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Apple's Latest iOS 17.4 Tool Boosts Battery Insights for the iPhone 15

Apple retested iPhone 15 models, and says the batteries can retain 80% capacity for up to 1,000 full charges.

Patrick Holland Managing Editor
Patrick Holland has been a phone reviewer for CNET since 2016. He is a former theater director who occasionally makes short films. Patrick has an eye for photography and a passion for everything mobile. He is a colorful raconteur who will guide you through the ever-changing, fast-paced world of phones, especially the iPhone and iOS. He used to co-host CNET's I'm So Obsessed podcast and interviewed guests like Jeff Goldblum, Alfre Woodard, Stephen Merchant, Sam Jay, Edgar Wright and Roy Wood Jr.
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  • Patrick's play The Cowboy is included in the Best American Short Plays 2011-12 anthology. He co-wrote and starred in the short film Baden Krunk that won the Best Wisconsin Short Film award at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival.
Patrick Holland
2 min read
iOS 17.4 Battery Health Menus

iOS 17.4 adds new battery menus to the iPhone 15 series.

Apple

With iOS 17.4, Apple just made it easier to track your iPhone 15's battery life and overall health. The new software update, which is currently in beta, changes up the Battery submenu in the Settings app to make it easier to see and understand your battery's overall health.

Previously, across all iPhone 15 models, there was a section named Battery Health & Charging that opened a screen showing your battery's capacity as a percentage. (Over 80% is considered good.) Now, the newly named Battery Health menu shows whether your battery is normal or not.

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If you tap on Battery Health, a submenu opens to show your iPhone's battery cycle count, the manufacture date and date of first use.

And speaking of cycle counts, Apple said it retested all iPhone 15 models and that their batteries should remain at 80% or higher capacity for 1,000 charge-and-drain cycles. Apple estimated older iPhone models still have 80% battery capacity retention after 500 cycles.

Obviously, the hardware and batteries across the iPhone 15 series have not changed, just Apple's prediction of how many complete cycles it takes before the battery's charging capacity hits 80%.

In CNET's battery tests for the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, all four phones were some of the best in terms of battery life that you can buy now. We're excited to see Apple make it more intuitive to know your iPhone's battery health and hope there are more additions in the future to manage your battery.

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