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How to check your phone's battery health and make the battery last longer

The exact menu paths to the battery health screen on iPhone and Android, what maximum capacity and cycle counts actually mean, and the concrete charge-limit and temperature settings that slow down battery wear.

Batteries age chemically as a phone gets older, so getting fewer hours out of the same charge is normal. The real questions are how fast that is happening and whether the battery genuinely needs replacing.

Both iPhone and Android have a screen that measures this, but the menu paths are completely different and vary from brand to brand. Recent releases have also added settings that stop charging at 80 percent.

Below you will find where to read battery health, how to interpret the number you see, and finally the manufacturers' own official advice for extending battery life.

Time15 minutes
DifficultyEasy
Steps9

🧰 What you need

The phone you want to check
An up-to-date operating system (menu names change between versions)
A compatible charger and cable
A few free minutes

Steps

Open the battery health screen on iPhone Go to Settings → Battery → Battery Health. On older iOS versions this section is called "Battery Health & Charging". There you will see the Maximum Capacity percentage and the peak performance capability. In Apple's own words, maximum battery capacity measures the device battery capacity relative to when it was new.
Set the charge limit and Optimized Battery Charging on iPhone On iPhone 15 and later, open Settings → Battery → Charging; you can choose a charge limit between 80 and 100 percent in 5 percent increments. On iPhone 14 and earlier the same options sit under Settings → Battery → Battery Health & Charging. When the limit is set to 100 percent, Optimized Battery Charging is available: it pauses charging at 80 percent and finishes closer to the time you usually unplug. It needs roughly 14 days of learning and at least nine five-hour charges in one location before it activates.
Turn on battery health and the charge limit on a Pixel Go to Settings → Battery → Battery health; the status reads either "Normal" or "Reduced", switching to Reduced once capacity falls below 80 percent. On the same screen, Charging optimization → "Limit to 80%" is available on Pixel 6a and later. "Battery health assistance" gradually adjusts voltage from cycle 200 through cycle 1000. To see the cycle count, go to Settings → About phone → Battery information.
Turn on battery protection on a Samsung Galaxy Open Settings → Battery → Battery protection (on some versions it lives under Settings → Battery and device care → Battery). There are three modes: Basic stops charging at 100 percent and resumes at 95 percent; Maximum stops at the limit you pick (80, 85, 90 or 95 percent); Adaptive uses Maximum while you sleep and switches to Basic before you wake. For everyday use, any limit between 80 and 90 percent helps reduce wear.
Interpret the number correctly Apple states that batteries in iPhone 14 and earlier are designed to retain 80 percent of their original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles under ideal conditions, and iPhone 15 and later at 1000 cycles. Google likewise treats capacity below 80 percent, or 800 to 1000 cycles depending on model, as the replacement threshold for Pixel. So 85 percent is no cause for alarm; if you are under 80 percent and the phone dies by mid-afternoon, it is time to talk about a replacement.
Keep the temperature under control Heat is the fastest way to shorten a battery's life. Apple advises avoiding use or charging in ambient temperatures above 35 °C, warning that this can permanently reduce battery lifespan, and gives 16 to 22 °C as the ideal ambient range. Google recommends charging a Pixel in a cool place at around 25 °C. Do not charge in a car glovebox in summer, on a radiator, or under a pillow, and take the case off if the phone runs hot while charging.
Cut screen and background drain To stretch daily endurance, start with the display: lower the brightness, turn on adaptive brightness, shorten the screen timeout (Google suggests 30 seconds), use dark theme, and turn off the high refresh rate if you do not need it. On Android keep Settings → Battery → Battery Saver → Adaptive Battery switched on; Google's advice is to leave per-app battery optimization set to "Optimized". To see what is draining power, check the list under Settings → Battery → Battery usage.
Fix your charging habits Apple states that you can charge your iPhone every night even if the battery is not fully depleted, that the device automatically stops charging when full, and that it is safe to leave it plugged in overnight. What actually wears the battery is sitting at 100 percent for long stretches, which is exactly why charge limits and optimized charging exist. Google adds one caveat: even with "Limit to 80%" on, a Pixel needs a full charge every tenth cycle to keep its capacity readings accurate.
Go to an authorised service centre when it is time On iPhone, if battery health has degraded significantly the Battery Health screen shows "Your battery's health is significantly degraded" and recommends replacement by an authorised service provider. If you instead see "Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple battery", a previously fitted battery is not genuine and the readings may be inaccurate. On Android, if capacity shows as Reduced or the cycle count has passed the manufacturer's threshold, book a battery replacement at an authorised service centre.

⚠ This guide is general information. Yudum cannot be held responsible for the outcome of following it; for official procedures always rely on the institution's own statement. Steps and fees change over time.