Something unexpected is happening to people’s iPhone 14, owners claim

Some iPhone users say that the latest models lose power unexpectedly quickly.

The batteries of the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro are aging faster than those of previous versions of the iPhone, complain the users concerned.

For years, Apple has offered the ability to see the “maximum capacity” of an iPhone. It is a measure of how much energy can be stored in the battery, and therefore indicates how long it will last on a single charge.

As with all lithium-ion batteries of the type used in the iPhone, this battery will gradually lose capacity over time. A number of factors will influence how quickly they do this, including the temperature and how often that battery has been used and recharged.

But owners of the new iPhone 14 and 14 Pro say the process went faster. Some users say they have already lost 15% or more of their capacity after less than a year of owning the phone.

Joanna Stern, personal technology columnist at the wall street journal, said his phone had already reached 88% battery capacity. She said the Apple Store told her that her heavy use of the iPhone meant it had already reached 450 charge cycles – which would represent heavy use of the type that Apple says can reduce lifespan. iPhone battery.

But she also suggested the problem could be a result of “the heat from a quick charge”. But she also suggested the problem could be a result of the heat in the world: iPhones and other electronic devices can suffer when they reach high temperatures, and very hot summers in some parts of the world may have degraded their performance. .

Ms Stern wasn’t the only one to complain: a number of posts on Twitter in response to hers and others suggested other users were surprised at how quickly their battery capacity had dwindled. But others still reported seeing performance in line with previous years, so it’s unclear if there’s a problem with this generation’s iPhones more generally.

Apple has a support page dedicated to iPhone battery and its more general connection to phone performance. There it says that “a normal battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 500 full charge cycles when operated under normal conditions”.

The company also notes that faulty batteries are covered under the one-year warranty with the phone. If the battery is out of warranty, Apple will replace it for a charge – or it can also be done through the third-party and DIY repair programs the company has supported for the past few years.

The iPhone 14 first went on sale on September 16 last year, which means owners who purchased the new models shortly after release will now be nearing the end of that warranty period. a year. Apple is expected to announce a new iPhone 15 and 15 Pro around the same time this year, with increased battery life.

The maximum battery capacity of an iPhone can be found by opening the Settings app, navigating to the “Battery” option, and clicking on “Battery Health & Charging”. This will not only show the “maximum capacity” of that battery, but also whether it’s still performing at its peak performance and the “optimized battery charging” option, which will control when the iPhone charges to try and charge it. protect against ageing.

Apple added these options in iOS 11.3, as part of a larger set of battery tools that were a response to “batterygate”. This event saw users complaining that their iPhones were slowing down due to tools being added to protect iPhones from aging battery issues – but sparked complaints from users that their phone’s performance was being changed without their knowledge.