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I’ve stopped caring about this since my friend and I both compared our battery health. He is a heavy user and doesn’t care about any of the charging BS and he is at 100 capacity for 268 cycles. Me on the other hand took more care of my phone charging habits and I am on 97 after 284 cycles. Both 16 pro max same configuration and model number… I think that battery optimisation by Apple and the other intelligent features already handles everything for us.
 
There is some logic to it, but mostly for devices plugged in 24/7 like Mac or iPad but as far as I know it’s not a first party feature on both those devices. Eg, on my home bridge laptop I’ve removed the battery and it runs direct from AC. I recall reading about someone who put an iPhone 15 as a car head unit with the battery removed, according to that post iPhone’s before the 15 could not be run without a battery. Funny how both charge % limitation and this, both came with the 15 series.
Interesting. I didn’t know recent iPhones could run without a battery attached either.
Do you know if the device has to be modified beyond removing the battery and putting the rest back together?
 
iPhone 15 Pro Max

Majority on 80% limit, last few months no battery limitations set. Mostly Magsafe charger overnight. Coconut battery app also confirms the current capacity shown on iOS side.

Not sure if it is good or bad, but I wanted to share.
I do not pay any attention whatsoever regarding the way I charge my phone. Leave it plugged in overnight etc. 555 cycles later my iPhone 15 Pro is at exactly 90% capacity, so doesn't really seem to be worth any extra effort?
 
if you have a 15 or later, optimized charging is the way to go, and even better than the 80% setting due to hw enhancements apple has made with how the technology works.

I fast charge as fast as possible with USB C and slow charge using MagSafe. I am at 90% capacity with over 768 cycles now.
 

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15 Pro Max, 80% change limit most of the time. Sometimes I will increase it to 100% if I know it’s going to be a long day.
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also have a 15 pro max, but my friends told me how advanced the optimized charging features are, especially if you have a 15 or later. I have 768 cycles and 90% capacity. I always fast charge, and i’ve always used to optimize feature.
 

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Why would I limit myself. Of course it’s not worth it and you guys proved it with your feedback. I have my 16 pro for 12 months now and I always charged it to 100%. I’m now at 98% battery condition after 270 battery cycles 🤣🤣 lmao.
 
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iPhone 15 pro max with either 80% or 85% for most of the time I’ve had it:

max capacity: 87%
Cycle count: 663

Manufacture date: sept. 2023
First use: nov. 2023
 


With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line.

iOS-26-Battery-Glass-Feature.jpg

Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum capacity is at 94 percent with 299 charge cycles.

With last year's test, I spent a lot of time with my battery below 20 percent. I saw some comments suggesting that draining it so low could also affect battery capacity over time, so this year, I tried hard to keep my battery between 20 and 80 percent. I wasn't always successful, but my iPhone 16 Pro Max was in that middle charge area most of the time.

You can compare your own battery health with mine, but my guess is that my 94 percent battery capacity is about average, regardless of whether charging limits are on or off. In fact, my iPhone 15 Pro Max was also at 94 percent capacity at the 12 month mark when I did this same test last year.

iphone-16-pro-max-battery-test.jpg

I did a mix of charging via MagSafe and charging with USB-C, and my iPhone 16 Pro Max can get hot when charging over MagSafe, especially with MagSafe battery packs. Since I was trying to keep above a 20 percent charge, I did more wireless charging when I was out. I can't help but wonder if heat was an issue this year.

It continued to be inconvenient limiting my iPhone battery to an 80 percent charge. It was fine when home, but if I was out and wanted to use the camera or needed GPS, it often wasn't enough battery. When you set an 80 percent charge limit, the iPhone will charge to full every so often to calibrate, and I appreciated surprise days with 20 percent extra battery.

If I had to guess, I probably had a 50/50 split between MagSafe charging and fast charging with USB-C. Most charging was indoors at around 72 degrees, but there were times when I was outdoors with a battery pack in warmer conditions.

I use my older iPhones for software tests, so my iPhone 15 Pro Max is still around. At the two year mark, its capacity is 88 percent, down from 94 percent in September 2024. It has 352 cycles, and I've kept it at the 80 percent limit.

During this year's testing, my iPhone 16 Pro Max battery was still at around 98 percent just a couple of months ago, so I thought the limit was having more of an impact, but I saw a decent drop as we got closer to September. It was even at 95 percent about a week ago, but now I'm down to 94 percent.

I now have two years of data with my iPhone limited to an 80 percent charge, and I don't think it's been worth it. My coworker who also has a 16 Pro Max did not have an 80 percent charge limit set, and his battery capacity is 96 percent with 308 charge cycles.

Maybe setting an 80 percent limit improves battery health over a longer period of time, but over a one-year period, the results have been disappointing. Setting charging to a 90 or 95 percent might make more sense.

I have upgraded to the iPhone 17 Pro Max and did already limit it to an 80 percent charge for another 12-month test. I'm interested to see how the larger battery changes things, and whether the switch to aluminum will make a difference.

What's your iPhone battery capacity and cycle count? Let me know in the comments below, and weigh in on whether you think the 80 percent charge limit is a good idea.

Article Link: iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?
Have been doing the 80% Diet since September 2024 on my iPhone16 Pro.
99.9% MagSafe charging on Satechi Qi2 Trio Wireless Charging Pad (LOVE that thing)
~0.5% charging to 95%, the rest to 80%. Never purposely charge to 100%.
Current Capacity = 100%
Current Cycles = 246
Plan to keep this phone for 4 years.
I am very happy with the 80% Diet.
 
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This doesn't surprise me. I've owned an EV for a few years and have read a lot of research papers on battery degradation in the interest of extending the life of my car. From the research I've seen, you'll only get a marginal benefit from limiting the charge to 80%. Lithium batteries have what's known as a central graphite peak that occurs somewhere between 57-73%, depending on battery chemistry, and charging above that level results in much faster degradation. So if you wanted to significantly reduce degradation, you would likely need to limit charging to 55% to be safe, but that just isn't going to be practical for a phone, so might as well just charge to 100% and get a battery replacement after a few years if you plan to keep the phone for a long time.

Research paper showing battery degradation at different levels of charge... see Figure 5: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/2.0411609jes/pdf
I do the same thing with my EV. I've been keeping it at and under 57% because it works for me in my (lack of) traveling. After the first year, seeing very little degradation that most others see (that first year / second year calendar drop). But most can't do this especially with a long drive to work as easy, so I'm lucky in that aspect. I would LOVE for the iPhone to have a 50% limit. Very happy to see this mentioned here :D And you are completely correct.

It depends entirely on your usage. I rarely get below 30% as it is, so the trade of that extra 20% for a continually high-performing battery two years later is absolutely worth it. I've lost nothing at all and still have a great piece of hardware I can surely continue to use for another couple of years.

Obviously, if you routinely plow through battery every day like a buddy of mine does, it's not a good tradeoff!
EXACTLY. I work remote. I work at a desk. My phone spends most of its life plugged in - whether in the car, or at home. It is not inconvenient for me to set the 80% and rarely use my phone - setting it to 100% when I go out for a day / vacation.

This. I got a new battery for my 13 PM a couple weeks ago as I didn't care for any of the new offerings. It was at 81% after almost 4 years. It only cost $90. Why would I worry about stopping at 80% and not letting it go below 20%? I'm going to stress for years about being in a 60% window when I can get a new battery for $90? Makes no sense how people baby their batteries so much.
For most people it doesn't make sense. It was mostly designed to help save the batteries of display units at Apple Stores - if I remember correctly. Those of us who are always at a desk benefit a little too - but most people won't/don't care (think about it, 99% of iPhone users aren't on Macrumors, and most probably have no clue the option exists).

Interesting. I didn’t know recent iPhones could run without a battery attached either.
Do you know if the device has to be modified beyond removing the battery and putting the rest back together?
I think it started with the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max - you could bypass the battery and run off of wall power - I saw days go by where I wasn't even using ANY battery (leaving phone plugged in) despite using the phone for 5+ hours. Previous phones, even if plugged in, everything went through the battery - using cycles even while plugged in.
 
also have a 15 pro max, but my friends told me how advanced the optimized charging features are, especially if you have a 15 or later. I have 768 cycles and 90% capacity. I always fast charge, and i’ve always used to optimize feature.
Wow that’s incredible. Do you live somewhere warmer or colder?
 
If a person is going to keep an iPhone only for a few years, it doesn't matter how its charged. But for the long-timers that keep iPhones 5 years & longer, - limiting the peak charge voltage has been tested ad-nauseum by battery testing companies, testing hundreds of batteries, -and proven- to increase the battery lifespan.
Its not a religion based on belief, but factual based on extensive test data.
Graphic courtesy of Battery University:




Screen Shot 2025-09-26 at 1.54.52 PM.png
 
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If a person is going to keep an iPhone only for a few years, it doesn't matter how its charged. But for the long-timers that keep iPhones 5 years & longer, - limiting the peak charge voltage has been tested ad-nauseum by battery testing companies, testing hundreds of batteries, -and proven- to increase the battery lifespan.
Its not a religion based on belief, but factual based on extensive test data.
Graphic courtesy of Battery University:




View attachment 2559475
Finally... a Battery University post! Hats off to you :D This makes my day.

Great place for battery information. Isidor's book is gold if you love batteries.
 
Its funny when you think about it. Despite all the info and live examples that some people still think this limit setting, might be a good idea, when really all it does is remove 20% of your battery usage. 🤣

I think if you get used running 80% battery, then as your battery deteriorates, you won't notice the battery life die.. thats all it would do.
 
My question is how does adaptive power mode work? Does it shut off automatically if you’re plugged in and charging?…don’t want to limit anything if it’s plugging and not in danger of completely draining…
I am just as curious. My wife and I will both go to the 17 Pro. Should I convince her to turn off adaptive power mode for a test ;)?
 
Interesting. I am not saying it doesn't slightly improve battery life, but for people upgrading to a new iPhone every year, I don't think it's as big of a deal as those who hold onto their iPhone's for for several years before upgrading.

I guess if you are on something like the IUP then it's not a big deal. But if you go 3 or 4 years in between upgrade cycles than I could see it being very useful.
I'd rather pay for a new battery in my phone every 3 or 4 years than spend all that time obsessing over how I charge it and what my battery health percentage is, and sweating over a low battery every day.

I charge to 100% overnight every night on a MagSafe charger. I've kept every single one of my iPhones for 2-3 years in between upgrades and I've never once needed to replace a battery.
 
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I had optimized charging, and it was at 94%. I’ll do the same on my 17pm. I never really understood limiting the iPhones battery’s effectiveness.

I don’t really understand it anywhere except electric cars when people buy them outright.
 
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