The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro are here – and as rumors predicted, they both feature a USB-C port instead of the Lightning . This means that users will finally be able to use the same cable between iPhone, iPad and Mac to charge. But there's something else Apple may not have told us: 9to5Mac found evidence that the iPhone 15 will have the ability to limit the maximum battery charge.
The iPhone 15 will include a battery charge limiting option
Based on code found In iOS 17 RC, which was released to developers on Tuesday, Apple has developed a new feature that will allow users to limit the maximum battery charge to better preserve battery health. When this option becomes available, it can be found in the Battery Settings menu.
When this feature is disabled, users will see a message indicating that the iPhone will “charge to full capacity.” But when this feature is enabled, it will tell the user that the battery “will charge to approximately X%.” The Settings app will also show you the last time your iPhone was charged to a user-set limit.
This feature works similar to Optimized Battery Charging, which learns the user's daily routine and only completes the charge. The battery level exceeds 80% around the time the user unplugs the iPhone from the charger. However, the new option will always limit recharging to a certain battery level.
Best comment by Ryan Hitt
I will use this feature all the time. Adaptive charging doesn't work for me because my schedule is too irregular for the phone to make sense of anything. But I can charge my phone periodically throughout the day, so if I can “get” it to 80% during the day, that's all I need. Turn it off and charge it to 100% on vacation or whatnot. I believe this will have a very positive impact on most people's battery health.
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A similar feature already exists in some Android phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy. This is because overcharging a lithium-ion battery to 100% causes it to age faster, so phone manufacturers are adding features to limit overcharging in some situations. By doing this, users may be sacrificing battery life to ensure the component lasts longer.
Many iPhone 14 Pro users have complained that the device's maximum battery capacity drops significantly quickly. This may have prompted Apple to give users the ability to better manage their iPhone's battery.
Compatibility
Since the iPhone 15 is not yet went on sale, we can't say with certainty that this feature will be available on day one. However, given that it's already in the code and we haven't found it enabled on iPhone 14 models, we're guessing the new Charge Optimization feature is only compatible with iPhones with USB-C.
iOS 17 will be introduced to the public on Monday, September 18. As for the iPhone 15, pre-orders will begin this Friday, with the official launch scheduled for September 22.
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