Welcome to Product Support, a column devoted to helping you get the most out of the gadgets and software you already use.
If you have one of last year’s iPhones — specifically an iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11 Pro — and you’ve noticed that its performance has dipped and its battery life unexpectedly drains at times, the good news is that Apple is planning a fix. It’s coming in the form of a new iPhone recalibration feature, which will roll out as part of the next iOS update (iOS 14.5) this spring.
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Once you update your iPhone with new operating system, the new battery calibration feature will kick into effect automatically. Apple claims that the process would take up to a few weeks, but you’ll be able to check in on how your battery recalibration is going into Settings >Battery > Battery Health.
Under Battery Health, if you see a recalibration message, then the process is still ongoing. Once the message disappears, then the process is complete. If you don’t see any message, then the battery recalibration was successful and your iPhone’s issues should be fixed.
However, if you see a message that says your battery health is “significantly degraded,” you might be able to get a free replacement battery for your iPhone.
If your iPhone has been experiencing battery drain issues and you’re anxious to try out this new battery calibration feature ahead of the full release of iOS 14.5, you do so now by downloading the developer beta of iOS 14.5 right now. However, as with all beta software, it’s not the final operating system and installing it could lead to problems, like unexpected bugs or even potentially losing things like photos or iMessages.
