Apple has not brought a new function that allows you to check the specific condition of the battery on iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max to older devices. This seems to remain the case – the first beta versions of iOS 17.1 do not contain the feature either.
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Finally, battery cycles without detours
It is already possible to query the number of battery charging cycles for every iPhone. However, this cannot be done using on-board tools; an iOS shortcut is always used (e.g this), which reads out the corresponding log data. With the new 2023 iPhones, Apple made the function accessible in the user interface within the system settings (“General” and “Info” areas). There you can find out the date of manufacture and first use of the battery, but what is most important is the total number of charging cycles (“cycle count”).
A standard battery under normal usage conditions still reaches at least 80 percent of its total capacity with 500 battery charging cycles, as Apple states. This value can now be checked for the first time here. Another new feature of iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max concerns battery management. For the first time, Apple is offering to limit charging to a percentage of total capacity – always. Previously, this was only possible via so-called optimized loading, which was based on usage patterns. If you switch on the feature on the new iPhones, the charge will never exceed 80 percent. This in turn should protect the battery. This feature is not yet available for old devices, although Apple could certainly implement it.
Does it come with iOS 17.1?
As mentioned, the first beta of iOS 17.1 does not include the cycle count or the hard loading limit. But that doesn’t have to mean that both features won’t be added later for older iPhones. It is currently expected that the first major update for iOS 17 will be delivered in October.
On the one hand, Apple uses it for bug fixes, but on the other hand, it is also likely to deliver additional functions. For example, the new journal diary app is still completely missing. Another feature that Apple announced – the transfer of AirDrop documents over Wi-Fi or a cellular connection – is already included in the first beta of iOS 17.1.
(bsc)