iPhone 15 users can check the health of their battery at a glance after updating to iOS 17.4

According to an update made to a support page, Apple is making a change to the Battery Health section of the iPhone settings app, but only for the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max and only once iOS 17.4 is installed. This little change, available only on the aforementioned models, will allow users to get a look at the health of the battery on their iPhone at a glance. Once your iPhone 15 series model has been updated to iOS 17.4, you'll be able to open the Battery section and see a quick reading of your battery's condition.

For example, go to Settings > Battery and next to the Words "Battery Health" on the page, you might see "Normal" giving you a quick rundown of the health of your battery without having to press on the Battery Health & Charging button that you previously had to tap on. If you press the Battery Health button on an iPhone 15 series phone, you'll see the date that the battery was manufactured, the date the cell was first used, the battery cycle count, and the Maximum Capacity.

The Maximum Capacity figure compares the current capacity of the battery to when the cell was brand new. The result is a reading in percentages that might say that your battery has a maximum capacity that matches the capacity when the phone was first purchased (100%). A lower reading indicates that the battery is degraded. If the percentage drops under 80%, Apple suggests that you replace the battery. 

The Battery Health section of the Settings app was added to the iPhone as a result of #Batterygate. Older iPhone models were shutting down while performing complex tasks because the weaker batteries could not power up the CPU to handle these tasks. Apple unilaterally decided to include with the iOS 10.2.1 update a method that allowed it to throttle these older iPhone models without the knowledge of iPhone users. Lawsuits ensued (see what we did there?) and it wasn't until this January that affected iPhone users started to receive their share of the $500 million settlement.

When Tim Cook apologized for #Batterygate in late 2017, he gave iPhone users a special deal allowing them to change weakened batteries for only $29. And with iOS 11.3 in 2018, Apple sent iPhone users the first "Battery Health" page. It has been a welcome addition since it allows iPhone users to get a quick handle on their battery and whether it needs to be replaced.