Preserve iPhone Battery With Charging Limit Options in iOS 18

[MacRumors]

Apple has introduced expanded charging limit options for iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models in iOS 18, offering users more control over their device's battery health. This feature, which previously capped charging at 80%, now includes new 85%, 90%, and 95% options.

The system Apple has applied aims to improve battery longevity by reducing the time your iPhone spends fully charged. Apple says the feature can be particularly beneficial for users who frequently keep their devices plugged in for extended periods.

Here's how to use these new settings to potentially extend your iPhone's battery lifespan.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Battery.
3. Select Charging.
4. Choose your preferred charging limit from the available options: 80%, 85%, 90%, and 95%.

When deciding on a charging limit, consider your daily usage patterns. If you often have access to charging throughout the day, a lower limit like 80% or 85% might suffice. For those who need more battery life between charges, the 90% or 95% options could be more suitable.

Remember, you can always adjust these settings as your needs change. If you're planning a long day away from power sources, you might temporarily disable the limit to get a full charge – and if you do, iOS 18 will offer you the option to keep the 100% setting on until tomorrow, or permanently.

Charging Recommendations

In addition, iOS 18 takes this feature a step further by proactively recommending a specific charging limit based on your usage habits. If you have an iPhone 15 or iPhone 16, expect to receive a notification after a while suggesting an optimal charging limit for your device. The recommendation will also appear in the Settings app under Battery → Charging.

It's worth noting that this iOS 18 feature remains exclusive to the iPhone 15 lineup and the upcoming iPhone 16 lineup. Users of iPhone 14 Pro or older models will not find these options in their settings.

Slow Charger Warning

In addition to giving users more charging limits and recommendations, iOS 18 will warn you if you have been using a slow charger.

In the Settings ➝ Battery menu, the battery level graph now shows an orange color where slow charging has occurred over the last 24 hours. If the duration of the charge reaches a certain threshold, a "Slow Charger" warning will appear above the graph. Apple has yet to explain what charging speed triggers the warning, nevertheless it should be a handy detail for users that may still be using old chargers that are no longer up to the task.

Many wireless chargers advertise MagSafe compatibility but only offer Qi speeds or slower. This feature could help ‌iPhone‌ users identify why their devices aren't charging at full speed. However, there's no option to receive an alert when using a slower charger, which would have arguably been a more useful feature, as the battery settings are somewhat buried in the menu.

Article Link: Preserve iPhone Battery With Charging Limit Options in iOS 18

 

[JapanApple]

This would help those of us who own 14 ProMax/pro. Oh well

 

[L0rynz]

Shame on apple to limit this only to iPhone 15 and above...

 

[washburn]

where can I get that wallpaper?

 

[wanha]

The sweet spot for modern lithium ion batteries seems to be to keep the device between 20-80% charge, so this is a great option to have.

Here's hoping Apple will roll something similar out for the AirPods at some point...

 

[sjperformance]

Some of us EV drivers are used in doing this. Glad Apple giving people options.

 

[Rob__Mac]

This feels like a tacit admission of guilt from Apple as to why my iPhone 14 Pro's battery is totally hosed.

 

[BelgianChoklit]

Shame on apple to limit this only to iPhone 15 and above...

It needs the incredible processing power of the A16 Bionic don't you get it? 😶‍🌫️

 

[Odan]

I just don't understand why it's not possible for older iPhones with iOS 18. It would help to explain in your article. I had a 2013 MBP where I could set the charge limit to 60% with a simple free app. Yea, I realise it's a Mac not an iPhone. There are wireless chargers everywhere and I've never seen my SoC drop below 40%, but I also don't want it much higher than 80% but have no option... sad.

 

[BelgianChoklit]

I got a 5W wall charger with USB-A to USB-C cable for most of my iPhone charging now. Yes it's slow, but I don't want to completely destroy my 15 Pro's battery health. At 91% after just 1 year! Keeping fast charging for when I really need to juice up fast.

 

[foobarbaz]

Also new: If you switch it back to 100%, it offers you the option to do so only for one day.

It's not as good as Shortcut support (i.e. automate based on calendar events), but at least you don't have to remember turning the limit back.

 

[matt_and_187_like_this]

I don't believe in any of that. Still doing pretty well always going below 20% and then charging back up to 100%.

 

[dominiongamma]

I'm got a 5W wall charger with USB-A to USB-C cable for most of my iPhone charging now. Yes it's slow, but I don't want to completely destroy my 15 Pro's battery health. At 91% after just 1 year! Keeping fast charging for when I really need to juice up fast.

91% after a year isn’t good, I would be worried if I had a battery life like that

 

[8667132]

I'm got a 5W wall charger with USB-A to USB-C cable for most of my iPhone charging now. Yes it's slow, but I don't want to completely destroy my 15 Pro's battery health. At 91% after just 1 year! Keeping fast charging for when I really need to juice up fast.

Crikey. I'm 100% battery health after 11 months... (15PM). Always charge with a Belkin 40W wall charger USB-C with 80% battery charge limit

 

[foobarbaz]

At 91% after just 1 year!

Oof, this made me check, and it just dropped from 98% to 94% in the last month. And that's despite limiting to 80% and only 279 cycles in 11 months.

This 15 Pro's battery is definitely degrading faster than any previous model I've had, even the 13 mini. Maybe that's why they added this option. No idea how bad it would be without limiting.

 

[Odan]

I'm got a 5W wall charger with USB-A to USB-C cable for most of my iPhone charging now. Yes it's slow, but I don't want to completely destroy my 15 Pro's battery health. At 91% after just 1 year! Keeping fast charging for when I really need to juice up fast.

Oof, this made me check, and it just dropped from 98% to 94% in the last month. And that's despite limiting to 80% and only 279 cycles in 11 months.

This 15 Pro's battery is definitely degrading faster than any previous model I've had, even the 13 mini. Maybe that's why they added this option. No idea how bad it would be without limiting.

It would be interesting to have actual statistics on this and know why that is. Maybe new li-ion chemistry that is just no good? Never had that issue with the 12 Pro after 4 years and 90% SOH.

 

[Reeneman]

Shame on apple to limit this only to iPhone 15 and above...

Hardcore Apple stans will tell you this is because of an hardware limitation 😂

 

[b0nd18t]

why do they warn you if you’re using a slow charger? Just in case you didn’t realize, or is it not good for the battery?

 

[Reeneman]

I don't believe in any of that. Still doing pretty well always going below 20% and then charging back up to 100%.

Still there is a lot of hokus-pokus going on with the battery and charging topic.
What is your shown battery health currently?

 

[foobarbaz]

It would be interesting to have actual statistics on this and know why that is. Maybe new li-ion chemistry that is just no good?

I would bet it's heat. The 15 Pro is known to run warm anyway, and I do use a case and (slow) wireless charging.

But what are you going to do … it's a phone and has to be used. It's just annoying that swapping is such a hassle, and not really worth it until it hits the 80s.

 

[Reeneman]

The sweet spot for modern lithium ion batteries seems to be to keep the device between 20-80% charge, so this is a great option to have.

Here's hoping Apple will roll something similar out for the AirPods at some point...

Such fragile devices like these small Bluetooth headphones with their tiny batteries should having this from day one, but companies want to sell new products every couple of years to us.

 

[Ivander]

My battery health is still at 100% after a full year of wireless charging. I’ve never set any charging limits and always charge it to full. So, I don’t see the point in artificially limiting something I need in order to have enough charge for the whole day.

 

[Reeneman]

My battery health is still at 100% after a full year of wireless charging. I’ve never set any charging limits and always charge it to full. So, I don’t see the point in artificially limiting something I need in order to have enough charge for the whole day.

But this is your personal experience. Others see a different story with their phones. This varies by so many different factors and simply can only be luck with your current battery. Maximum capacity also varies between each battery.

 

[darthbane2k]

why do they warn you if you’re using a slow charger? Just in case you didn’t realize, or is it not good for the battery?

If anything it’s better for the battery.

 

[andrewxgx]

why no macOS support for those settings? firmware changes are alredy in place (and tools like BCLM no longer works because of that)