In iOS 11.3, Apple is promising a new feature that will allow iPhone users to see information about the “health” of their batteries. Users will also have the option to disable a feature that slows down the performance of older iPhones with degraded batteries.
And now we can know what the much-talked-about battery tuning feature will be like when it launches this spring, thanks to an early look at iOS 11.3 developer beta 2.
The feature is still in beta, so more controls may be added before iOS 11.3 is released to the general public. But right now, there are two settings.
The first setting shows the “health” of your iPhone’s battery. On our new iPhone 8, the battery is 100% healthy. An iPhone with an older battery that has had more charge cycles will show a lower percentage, indicating that it can no longer be used as much.
The second setting shows the “Maximum Performance Capacity.” This shows whether or not your iPhone’s battery can maintain peak performance. If it can, it will run at normal performance and you won’t notice any slowdowns. But if your iPhone can’t maintain peak performance due to an old battery, you’ll likely be able to disable any throttling by tapping the corresponding option.
Apple has been struggling to get out of the huge hole it has fallen into after it was discovered that it was intentionally slowing down older iPhones. Despite its apology, the company has defended what it did, saying it was only doing it to prevent iPhones with old batteries from shutting down at an inopportune time.
To make amends for iPhone users, Apple has discounted out-of-warranty battery replacements from $79 to $29. iOS 11.3, with its battery health information and power optimization switch, will help iPhone users better understand what's going on with their devices.
