iOS 18 introduces new advanced battery settings for the iPhone. Best of all, the update allows your smartphone to warn you if you use a charger that is too slow to recharge the battery.
As expected, Apple took advantage of WWDC 2024 to announce a number of new software updates, including iOS 18. The update adds a number of new features to the iPhone, starting with a finally customizable control center and a new home screen.
More charging limits
In addition, iOS 18 adds several improvements to the battery section of the iPhone’s settings. The operating system now offers more flexibility in setting a charging limit. Until now, the user could only set the load limit to 80%. With iOS 18, you can opt for 85%, 90%, 95%, or 80%.
To access these settings, go to the battery section and then go to charging. Then adjust the slider to the limit you want to set. For the record, this approach helps extend battery life. Lithium-ion batteries, such as those used in the iPhone, degrade faster if they are regularly charged to 100%. By limiting charging, you can reduce battery degradation and avoid full discharge cycles.
iOS 18 and slow chargers
Best of all, iOS 18 will warn users if they charge their iPhone with a slow charger. In the battery menu, there is a graph that represents the battery charge level during the hours of the day. If the iPhone realizes that you have been using a slow charger, a warning will now appear just above the graph.
In addition, times when the iPhone was connected to a charger that was considered too slow will be highlighted in orange on the graph. This new feature allows the user to lock accessories that do not provide the promised charging power. This is the case if you have purchased an unbranded charger or a wireless charger that claims to be MagSafe compatible. Sometimes, it’s not easy to figure out why an iPhone takes an abnormally long time to charge.
Note that this warning was discovered by our colleagues at 9to5Mac. On the other hand, we didn’t get an alert when we connected our iPhone with a slow charger. On the other hand, the chart was colored orange. The warning option may not yet be incorporated into the French version.
At the moment, it is not known what the limit set by Apple is. In any case, the use of a 5W charger automatically triggers the appearance of an alert in the interface. On the other hand, the iPhone doesn’t display an alert when placed on a Belkin-designed Magsafe charger, which offers 15W of power. We can expect Apple to say more about this new feature on its support website in the near future.