At RAVPower, we’ve often talked about how to optimize your battery life and battery health. It’s kind of our thing. Which has always been helpful for people with iPhones, as iPhone battery health is known to be a bit… lacking, at times. So when we heard about the new iOS update and its impact on lithium-ion batteries, we knew we had to write about it.
Apple recently held their annual WWDC – Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Alongside announcing a computer more expensive than a car and the long-awaited news that iTunes is shutting down, there was a small announcement that will affect all iPhone users. That’s right: the new iOS update will mean iPhone battery optimization is being taken to a new level. And it’s a one-tap job.
How Will The iOS Update Optimize The iPhone Battery?
Apple are finally implementing a strategy that we’ve been advocating for years. That’s right – the 80/20 rule!
In a nutshell, they are adding a feature as part of the iOS 13 update. This feature will let you select in your settings the Battery Optimization Mode option. Your phone will monitor your sleeping patterns and stay charged at 80% for the majority of the night, charging fully to 100% just before it believes you will wake up.
Why Is The 80/20 Rule Important?
When you charge your phone overnight, you’re often completing a full charge and then keeping it at 100%. If you have a charger with iSmart or PD technology, this shouldn’t be a cause for worry; these features prevent overcharging and so increase safety.
For battery health, however, you need to keep your phone between 80% and 20% charge. This is because batteries have a limited charge cycle: how often they can be fully charged and then drained before the battery is exhausted. Most batteries have been shown to lose up to 20% of their capacity after 250 cycles. Ultimately, this reduces the time you can spend on your phone.
How Do Apple’s Lithium-Ion Batteries Work?
Apple use Lithium-Ion batteries. Think of these batteries like a Tupperware container filled with chemicals, divided into three distinct sections. This is called the cell. On either side of the cell are electrodes or electrical terminals between which sits a chemical known as electrolyte.
When your battery’s electrodes are plugged into a circuit, it forces the electrolyte to start transforming. The solution slowly begins changing into ions atoms, which have excess electrons. Those electrons, attracted by the batteries electrodes, move throughout the formed circuit when you plug in a battery into a device, creating electrical power.
You can recharge lithium-ion batteries over and over because of the composition of the electrolyte and electrodes. The elements used in your standard battery are single use – once the chemicals have fully converted, there’s nothing that can be done to reverse the change. But with lithium-ion, when you discharge the battery the ions move from negative to positive electrodes. It means you can charge and use the battery multiple times.
The reason lithium-ion batteries lose their charge over time is because of an undesirable chemical reaction. Electrodes often include nickel in their composite makeup, and because battery interiors aren’t completely smooth, build ups can occur. When these ions pass through the battery’s electrodes a crystal/salt-like substance is created – the more cycles you charge, the more crystals are formed, and the more efficiency and capacity you lose.
Want to learn more? Read our in-depth explanation here!
So, Will This Feature Extend The Life/Battery Health of iPhone’s ?
Theoretically, this iOS update should make a difference for iPhone users battery health. It’s a nice move from Apple, especially after the 2017 debacle where Apple admitted to purposefully slowing down their batteries.
Battery health doesn’t necessarily mean longer battery life; your iPhone isn’t going to last for days and, realistically, you’re going to have to keep an eye on your phone to make sure it doesn’t drop before 20% to maintain this battery health. But it will make sure that the interior of your battery is in tip-top condition (or as healthy as it can be!) Your battery will age more slowly and so should stay optimal for longer than before.
If you’re wanting to keep your phone going for three to four years, this will be a great iOS update feature that you won’t even have to think about.
What Else Can You Do To Improve Your iPhone Battery Health?
Apple has a number of suggestions of ways to improve your iPhone battery health. These include:
- Keep iPhone half-charged when it’s stored for the long term
- Avoid charging or leaving iPhone in hot environments, including direct sun exposure, for extended periods of time Remove certain cases during charging
- Always make sure your device has the latest iOS update
Want to know about extending your Android battery life? Check out our guide here!
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