To extend the life of your iPhone battery, it is advisable to use optimized charging. iOS makes it possible to extend the life of the iPhone battery in a smart way. This allows the battery to retain its maximum capacity many times longer, allowing you to enjoy your iPhone for years without having to constantly recharge it.
The Apple Watch also benefits from this option so that the battery of the smart watch also lasts longer. In this article we explain how optimized charging works for the Apple Watch. Unfortunately, it is not possible to charge an iPad in this way.
How iOS Extends Your iPhone Battery Life
All iPhones introduced in recent years have a built-in system that ensures that the battery is charged as quickly as possible until it reaches 80%. After that, iOS automatically switches to a slower system (trickle charging) until the battery is fully charged. To save battery power, Apple has used this last 20% more efficiently using optimized charging.
This battery feature has been activated by default since iOS 13 and will allow iOS to analyze your charging behavior. This will keep track of the times you usually charge your iPhone. Over time, iOS will know when you charge your iPhone and want it ready. A schedule is created based on this information.
Once the battery reaches 80%, iOS will not immediately switch to the slower charging system, but will postpone this. Because iOS has calculated how long it takes to fully charge, your iPhone knows exactly when it needs to continue charging to reach 100% when you need the phone.
For example: You charge your iPhone every night and in the morning around 8am you unplug it. If the battery reaches 80% during the night, iOS stops charging and waits until around 5am to resume charging. When you wake up, the battery is fully charged and you can use it again.
What are the benefits?
The advantage of this is that the iPhone does not continue to charge all night long. When 100% is reached, iOS stops charging, but as soon as the percentage drops, iOS charges the iPhone again. It is unnecessary for this to continue all night long, by taking a break and charging to 100% just before use, this has a positive effect on the capacity in the long term.
What are the disadvantages?
Optimized charging is only interesting if you almost always charge your iPhone at night. If you do this at irregular times, for example because you sometimes work at night or travel a lot, then it is better not to use this function. It can happen that your iPhone is not fully charged when you want to use it.
Enable or disable optimized charging
- Open Settings
- Navigate to ‘Battery’
- (Select ‘Battery conditions and charging’)
- Tap on ‘Charging optimization’
- Select ‘Optimized charging’
It is definitely recommended to try this option. iOS learns from your charging routine and will take irregularities into account. However, iOS must be given time to analyze and recognize your routines. It may happen that you take the iPhone off the charger and notice that it is only 95%, this is registered and iOS includes in its analysis.
Good to know, all data collected remains on your device and is not shared with Apple or others. Is it smart to always charge your iPhone to 100%, we have explained it in the highlighted article below.
Optimized charging only at certain locations
Optimized Charging is designed to only activate in the locations where you spend the most time, such as at home and at work. It doesn’t work when your usage habits are more variable, such as when you’re traveling.
You can manage Location Services in the Settings app. To do this, go to Privacy â–¸ Location Services and enable the Location Services option. Then, tap System at the bottom of the list and enable System Customization and Significant Locations. The location data used for this feature is not sent to Apple.