Other As a few suspected, battery health isn't really that useful of an indicator...

[DavidChoux]

Video link here:

More videos where battery health does not correlate with battery life (all start at relevant timestamp):

Some videos where battery health DOES correlate with battery life:

(here the difference between 100% and 82% battery is very little however)


So as you can see, it's a bit all over the place and you shouldn't read too much into battery health.

 

[JPack]

Yes, it’s always been a rough estimate. For example, you’ve got people claiming 85% after three years and 1,000 cycles when there’s no possible way it could be true.

Basically, if you’re charging daily, you should be replacing every 18-24 months based on the 500 cycles claimed by Apple.

 

[Andeddu]

Yes, it’s always been a rough estimate. For example, you’ve got people claiming 85% after three years and 1,000 cycles when there’s no possible way it could be true.

Basically, if you’re charging daily, you should be replacing every 18-24 months based on the 500 cycles claimed by Apple.

There’s a guy here with a decade+ old iPhone 4 as his daily driver and is claiming something like 6.5 hours screen on time after 10 years of solid use. Either he has some advanced DARPA created next-gen battery tech or he changed the battery and neglected to tell us.

 

[Hal~9000]

While it’s not a huge deal, I like doing what I can to keep my phones battery in its best health in case I decide to keep my phone long term and don’t want to have to deal with an Apple Tech taking apart my phone to replace the battery.

Keeping my things nice is kind of like a hobby in the same way that I take really good care of my health via eating clean (whole food plant based) and keeping track of my macros/micros. Some might find the process of prepping food and logging it exhausting, while for me I rather enjoy doing it as a minor challenge with a great benefit to doing so 🙂

When I get my 13 Pro Max replaced via warranty I’ll just simply automate the charging process so I keep my battery in optimal condition and don’t have to think about it:

• Charge it at the end of each day, via the Apple 5W power adapter for minimum heat.
• Have the 5W power adapter plugged into a Wi-Fi smart pug.
• Have an automation (via Shortcuts) that turns off the smart plug when the phone reaches 80% charge.
• Have an automation (via Shortcuts) that lets me know if the phone drops below 35% so I know to charge it.

 

[DavidChoux]

Yeah I just made this thread to hopefully make people less anxious about battery health. There are countless threads about it (a three pager going on right now), and it seems to cause some people unnecessary worry while others seem to enjoy bragging about a high battery health percentage.

My take. Just use it normally, charge it to 100% so you have less battery anxiety throughout the day. When the battery does wear out a bit after 2 or 3 years it's only $69 to get a brand new one from Apple.

 

[GMShadow]

My 8+ was down to like 86% after two years of exclusively 5W charging.

My 12 is about 20 months old, always used on 18W or higher, and it's at 90%. Daily charging on both.

I do generally agree that heat is an enemy, of course. One 'trick' I guess I do is charge the phone face down, which should allow more battery heat to vent off rather than building up on the surface. But even then, batteries are just going to wear out.

 

[FeliApple]

A late reply, but I hadn’t seen this: thank you, finally someone demonstrates what I have long stated: Battery health is completely irrelevant and battery life doesn’t decrease alongside battery health if the device is on an original iOS version. Battery health is somewhat relevant if the device is extremely updated, improving a little when compared to a severely obliterated battery but still being abhorrent when compared to the original iOS version even with a degraded battery.

iPhone 6s users on iOS 15, blame iOS updates, not battery health…

 

[FeliApple]

There’s a guy here with a decade+ old iPhone 4 as his daily driver and is claiming something like 6.5 hours screen on time after 10 years of solid use. Either he has some advanced DARPA created next-gen battery tech or he changed the battery and neglected to tell us.

6.5-year-old iPhone 6s running iOS 10, 7.5-8 hours of screen-on time with 63% health. Like the post shows, battery health is irrelevant if the iOS version is the original (or an early one).

 

[ctjack]

I hoped that the OP or youtube blogger (or are they are the same person?) would come to the task scientifically before wasting tons of hours of their lives but nope unfortunately...
Is it that hard to show us the coconut app readings or what? I don't trust this averaged out numbers that Apple gives in the settings.

 

[BigMcGuire]

How interesting! Amazing the variance in usage times despite a large difference in health %. Wow. And people freak out about a few % points. lol.

Only thing I can say is I always thought health was useless because you'd need to observe it from start/finish to get a real accurate picture but the fact that even taking a similar device with a 10% difference may get better battery life... lol.

I would not have guessed this and thought that health % mattered far far more. Wow.

 

[FeliApple]

How interesting! Amazing the variance in usage times despite a large difference in health %. Wow. And people freak out about a few % points. lol.

Only thing I can say is I always thought health was useless because you'd need to observe it from start/finish to get a real accurate picture but the fact that even taking a similar device with a 10% difference may get better battery life... lol.

I would not have guessed this and thought that health % mattered far far more. Wow.

This also adds one interesting point (which, again, I have long sustained): every difficult-to-sustain battery health conservation technique (like the 80-20% cycling) is completely irrelevant. Yes, battery health is preserved, but as battery health doesn’t matter, why bother?

 

[Andeddu]

6.5-year-old iPhone 6s running iOS 10, 7.5-8 hours of screen-on time with 63% health. Like the post shows, battery health is irrelevant if the iOS version is the original (or an early one).

Then you haven’t used your iPhone 6S much over the years if your battery health is inaccurate. I have a 6S which had 82% battery and it became unusable with around 2 hours of screen on time. I got the battery replaced which brought me back up to 7-8 hours of screen on time. I used my 6S as my main phone from 2016-2018 which is why the lithium ion battery degraded so much.

 

[Mikeske]

I never really think about battery health. I buy the iPhone to us when I get to 45-50 percent of battery charge plug it in to the charger and fully charge for the next day. I buy the device to use it not the think oh that’s gonna kill the battery. On high cost phone I also pick up AppleCare if I have a problem I use the warranty then continue using it

 

[Andeddu]

I never really think about battery health. I buy the iPhone to us when I get to 45-50 percent of battery charge plug it in to the charger and fully charge for the next day. I buy the device to use it not the think oh that’s gonna kill the battery. On high cost phone I also pick up AppleCare if I have a problem I use the warranty then continue using it

Well you’re obviously not thinking about battery if you are a light user who still has 40-50% charge by the end of the day. It’s more a concern for people who run their batteries flat by mid afternoon.

I used a 4000 mAh battery case on my SE1 which gave me 13 hours of screen on time and I now use a MagSafe battery pack with my 12 Mini which brings total usage to 8-9 hours. My battery health is 84% though and is needing replaced.

 

[FeliApple]

Then you haven’t used your iPhone 6S much over the years if your battery health is inaccurate. I have a 6S which had 82% battery and it became unusable with around 2 hours of screen on time. I got the battery replaced which brought me back up to 7-8 hours of screen on time. I used my 6S as my main phone from 2016-2018 which is why the lithium ion battery degraded so much.

It has 1400 cycles, which is one of the highest cycle counts I’ve ever seen. It was used. Why did your 6s become unusable? Because it was updated. Two hours of screen-on time tells me it was on iOS 11 onwards, maybe even more updated (iOS 9 and 10 are flawless, and would never get two hours unless used massively heavy, like full brightness gaming with LTE or extremely heavy camera use. What was it on? iOS 13 onwards? 15?). Also, if it was updated, 7 hours? I doubt that. Like I said, I have 63% health and it’s flawless on iOS 10. To get 7-8 hours you need iOS 9 or 10 with any battery health. An updated 6s can never get that.

Like the post shows, battery health does not matter, the iOS version is the only predictive factor of battery life. Is your 12 Mini on iOS 16? Then there’s your answer. It’s not battery health, it‘s the iOS version. Replacing the battery won’t fix anything, like, again, the post shows.

 

[Andeddu]

It has 1400 cycles, which is one of the highest cycle counts I’ve ever seen. It was used. Why did your 6s become unusable? Because it was updated. Two hours of screen-on time tells me it was on iOS 11 onwards, maybe even more updated (iOS 9 and 10 are flawless, and would never get two hours unless used massively heavy, like full brightness gaming with LTE or extremely heavy camera use. What was it on? iOS 13 onwards? 15?). Also, if it was updated, 7 hours? I doubt that. Like I said, I have 63% health and it’s flawless on iOS 10. To get 7-8 hours you need iOS 9 or 10 with any battery health. An updated 6s can never get that.

Like the post shows, battery health does not matter, the iOS version is the only predictive factor of battery life. Is your 12 Mini on iOS 16? Then there’s your answer. It’s not battery health, it‘s the iOS version. Replacing the battery won’t fix anything, like, again, the post shows.

I am fairly incredulous of your claim as battery degradation is a reality with lithium-ion batteries. I did update my iPhone 6S until early 2018 which was when I switched to the iPhone 8. My 6S became unusable because the battery degradation resulted it becoming unable to hold a charge and has absolutely nothing to do with iOS version. That’s a very strange conspiracy theory as it would appear you are suggesting Apple are killing battery life on older phones by design.

I have an SE1 with a new battery on 15.7 and I can get 6 hours of screen on time which is probably slightly less than I would have got it if it were stuck on iOS 10.

My iPhone 12 Mini was beginning to show serious battery degradation when on iOS 15. It’s on iOS 16 now but I don’t see much of a difference. It’s still useable and I get around 5 hours of screen on time which is around 1.5 hours less than new.

 

[FeliApple]

I am fairly incredulous of your claim as battery degradation is a reality with lithium-ion batteries. I did update my iPhone 6S until early 2018 which was when I switched to the iPhone 8. My 6S became unusable because the battery degradation resulted it becoming unable to hold a charge and has absolutely nothing to do with iOS version. That’s a very strange conspiracy theory as it would appear you are suggesting Apple are killing battery life on older phones by design.

I have an SE1 with a new battery on 15.7 and I can get 6 hours of screen on time which is probably slightly less than I would have got it if it were stuck on iOS 10.

My iPhone 12 Mini was beginning to show serious battery degradation when on iOS 15. It’s on iOS 16 now but I don’t see much of a difference. It’s still useable and I get around 5 hours of screen on time which is around 1.5 hours less than new.

Battery health degrades, battery life doesn’t if kept on the original iOS version. I don’t deny battery chemistry, I’m saying it has no impact if the device isn’t updated. On the conspiracy theory claim, my stance has always been the exact same: I don’t know whether Apple does it on purpose, but I do know that iOS updates invariably obliterate battery life. I’d go further: It doesn’t matter whether they do it on purpose or not. The only thing that matters is that it happens.

An SE1 on iOS 15.7 with 6 hours of SOT? Too high. Do you have a screenshot? Also, the SE1 on iOS 9 was widely regarded to be better than the 6s and worse than the 6s Plus, so, if the 6s is at around 7-8 on iOS 9, the SE1 was at 8-10. The original iPhone SE battery life thread shows that (with obvious usage pattern variations, of course).

The 12 Mini is probably too new to show a massive difference, and the fact that you say that there has already been a significant decline on iOS 16 (23%! In two years!) only proves my point further.

 

[zorinlynx]

The biggest issue that afflicts Li-Ion batteries and causes them to need replacement is their internal resistance going up towards the end of their life, not so much reduced capacity, though the two go hand in hand.

For example, my iPhone 11 Pro Max can go two days between charges usually. However, I doubt I'll be able to keep using it when battery health goes down to 50%, because by then the internal resistance will be too high which will cause shutdowns and performance problems.

This is the whole reason the iOS performance management exists; it slows down the phone's CPU a bit so it doesn't draw big power spikes that will cause shutdowns when the internal resistance goes up. It lets you get another few months out of your battery (at reduced performance) before you're forced to change it.

This issue affects smaller batteries a lot more than larger ones, which is why people with physically larger phones and laptops report longer battery lifetime and tiny devices like AirPods can be dead within two years.

 

[Andeddu]

Battery health degrades, battery life doesn’t if kept on the original iOS version. I don’t deny battery chemistry, I’m saying it has no impact if the device isn’t updated. On the conspiracy theory claim, my stance has always been the exact same: I don’t know whether Apple does it on purpose, but I do know that iOS updates invariably obliterate battery life. I’d go further: It doesn’t matter whether they do it on purpose or not. The only thing that matters is that it happens.

An SE1 on iOS 15.7 with 6 hours of SOT? Too high. Do you have a screenshot? Also, the SE1 on iOS 9 was widely regarded to be better than the 6s and worse than the 6s Plus, so, if the 6s is at around 7-8 on iOS 9, the SE1 was at 8-10. The original iPhone SE battery life thread shows that (with obvious usage pattern variations, of course).

The 12 Mini is probably too new to show a massive difference, and the fact that you say that there has already been a significant decline on iOS 16 (23%! In two years!) only proves my point further.

The SE1 has a very small battery hence the shorter battery life. I don’t have screenshots unfortunately but I can assure you that I was getting 6 hours on 15.7.2 up until late December 2022 when I switched back to the 12 Mini. I used a battery pack on the thing also which brought me up to 12-13 hours of battery life in total.

My 12 Mini dropping 23% battery capacity in 2 years does not prove your point as the battery was dreadful before I began using iOS 16. I don’t believe there is a noticeable difference between iOS 16 and iOS 15. If there is it is close to imperceptible.

 

[FeliApple]

The SE1 has a very small battery hence the shorter battery life. I don’t have screenshots unfortunately but I can assure you that I was getting 6 hours on 15.7.2 up until late December 2022 when I switched back to the 12 Mini. I used a battery pack on the thing also which brought me up to 12-13 hours of battery life in total.

My 12 Mini dropping 23% battery capacity in 2 years does not prove your point as the battery was dreadful before I began using iOS 16. I don’t believe there is a noticeable difference between iOS 16 and iOS 15. If there is it is close to imperceptible.

Like I said, the SE1’s battery life was better than the 6s on iOS 9 and 10.

You said the 12 Mini didn’t drop 23% capacity, it dropped 23% in battery life (6.5 hours to 5). Now it’s close to imperceptible?

What proves my point is the OP’s video and the fact that replacing batteries doesn’t help when compared to the original iOS version. I don’t know what else I should provide.

 

[FeliApple]

The biggest issue that afflicts Li-Ion batteries and causes them to need replacement is their internal resistance going up towards the end of their life, not so much reduced capacity, though the two go hand in hand.

For example, my iPhone 11 Pro Max can go two days between charges usually. However, I doubt I'll be able to keep using it when battery health goes down to 50%, because by then the internal resistance will be too high which will cause shutdowns and performance problems.

This is the whole reason the iOS performance management exists; it slows down the phone's CPU a bit so it doesn't draw big power spikes that will cause shutdowns when the internal resistance goes up. It lets you get another few months out of your battery (at reduced performance) before you're forced to change it.

This issue affects smaller batteries a lot more than larger ones, which is why people with physically larger phones and laptops report longer battery lifetime and tiny devices like AirPods can be dead within two years.

And this, coupled with extremely increased power draw and power requirements from newer iOS versions produce the abhorrent results we see on newer iOS versions.

Earlier iOS versions have far lighter power requirements, which is why my 6s on iOS 10.0 hasn’t shut down before 0%, ever.

The larger battery part is so true! That’s exactly why you see people with 7-year-old iPads under extremely heavy use maintain usability.

 

[Apple_Robert]

There is no reason for anyone to be anxious about battery health, especially when Apple will replace the battery.

Most of the posts on here with people obsessing are those who buy a new phone every year and want to get the most on resale. The other group obsessing are those who read the battery threads all the time and start believing their phone has a problem when it doesn't.

 

[Andeddu]

Like I said, the SE1’s battery life was better than the 6s on iOS 9 and 10.

You said the 12 Mini didn’t drop 23% capacity, it dropped 23% in battery life (6.5 hours to 5). Now it’s close to imperceptible?

What proves my point is the OP’s video and the fact that replacing batteries doesn’t help when compared to the original iOS version. I don’t know what else I should provide.

No, the battery performs just as poor on iOS 15 as it does on iOS 16. The difference is imperceptible between iOS versions. This is due to battery ware as it’s well documented that battery health becomes worse after x number of charge cycles.

Battery replacement helps so I don’t know what you’re talking about. I replaced my 6S battery and my mum’s SE battery with an update to iOS 15 and both have over 6 hours of SoT.

You are being disingenuous.

 

[ctjack]

The other group obsessing are those who read the battery threads all the time and start believing their phone has a problem when it doesn't.

I still like these type of threads for the insights that are born amidst hot discussions.
Just usual physics work for me: smaller battery will degrade faster and owner has to deal with it.
How it affected my life? Easily, it taught me valuable life lessons.

SE1 2016 - I liked this phone so much that i bought it over the years. On a good note, all my lemon phones were replaced at the end of 1 year warranty with no questions from Apple. On a bad note, I totally liked my SOT numbers when new, but those get declining and worse at 6 month and even worse going further(resistance shutdowns and etc). I have had 4 phones and all 4 exhibit the same pattern more or less.

SE2 2020 - I also had 4 of those and all had similar issues - battery life gets just so bad closer to year 1 and forward. Though, not as bad as with smaller SE1.

I didn't own 12 mini and 13/13 mini for too long to make my observations, because I had no issues with them while owning 4 month each.

As a comparison point, my wife always had max/plus phones. Her battery easily goes 2-3 years with minimal battery health drop. 12PM to 13 PM - old had 100%. 13 PM to 14PM - old one had 98%. 8+ to 12PM - old one had 84% but give fair share it didn't budge the first 18 month.

Now I know how it affects my purchase decisions:
1) I like smaller phones. Which brings the point that with 13 mini I should be replacing battery every year to be happy camper with it. Or buy in bulk and replace/rotate.
When fresh, it has SOT of 5-7.5hrs(9hrs if you only listen music with no screen like airplane). The issue is that once degraded, it will get 3-6hr SOT and that is problematic.
2) I might go Pro Max route just because that is an easy long way keeper - its' battery degrades far slower and should be good for a big while. Why? Well all Pro Maxes of my wife report 10-13hrs SOT, even if we cut it in half in 2-3-4 years, that is still 5-6.5 hr SOT, which I feel comfortable to live with.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I really hate posting in threads where the OP is suspended..... as;dlkfjasl;kdjf;ajsdf

My only comment is, batteries do degrade and while new operating systems generally add additional features which cause additional load on the phones, my experience is that Apple does far better than most other manufacturers when it comes to phone and OS longevity. Now, don't get me started on their health % reader .... that's a mystic science that doesn't even follow their own OS values (coconutBattery).

Battery University clearly shows that doing 40-80 can 3-5x your phone's battery lifespan. HOWEVER, the advantage of this is really only shown between 2-6k cycles meaning, you're really only going to see the advantage of this if you keep your phone for a handful of years or more. I'm lucky to use 200 cycles a year on my phone. My wife can do 1.5x more than me but she uses her phone a lot more than I do.

@ctjack is spot on. Pro Max? Battery will last a LOT longer. My 13 PM is still 102% after 171 cycles. Health seems to drop a lot faster with the smaller phones. My 6+ and every +, Max, Pro Max I've had has always had exceptional health for the 1-2 years I've owned them.


I'm still shocked how a 10% battery health difference can result in MORE screen on time assuming those tests were scientific.


Just to make sure to note, there are those people who leave their phones in the hot sun, charge wirelessly in direct sunlight (I've seen it with my own eyes), and what not. Some people will do Pokemon go in the sun on hot summer days till their phone shuts off from heat (etc). This also has to have a serious effect on battery health and longevity.