say, I am quite disappointed with this experience.

Yes, I can (and probably will have to) extend my AppleCare with monthly payments (so yet another expense). Yes, Apple did not technically violate any law or policy. But many businesses give their employees leeway to bend policies by a lot more than 1% if there is a valid reason to help the customer. Isn't Apple supposed to be the kind of company that cares more about its customers than about a tiny technicality? Isn't the purpose of AppleCare to have a bit of a "safety net"?

And think about this for a moment: iPhones know their expiration date for AppleCare (it is listed in Settings under Coverage). Apple just settled a lawsuit for intentionally slowing down older devices. Is it possible that Apple hardcoded it to stay at 81% until the plan expires? I sure did try to wear down the battery as much as possible in the days leading up to the genius appointment.

I concede that, currently, I have no proof that Apple has done anything wrong. But this sure makes me feel less valued as a customer. I never attempted to use my AppleCare before today, so that means my original purchase of the two-year plan was a complete waste of money.
I found your post because I had a similar question. My AppleCare was running out and I wasn’t planning to renew but was in the store for a different issue (software glitch). The employee told me that my battery was down to 81% and that I should renew AppleCare because I’d get a new battery when it goes down to 80%. So I asked how much a new battery costs and he told me $300! I said I thought they were more like $100 and he said they’ve gone up a lot. I figured at $9.99 a month it would be worth renewing, as it was only 1% before I’d get the new battery, but it’s been several months now and it keeps hanging out at 81%. I just checked on line and see that batteries are $100, not $300! The guy blatantly lied to me; either that or he doesn’t know the price of his company’s products. My bad for not price checking and believing what he told me. Not making me a happy customer. At this point, how long do I keep paying the $9.99 a month? In 10 months, if it’s still at 81% I would’ve paid for the new battery. It sure feels like it’s a rigged deal.
 
I purchased iPhone 14 Pro at launch with AppleCare, and my AppleCare plan expires tomorrow. My battery life has been much shorter lately, and according to the Settings app, its current health is 81%. I took it to the Apple Store today and they said the plan won't cover replacement if it's over 80%, even though I only have one day left and it's currently at 81%. I have to say, I am quite disappointed with this experience.

I have the 14 Promax, It's at 80%. first-week release. I paying apple care now. Wait get the battery replaced it 79%. My sister has the 13 Promax, it's 78%. Apple care as well. we both have heavy usage of our phones. I get battery give my wife. I buy the 17 or 18 phones. I decided.
 
I found your post because I had a similar question. My AppleCare was running out and I wasn’t planning to renew but was in the store for a different issue (software glitch). The employee told me that my battery was down to 81% and that I should renew AppleCare because I’d get a new battery when it goes down to 80%. So I asked how much a new battery costs and he told me $300! I said I thought they were more like $100 and he said they’ve gone up a lot. I figured at $9.99 a month it would be worth renewing, as it was only 1% before I’d get the new battery, but it’s been several months now and it keeps hanging out at 81%. I just checked on line and see that batteries are $100, not $300! The guy blatantly lied to me; either that or he doesn’t know the price of his company’s products. My bad for not price checking and believing what he told me. Not making me a happy customer. At this point, how long do I keep paying the $9.99 a month? In 10 months, if it’s still at 81% I would’ve paid for the new battery. It sure feels like it’s a rigged deal.

Moral of the story is to not trust Apple Store reps. They’re not hired for their knowledge but rather their personality and inclination to sell.

Keep doing 0-100% charge-discharge cycles and the battery capacity should drop.
 
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Hate to tell you but it stays at 80% for quite a while. You could try paying for another month and then draining your battery to 0% charging it back to 100% in high heat (turn off optimized battery), repeat. Try leaving it in your car in 100 F temps. That should help accelerate the decline.
 
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