Is your device’s rechargeable battery dying faster than it used to? Do you know how to determine its health and decide how to respond? Read on…

iPhone Battery Health

Modern rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge–discharge cycles. One percent discharge matched with one percent recharge amounts to one percent of a battery cycle. Cumulatively, one cycle is 100% discharge and 100% recharge no matter how you break it down.

As you charge and deplete a device battery, its total capacity also declines. iPhone batteries tend to work for 300–500 cycles before their capacity declines to 80%, at which point they seem to die quickly and may not have enough charge to maintain good performance of the device.

On iPhone 6 or later running iOS 11.3 or later, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health to see the current capacity and learn whether your device is supporting normal peak performance. On iOS 13 and later, you can also enable Optimized Battery Charging.

Mac Battery Information

On a MacBook, you can open the System Information utility to learn more about your battery. Some ways to access this application:

  • Search for it using Spotlight
  • Go to the  menu, hold the Option key, and choose System Information…
  • Go to the  menu, choose About This Mac, and click System Report…
  • Navigate to Applications > Utilities > System Information

Once there, click Power under the Hardware list on the sidebar. Under Battery Information, look at Health Information to find Cycle Count. Most modern MacBooks (since around 2009) use batteries that support up to 1,000 cycles before the battery is considered depleted.

Battery Information Galore

Looking for more info. coconutBattery will satisfy your appetite for battery details. Plus, not only will it tell you about your Mac battery, connect your iOS device and it will inform you about that, too.

As you can see, after over 400 cycles, my MacBook battery is down to only 74% of its original capacity. I wonder if that’s why it has so much trouble waking from sleep after a good night’s rest.

Repair Options

iPhone battery replacement is a no-brainer. For $50–80, you can return your iPhone to like-new performance in all of 5–10 minutes. If your out-of-warranty iPad battery is dying, have Apple handle the repair as they charge a flat fee of $99.

For a Mac, let’s have a conversation first and weigh the value of replacing the battery, which can be a lengthy and much more expensive repair, versus investing in a newer device. Battery service can be worthwhile but I want you to be sure it’s the right move.

In the East Bay, I recommend Techy Joe in Downtown Berkeley for iPhones and Apple & Mac Solutions in West Berkeley for Macs. If you live elsewhere, I can help you find a reliable professional in your area.

Batteries don’t last forever. Modern battery technology for consumer electronics may last 2–5 years for most users depending on the type of device and size of battery. So, it’s perfectly reasonable to need a replacement during the life of a device.

I’m not a very active user of my iPhone SE but it does perform a lot of background services for me. In my nearly four years of ownership, I’ve had the battery replaced three times. I’m always impressed at the performance boost afterward.