On iPhone 15 models, iOS 18 will recommend that users set a particular charging limit for their device based on their recent usage habits, with the aim of potentially improving their iPhone battery's lifespan by reducing the time that the battery is fully charged.
All four iPhone 15 models feature a setting that prevents the devices from charging beyond 80% while toggled on, and iOS 18 expands the feature by adding new 85%, 90%, and 95% charging limit options. With the new limit options, iOS 18 now takes a proactive approach to improving battery longevity by recommending a specific charging limit to users via a notification.
The recommendation also appears in the Settings app under Battery → Charging. The charging limit feature remains exclusive to the iPhone 15 lineup on the first iOS 18 beta, with the option not found on the iPhone 14 Pro or older.
In a related change, anecdotal reports suggest that iOS 18 could be recalibrating some devices' maximum battery capacity percentage. In Settings ➝ Battery ➝ Battery Health, "Maximum Capacity" is a measure of battery capacity relative to when the device was new. Lower capacity can result in fewer hours of usage between charges.
The first iOS 18 beta is available for Apple Developer Program members, and a public beta will follow in July. After beta testing is complete, the update should be widely released to all users with an iPhone XS or newer in September.
Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development.
Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag.
Timing
Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false.
The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by Tim Hardwick
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence.
Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476
The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick.
"We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote.
If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by Juli Clover
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices.
With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...
They’re getting to a point where people can hold onto their iPhones for 10 years. If I’m a shareholder, I’m asking what Tim is doing to replace the lost revenue from iPhone users who aren’t upgrading?
I charge my phone overnight, to 100%, every day ... don't care about battery health/lifespan. Its a consumable, when it doesn't meet my needs anymore it gets replaced
You're reducing the accumulation/creation of dendrites.
Dendrites are crystal-like formations in the cell that grow through the electrolyte, little by little, with each charge and discharge cycle. They cause short-circuit in a cell when they grow all the way through. This is the main way a li-ion cell dies.
Dendrites are formed primarily during deep charging and deep discharging. E.g., when you discharge the battery down to 0%, and when you charge the battery up to 100%. If you stay within the 20%-80% charge range all the time, a modern lithium ion cell can last probably 10x as many cycles compared to a battery that is cycled between 0% and 100%. But staying in that narrow range sacrifices 40% of the battery capacity, so it's pretty undesirable. Indeed, everything about battery design is balancing competing interests and picking 2 of 3 options.
Most battery controllers don't let you go to 0% anyway. When your phone is reporting 0%, it likely really means the battery has 1-3% left but for self-preservation it's not going to let the device turn on in that state. And most folks don't discharge their phone all the way daily anyway - it's a rare occurrence to be plugging in a totally dead phone. But most battery controllers let the battery charge to 100%. So dendrites slowly form.
By limiting the charging to 80%, you're greatly reducing/slowing the formation of dendrites.
But 80% is a bit aggressive in my opinion. Dendrite formation becomes a real problem at the extremes. 90-95% charge limit would be fine I think.
This is looking more and more like something in the hardware of the iPhone 15 models that allows the charging limits as well as this new feature. Maybe something controlling the USB C port or the battery controller itself?
All existing devices since iPhone 6S can do Optimized Battery Charging, which delays charging past 80%. All iPhones can pause charging when high temps are experienced. So we already know existing hardware is capable. This is confirmed by the fact jailbreaking can re-enable this artificially locked feature on iPhone 14 and older. This is a case of pure feature rationing.
