14 DAY TRIAL // The upcoming release of iOS 13 due in September will include, among other major new features like the dark mode, improvements for the battery charging process on the iPhone.
Called optimized battery charging, this new capability is based on the existing charging system already available for the iPhone to help reduce battery degradation and thus increase the lifespan of an iPhone battery.
iPhones already come with a battery charging management system that allows the process of recharging to run faster until it reaches 80 percent and then slow down for the rest of 20 percent. This helps preserve premature battery degradation, albeit there have been a lot of complaints that the remaining 20 percent takes too long to complete.
All-in on machine learning
What Apple is aiming for with this new system is rely on machine learning in order to allow the battery management system to learn users’ daily charging routine and thus improve the process when the last 20 percent stage is reached.
In other words, when you plug in an iPhone, it recharges up to 80 percent just like before, but the difference is made in the last 20 percent. This means that completing this final stage could take more or less depending on your usage patterns, so for example if you leave the device plugged in during the night, it could take much longer to reach 100 percent.
“A new option helps slow the rate of battery aging by reducing the time your iPhone spends fully charged. iPhone learns from your daily charging routine so it can wait to finish charging past 80% until you need to use it,” Apple briefly explains.
Such an approach could help improve the battery life and reduce the time the iPhone spends fully charged and plugged in.
iOS 13 is projected to go live for all devices in September, and a developer build is already available for registered Apple devs.