A NUMBER of iPhone 14 owners have complained that their batteries are deteriorating at a faster rate than their previous devices.
Some fear its the so-called “batterygate” all over again, which saw Apple forced to pay a £21million fine in February 2020 for intentionally slowing down its old iPhones without any warning.
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Some of those who have complained haven’t even had their phones an entire year, The Verge reported.
In July, Apple expert Sam Kohl, known professionally as AppleTrack, tweeted that his iPhone 14 Pro had already dropped to a maximum capacity of 90 percent, much faster than previous iPhones he’d owned.
The Twitter thread revealed many other people had been experiencing the same issue.
Other technology experts, such as the Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern, have also noticed their batteries weakening faster than usual.
In a tweet last week, Stern wrote: “My iPhone 14 Pro is down to 88 per cent battery capacity after less than a year. Is it because I use my phone too much and have already hit 450 charge cycles?! (That’s what Apple Store says.)
“Is it from heat from fast charging? Is there something up with the battery?”
According to Apple, iPhone batteries should “retain up to 80 percent of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles.”
In 2017, Apple admitted to slowing down some iPhones, but said it only did so to “prolong the life” of the devices.
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With the iPhone 15 launch just around the corner, and rumours that the newer model will boast a battery up to 18 per cent more powerful, onlookers are concerned Apple may be weakening the batteries on iPhone 14 models somehow.
However, Stern went on to say that “all signs point to heat being the main cause” of untimely battery degradation, as summer temperatures sustain newer heights in many countries globally.
It’s all the more annoying now Apple has hiked the price to replace batteries in some models.
There’s plenty you can do to protect your battery from the heat, such as abiding by this golden trio:
- Leave your phone somewhere cool, not outside in the sun or in the car on a hot day
- Avoid excessive use of your phone in direct sunlight – including at maximum screen brightness
- Pause the high-performance video games for a while
In general, you can protect your battery in other ways:
- Turn on Low Power Mode when the option pops up
- Reduce your auto-lock time
- Turn on Aeroplane Mode from time to time
- Disable background app refresh
- Turn off Siri, location services, iCloud and Wi-Fi
The Sun has contacted Apple for comment.
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