Apple issues surprise iPhone battery boost update – and it’ll save users money from expensive upgrades

THE battery lifespan of the iPhone 15 is longer than first thought, Apple has revealed.

The Silicon Valley giant initially said its newest handset would retain up to 80 per cent of its original capacity for 500 complete charge cycles.

But Apple has now told news site 9to5Mac that the iPhone 15 can retain 80 per cent of its original capacity at 1000 complete charge cycles.

It's a significant improvement in maximum battery capacity from what Apple first marketed to consumers.

"Maximum battery capacity measures the device battery capacity relative to when it was new," Apple says in a help page on its website.

"A battery will have lower capacity as the battery chemically ages which may result in fewer hours of usage between charges. 

"Depending upon the length of time between when the iPhone was made and when it is activated, your battery capacity may show as slightly less than 100 per cent."

No matter what you do, your iPhone battery has a limited shelf life - and it will slow as it ages.

But this boost will save customers money on replacing their batteries, as it gives them double the time with a healthy battery lifespan.

And it applies to all iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max models.

The company discovered the improvement after rigorous testing, which involved charging and discharging the battery 1000 times in a way to copy common use cases.

Previous iPhone models continue to be rated at retaining up to 80 per cent capacity at 500 complete charge cycles.

Apple is set to begin investigating older iPhone models to see whether their batteries are fairing better than expected.

It comes ahead of the upcoming iOS 17.4 update which will give iPhone owners more information on whether their Battery and Battery Health are normal.

The Battery screen in Settings will offer users two new menus: Battery Health and Charging Optimisation.

This will let users check whether their battery health is “normal,” at a glance.