Apple's upcoming iOS 174 update will provide easier access to information about how your battery is being used on your best iPhone and when you can begin to feel the effects of overuse

Once iOS 174 is available for all iPhone models, the Cycle Count indicator will appear in Apple's "Battery Health" menu Cycle count is the number of times an iPhone has used its battery capacity; the more cycles an iPhone has, the more likely it is to start losing capacity

In the fall, Apple released a cycle count metric along with information about when the iPhone was manufactured and first used However, Apple shared that information on the iOS General > About settings page in iOS 174, Apple moved all of that information to the Battery Health page, making it easier for users to see all battery data

Cycle count is a surprisingly important metric: as an iPhone faces more cycles, its battery capacity begins to decrease Apple's iPhone 15 model can maintain 80% of its capacity after 1,000 cycles; older models, including the iPhone 14 and earlier models, reach 80% capacity after only 500 cycles

But like anything with batteries, there is a need to properly understand cycles, their impact, and how Apple measures it

Apple's metrics are based on conditions the company considers ideal, such as using an iPhone in a temperature range of 62 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit Furthermore, Apple's batteries perform best when not charged in direct sunlight or at temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit for extended periods of time; when storing iPhones without use for extended periods of time, Apple recommends storing the battery at 50% charge

Of course, the average iPhone owner does not always meet that standard in daily iPhone use Therefore, if the iPhone is not used under ideal conditions, the number of cycles it takes to deplete the battery capacity may be less

In any case, the battery in Apple's iPhones has long been a subject of interest, with owners trying to hack their way to extend battery life and extend battery capacity According to Apple, its iPhones use both hardware and software features to extend battery life and capacity

Both the iPhone 15 Pro Max (14 hours, 2 minutes) and iPhone 15 Plus (14:14) are on our list of best phone battery durations based on our testing, but they recently OnePlus 12, Galaxy S24 Plus, Galaxy S24 Ultra have been surpassed by Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered Android phones like the Galaxy S24 Ultra, all of which lasted more than 16 hours

If there is one thing that is clear, however, it is that user behavior often dictates battery life So it may be no surprise that users are hoping that the rumors of a high-capacity battery in the iPhone 16 lineup are true

Apple is currently testing a beta version of iOS 174 It will be available to all users in the coming weeks