Warning: My old way of checking phone battery health was totally wrong

I used to just go by the percentage in the status bar on my iPhone 6, thinking that was the full story. Then about two years ago, I learned you need to check the actual battery capacity in the settings, which showed mine was down to 72% and explained the sudden shutdowns. Now I check that number every few months and it's saved me from a few bad used phone buys. Anyone else have a better method for keeping an eye on battery wear?

3 comments

3 Comments

lucashart4d ago

Totally feel this, I did the exact same thing with my old phone. Just trusted the little battery icon and wondered why it died at 30%. Found the real capacity number in settings and it was a shock, like 68% on a phone I thought was fine. Now I check that before buying any used device, it's the first thing I look at. Saved me from a tablet last month that looked mint but had a totally cooked battery. That hidden setting is a game changer for real.

riveradams4d agoMost Upvoted

Battery health is the first thing I check now too. That little icon lies so much it's crazy. My last phone would just shut off at like 40%, and the settings showed it was totally gone. It's the only real way to know what you're getting with used stuff.

riley_schmidt4d ago

Glad you found that setting, @lucashart, but just a heads up that number can be a bit off sometimes, in my experience.