Where to find your battery health on iPhone
Apple built a battery health tool directly into every iPhone running iOS 11.3 or later. Open Settings, tap Battery, then tap Battery Health & Charging. You will see two numbers: your current maximum capacity as a percentage, and the condition status below it.
The maximum capacity tells you how much charge your battery holds now compared to when it was brand new. A new iPhone shows 100%. After a year or two of normal use, you might see 95% or 90%. The condition status shows either "Normal", "Service Recommended", or "Service Battery". That status is what matters most for deciding whether to act.
This screen also shows your charging patterns and optimization settings. You do not need any third-party app or computer connection — everything is built in and takes 10 seconds to check.
Key Takeaways
- Battery health is in Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging on any iPhone running iOS 11.3 or newer.
- Maximum capacity below 80% usually triggers a "Service Recommended" status, meaning the battery is degrading faster than normal.
- A "Normal" status means your battery is working as expected for its age, even if the percentage is lower than you expected.
- Apple's Optimized Battery Charging feature slows charging speed to reduce wear, and you can turn it off if you need full charge speed daily.
What the maximum capacity percentage actually means
Maximum capacity is a measure of chemical wear, not a prediction of when your battery will fail. A battery at 80% capacity still holds a full day of charge for most people — it straightforward cannot hold quite as much total energy as it did when new.
The percentage drops because lithium-ion batteries degrade with every charge cycle. One cycle means draining the battery from 100% to 0% (or the equivalent spread across multiple partial charges). After roughly 500 full cycles, most iPhone batteries reach 80% capacity. After 1,000 cycles, they typically sit around 60%.
If your iPhone is two years old and shows 85% capacity, that is normal wear. If it shows 60% after six months of light use, something is wrong — either the battery itself is defective, or a rogue app is draining power constantly.
Understanding the condition status and when to act
The condition status is Apple's judgment about whether your battery needs service. Normal means the battery is performing as expected for its age and use pattern. You can keep using it indefinitely. Service Recommended means the battery is degrading faster than normal, but it still works — you are not locked out of features. Service Battery means Apple has detected a fault and the battery may shut down unexpectedly.
If you see "Service Recommended" at 80% capacity after two years, you can wait. If you see it at 90% capacity after six months, the battery may be defective and worth replacing under warranty if your phone is still covered. If you see "Service Battery", do not ignore it — the phone may power off without warning even when the battery indicator shows charge remaining.
Replacement batteries cost between $69 and $99 depending on your iPhone model, and Apple typically completes the work in one to three hours at a retail location. If your phone is still under warranty or covered by AppleCare+, battery replacement is free.
How Optimized Battery Charging affects what you see
When you turn on Optimized Battery Charging in the same Battery Health & Charging screen, your iPhone learns your daily charging routine and slows charging to 80% until you need it. This reduces the number of high-voltage hours the battery spends at full charge, which is the single biggest factor in battery wear.
If you have Optimized Battery Charging on and you charge your phone overnight every night, you might see the capacity percentage drop more slowly than a friend who charges to 100% when ready. The trade-off is that your phone will not reach 100% until shortly before you typically wake up — if you need a full charge at an unusual time, you can tap "Charge Now" to override it.
Turning Optimized Battery Charging off will not damage your battery, but it will age faster if you regularly charge to 100% and leave it plugged in. Most people see no practical difference in daily use either way.
Why your battery health might be worse than you expect
If your iPhone is only a few months old and already shows 95% or lower, or if the capacity is dropping noticeably week to week, check whether a specific app is running constantly in the background. Open Settings, tap Battery, then look at Battery Usage by App for the last 24 hours or last 10 days. If one app is using more than 30% of your battery, that app may be the culprit.
High heat also degrades batteries faster. If your phone feels warm during normal use, or if you regularly charge it in a hot car or direct sunlight, move it to a cooler location. Batteries age fastest between 35°C and 45°C (95°F to 113°F).
Leaving your phone plugged in constantly, even at 100%, also accelerates wear. If you charge overnight every single night and never unplug it, the battery spends thousands of hours at full voltage, which is harder on the chemistry than cycling between 20% and 80%.
Checking battery health on older iPhones
If your iPhone is running iOS 10.2.1 or earlier, the battery health tool does not exist in Settings. You can still see basic battery information by opening Settings > Battery, but you will not get the maximum capacity percentage or condition status.
For older phones, the most reliable way to check battery health is to visit an Apple Store or authorized service provider. They can run a diagnostic that shows the exact capacity and whether the battery is failing. This service is free, and you do not need an appointment at most locations.
What to do if you see "Service Battery"
A "Service Battery" status means the battery has a fault that Apple has detected. This does not mean your phone will stop working when ready, but it does mean the battery may shut down without warning, even if the battery indicator shows 20% or 30% remaining. This is a safety feature — the phone is protecting the battery from damage.
Contact Apple Support or visit an Apple Store to schedule a battery replacement. If your phone is under warranty or covered by AppleCare+, the replacement is free. If it is out of warranty, expect to pay $69 to $99 depending on your model. Bring your phone and a form of ID; the process usually takes one to three hours.
Do not attempt to replace the battery yourself unless you are experienced with phone repair. iPhone batteries are glued in place and require special tools to remove safely without damaging the display or logic board.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 80% battery health bad?
No. At 80% capacity, your battery still holds a full day of charge for most people. Apple considers 80% the threshold where a battery is degrading faster than normal, but "normal" degradation for a two-year-old phone is expected. If you see 80% after two years of daily use, that is typical wear.
Can I improve my battery health percentage?
No. The percentage reflects chemical wear that cannot be reversed. You can slow future degradation by using Optimized Battery Charging, avoiding heat, and not leaving your phone plugged in constantly. But the capacity you have lost is gone until you replace the battery.
Does a low battery health percentage mean my phone is slow?
Not necessarily. A battery at 60% capacity still powers your phone normally. However, if Apple detects that the battery cannot deliver the power your processor needs, it may slow down the CPU to prevent unexpected shutdowns. This slowdown is separate from battery health — it is a protection feature called "performance management".
How often should I check my battery health?
Once every few months is enough for most people. If you notice your phone draining much faster than usual, check it when ready to see if the capacity has dropped suddenly. A sudden drop suggests a problem worth investigating, while a slow decline over a year or two is normal.
What is a charge cycle?
One charge cycle means using 100% of your battery's capacity, whether in one sitting or spread across multiple days. If you use 50% one day and 50% the next, that counts as one cycle. If you use 25% four times, that also counts as one cycle. This is why Optimized Battery Charging helps — it keeps your phone at lower voltage for longer, which counts as fewer cycles.