How to discover your iPhone’s battery cycles

With Apple’s controversy reducing the performance of devices with batteries that deteriorate over time, many people are worrying about knowing the state of the battery in their own device. Is it already worn out? Can you start having problems?

That’s what we’ll talk about in this article, showing you ways to know for yourself how your device is doing.



Nature of batteries

Modern lithium-ion batteries are designed to maintain up to 80% of their original capacity for the first 500 charge cycles. After that, it is normal for it to start to wear out and start to retain less and less energy. In other words, the 100% markup on a new iPhone has a very different energy load than another that already has 4 years of use.

All rechargeable batteries have a limited life and therefore need to be overhauled or recycled. Battery life varies depending on the use and configuration of your device. Apple

For example, a new iPhone 6 came with a battery with a capacity of 1,751mAh. After three years of use, its maximum capacity may drop to 1,400mAh, about 80% of what it was before. This means that when you charge it 100%, this charge will last less time than it did when you were new.

What influences the useful life is the number of cycles that she has. The cycle is counted each time the battery receives the equivalent of a full charge, even if it is not continuous. With that, if you charge your iPhone at 60%, unplug it, use it and then recharge it again, when it receives another 40% then it closes the 100% cycle. Up to 500 cycles the battery remains healthy.

In short, every rechargeable battery (even those small batteries that we put in the mouse) has a limited life, which over time decreases more and more. So if you have an older iPhone that the charge is already giving you a headache, maybe changing the battery will give it a new gas, preventing you from having to change the device.

How much does it cost to replace the battery?

To change the iPhone battery, you can choose from two alternatives: go on a Apple authorized or look for “alternative” assistance, which will probably charge half the price. But our suggestion is to always seek official assistance, which uses original pieces that will not give you headaches after a while. Several readers have already commented that they regretted having sought parallel assistance, having to change the battery again shortly after.

To replace the iPhone battery at Apple or an authorized one, the cost is R $ 449 (price in São Paulo). This value may vary slightly depending on the region of Brazil. In Europe this cost can reach 89 €, while in the United States it costs US $ 79.

To find an authorized official near you, check out this other tutorial.



How to see iPhone battery cycles

There are simple ways to know how our physical battery is doing, to understand if it’s time to change or not.

We prefer tools that measure hardware conditions via cable, not just software. In the App Store there are some apps that claim to know the state of the physical battery, but Apple has always put a lot of limitations on apps to access system data. As there are several developers who do not always act in good faith, we are always suspicious of iOS applications that say they can analyze the system. However, this is a particular opinion of ours.

We prefer to use a computer, with the cable connected to the iPhone. With the right tool it is possible to analyze various parameters of the physical battery, even the date your iPhone left the factory.

There are some computer applications that can do this. One of the most complete, which works on both Mac and Windows: the iMazing.

It is clear in the information telling you whether the battery is excellent, good, medium or bad. Shows the number of cycles, current and factory maximum capacity, and other curiosities.

It is paid, but the free version allows you to analyze the battery easily. Can be downloaded for Windows or Mac.

While the indication is green, you can rest assured that it will still serve you well. However, if it scores yellow or red, it is a good time for you to observe how it is behaving and to analyze whether a trade is worthwhile or not. For iPhones 6, 6s and 7 with iOS 11.2, this moment of degradation can also mean a drop in overall system performance, as we saw here. Therefore, always knowing how your battery is doing is very important.

The system itself indicates when the battery is at a point that needs to be replaced. The warning appears within the Settings.


Now you know how to check the iPhone’s battery cycles. Install the program and monitor it from time to time to see how it is doing. Share this article with relatives and friends, so that everyone can benefit from the tip.