iPhone Battery Health Declines After Two Years of Optimized Charging, User Reports
A two-year experiment with Apple’s recommended battery health optimization feature-limiting iPhone charging to 80%-yielded unexpected results for ZDNET’s Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: a noticeable decline in overall battery capacity. The findings raise questions about the long-term effectiveness of Apple’s battery preservation strategies and impact millions of iPhone users who diligently follow the company’s guidance to extend the lifespan of their devices.
Kingsley-Hughes initially adopted the 80% charge limit, believing it would significantly reduce battery wear. However, after two years, he found the trade-off – sacrificing 20% of potential charge for the promise of longevity - wasn’t worthwhile. This experience mirrors testing conducted by MacRumors’ Juli Clover, who concluded, “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.”
the results prompted Kingsley-Hughes to revert to charging his iPhone to 100% while utilizing Apple’s “Optimized Battery Charging” feature. This feature intelligently delays completing the charge from 80% to 100% until just before the user typically begins their day, learning charging patterns over time. He hopes this approach, combined with the vapor chamber cooling found in newer iPhone models, will prove more effective in preserving battery health.
“Maybe my battery was especially puny, or maybe it’s me,” Kingsley-Hughes wrote.”but I’m not the only one to feel that sacrificing 20% of my battery capacity in exchange for the promise of better battery life isn’t worth it.”
