iOS 17.4 doubles iPhone battery life

According to MacRumors , Apple is making improvements to the battery, with various new tools being introduced to help the battery last longer. One of the improvements that users have welcomed is the introduction of a battery health indicator. Now, the company is taking it one step further in the upcoming iOS 17.4.

One of the biggest factors that degrades lithium batteries is charge cycles. With current technology, lithium cells lose efficiency as they are charged and discharged, resulting in a loss of their ability to hold a charge. In the case of the iPhone, the maximum number of cycles the battery can last before it starts to degrade is around 500.

But with iOS 17.4, things will change as Apple will count 80% of the battery capacity after 1,000 charge/discharge cycles, which is double the previous number. This will push the battery replacement deadline back. However, this favor is only for iPhone 15 users (all models). Basically, it will help iPhone 15 users have a much more durable battery experience.

The feature is currently available in iOS 17.4 beta 4. Once installed, it will show up in a new information panel in the settings. As mentioned, this battery life information is only available for the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro generations, so iPhone 14 and earlier users will still be stuck at 500 cycles.

The new feature is said to be the result of improvements Apple has made to the iPhone's components and power management. The latest iOS 17.4 beta also changes the way battery health is displayed, which can be accessed directly from the battery settings.