We're still picking our way through all the iOS 18 announcements Apple made at WWDC 2024, and new details are continuing to emerge about the features coming our way with the software update – including two that will help with iPhone charging.
As reported by MacRumors and 9to5Mac, the upcoming iOS 18 upgrade is going to give you more control over the charging limit on your iPhone: in addition to the current 80% setting, you'll also get 85%, 90%, and 95% as options, too.
These limits help you protect the health of the phone battery, so it should retain a higher charging capacity for longer. As Apple explains, charging up to 80% can be better for the battery than charging all the way up to 100%, depending on the scenario.
The extra flexibility with this setting means you'll be able to get more time between recharges while still looking after the health of your iPhone battery. Based on the first iOS 18 developer beta though, these extra settings are only available to iPhone 15 owners.
Slow charging
Also new in iOS 18: an indication of when you've been using a charging speed that's less than the maximum supported by your iPhone. On the Battery screen in Settings, you'll see a "slow charger" message, and orange bars on the recharge graph.
As far as we can tell, this is available for all iPhone models, not just the iPhone 15. However, it's also worth mentioning that features might be both added and removed during the iOS 18 beta testing process.
iOS 18 is bringing with it a host of new features, including advanced home screen customizations, texting via satellite, the option to lock apps behind Face ID or Touch ID, and a major AI-powered upgrade for the Siri assistant.
A beta of iOS 18 is available to developers right now, with a public beta following in July. Apple hasn't said exactly when the software will roll out to everyone, but it's most likely going to be in September to coincide with the launch of the iPhone 16.
