In the sixth beta of iOS 14.5, Apple introduced a recalibration process for the battery health reporting system on the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max to address inaccurate battery health estimates for some users.
Apple said this process might take a few weeks to be completed, and now that two weeks have passed since the sixth beta of iOS 14.5 was released, some users are beginning to see revised battery health percentages. 9to5Mac writer Benjamin Mayo tweeted that his iPhone 11 Pro's maximum battery capacity relative to when it was new increased from 86% to 90%, for example, and tech website The 8-Bit has compiled other users' results.
My phone has finished its battery calibration (part of iOS 14.5 for 11 series phones). I went from 86% reported maximum capacity to 90%. So there’s that. pic.twitter.com/g5mttxbkiZ — Benjamin Mayo (@bzamayo) April 11, 2021
In a support document, Apple said this bug with inaccurate battery health reporting does not reflect an issue with an iPhone's actual battery health, and the recalibration process should resolve the issue. Symptoms of the bug include unexpected battery drain or, in a small number of instances, reduced peak performance capability, according to Apple.
While the battery health reporting system is recalibrating, users will see an "Important Battery Message" in Settings > Battery > Battery Health, but the displayed maximum capacity percentage will not change during recalibration. When the process is complete, the new percentage will appear and the message will be removed.
In a small number of instances, recalibration might not be successful and a new battery service message will appear. If this occurs, an Apple Authorized Service Provider can replace the battery free of charge to restore full performance and capacity, according to Apple, but the company ensures there is no safety risk posed to customers.
iOS 14.5 has been in beta testing for over two months and could be released next week. Apple will be hosting a virtual event on Tuesday, April 10 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a new iPad Pro and other announcements expected.
Top Rated Comments
It doesn't actually mean anything. Just because it was 80% and now 90% after this, it does not mean you got 10% more battery. It just means they haven't figured out how to accurately display the health of a chemical reaction based fuel.
In other words, a battery with the 90% "guess" can and will die as fast as a battery with 50% guess.
All of this is for support only, they have incentives to keep it high as much as possible to avoid people replacing under warranty until warranty expires and they can charge you more for out of warranty replacements.