How to Check Battery Health on iPhone (and What the Number Means)

Here is how to check battery health on iPhone: open Settings, tap Battery, then tap Battery Health (on iPhone 14 and earlier the row is called Battery Health & Charging). The Maximum Capacity number shows how much charge your battery can hold today compared with when it was new. Below, we explain every number and message on that screen, what counts as good, and when a battery replacement makes sense.

Quick answer: Settings > Battery > Battery Health (iPhone 15 and later) or Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging (iPhone 14 and earlier). Look at Maximum Capacity. Apple designs iPhone 14 and earlier batteries to keep 80 percent of their original capacity at 500 full charge cycles, and iPhone 15 and later batteries to keep 80 percent at 1,000 cycles, under ideal conditions. Around 80 percent or a “significantly degraded” message is the usual point to think about a new battery.

How to Check Battery Health on iPhone (Step by Step)

Learning how to check battery health on iPhone takes about ten seconds. The steps are the same on every recent iPhone, only the name of the last menu changes.

iPhone 15, iPhone 16, iPhone 17 and later

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Battery.
3. Tap Battery Health.
4. Read Maximum Capacity. On these models the same screen also shows the Cycle Count, the battery’s manufacture date and the date of first use.

iPhone 14 and earlier

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Battery.
3. Tap Battery Health & Charging.
4. Read Maximum Capacity and the Peak Performance Capability message under it.

Apple added battery health features for iPhone 6 and later, so even quite old phones show this screen. Apple explains the details on its iPhone battery and performance (external site) page.

What the Battery Health Numbers Mean

Maximum Capacity

Maximum Capacity measures your battery’s capacity relative to when it was new. At 100 percent, a full charge holds as much energy as it did on day one. At 85 percent, a “full” charge holds about 85 percent of that, so the phone runs out sooner between charges. A brand-new iPhone can show slightly under 100 percent, because a little capacity is lost in the time between manufacture and activation.

All rechargeable lithium-ion batteries lose capacity as they age, so a slowly falling number is normal and not a fault.

Cycle Count (iPhone 15 and later)

A charge cycle is a full battery’s worth of use, not one trip to the charger. Using 50 percent today and 50 percent tomorrow adds up to one cycle. Apple’s own numbers show what to expect:

Apple says these targets assume ideal conditions; the real figure depends on how you use and charge the phone. Cycle count is shown in Settings only on iPhone 15 and later (see Apple’s support note on the battery and performance of iPhone 11 and later).

Peak Performance Capability (iPhone 14 and earlier)

This line tells you whether the battery can still deliver the bursts of power the phone needs. The messages you may see:

• “Your battery is currently supporting normal peak performance.” All good.
• Unexpected shutdown message: the iPhone shut down because the battery could not deliver enough peak power, so iOS has applied performance management to prevent it happening again. This can make the phone feel slower.
• “You have manually disabled performance management protections.” You turned performance management off. Apple warns it can’t be turned back on manually; it comes back by itself if another unexpected shutdown happens.

Battery Health Messages to Watch For

• “Your battery’s health is significantly degraded.” Apple recommends a battery service to restore full performance and capacity. Apple notes this message is not a safety issue.
• “Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple battery.” Shown on iPhone XS and later when the battery can’t be verified. The health numbers may not be accurate.
• “Important Battery Message” On iPhone X and earlier this can mean the iPhone is unable to determine battery health.

To see whether a battery has been replaced, go to Settings > General > About and look for Parts and Service History (iPhone XR, XS and later). A battery that isn’t a genuine Apple part, or that hasn’t been verified after a repair, shows as Unknown there. Apple explains this on its genuine iPhone batteries support page. This is very useful when buying a used iPhone.

What Is a Good Battery Health Percentage?

There is no official “good” score, but Apple’s design targets give a simple guide:

• 90 to 100 percent: like new. Normal for a phone in its first year or so.
• 80 to 89 percent: normal wear. You may notice the battery needs a top-up earlier in the day.
• Below 80 percent: the battery has gone past Apple’s design target. Expect shorter battery life, and consider a replacement, especially if you also see the “significantly degraded” message or the phone slows down or shuts off unexpectedly.

When Should You Replace an iPhone Battery?

Think about a new battery when Maximum Capacity is around 80 percent or lower, when the Battery Health screen says the battery is significantly degraded, or when the phone shuts down by itself under load. Apple’s standard one-year warranty does not cover batteries that wear down from normal use, but if you have AppleCare, Apple says it will replace the battery at no extra charge when capacity drops below 80 percent. You can check your coverage and book a repair on Apple’s iPhone battery service page in the Apple Support site or app.

Before any repair, back up your iPhone first.

How to Keep Your iPhone Battery Healthy

• Use a charge limit (iPhone 15 and later). Go to Settings > Battery > Charging and choose a limit between 80 and 100 percent, in 5 percent steps. Stopping at 80 percent reduces wear for people who rarely need a full charge.
• Turn on Optimized Battery Charging. It delays charging past 80 percent until just before you usually unplug. On iPhone 15 and later it is under Settings > Battery > Charging (available when the limit is 100 percent); on iPhone 14 and earlier it is under Battery Health & Charging. Apple’s Charge Limit and Optimized Battery Charging support guide has the details.
• Avoid heat. Don’t leave your iPhone in a hot car or charge it under a pillow. Heat is hard on any lithium-ion battery.
• Keep iOS updated. Updates can improve battery reporting and power management.
• Cut background drain. Clearing out misbehaving apps and data helps too; see our guide on how to clear cache on iPhone.

Checking Battery Health Before Buying a Used iPhone

Ask the seller to open Settings > Battery > Battery Health (or Battery Health & Charging) in front of you, or send a screen recording of it (here is how to screen record on iPhone). Check three things: Maximum Capacity, the cycle count on iPhone 15 and later, and Settings > General > About > Parts and Service History to see if the battery was replaced with an unknown part. If your phone does go missing later, Find My can help you locate it.

FAQ

Where do I find battery health on iPhone?

If you are wondering how to check battery health on iPhone, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health on iPhone 15 and later, or Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging on iPhone 14 and earlier.

Is 80 percent battery health bad on iPhone?

Not bad, but it is the point Apple designs its batteries to reach after 500 cycles (iPhone 14 and earlier) or 1,000 cycles (iPhone 15 and later). Below that, battery life gets noticeably shorter and a replacement is worth considering.

Can iPhone battery health go back up?

Battery wear can’t be reversed. The number can shift a little when iOS recalibrates its estimate, but the only way to truly restore capacity is a new battery.

How do I check the battery cycle count on iPhone?

On iPhone 15 and later, it is on the Battery Health screen under Settings > Battery > Battery Health. Older models don’t show the cycle count in Settings.

Why does my new iPhone show 99 percent battery health?

Apple says Maximum Capacity can read slightly under 100 percent on a new phone, depending on how long it was between manufacture and activation. That is normal.

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