Robert Galbraith / Reuters
After 500 charge cycles, the iPhone battery is designed to retain only 80% of its original capacity. So depending on use, you may start to see your iPhone's battery life dwindle after a year or so.
So, for iPhone 6, 6S, SE, and 7, Apple recently released a feature that throttles — or slows down — the iPhone's processor when it's running on a decayed battery. This is to prevent your iPhone from malfunctioning and shutting down.
In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Apple said:
"Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.
Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future."
Getting a new battery (which costs $79 out of warranty through Apple or less with a third-party, nonauthorized service provider) will likely improve your iPhone's performance significantly. It's a lot cheaper than getting a brand-new phone!
Look what a battery replacement did for this guy!
Apple Support can also run a remote test that will check your iPhone’s overall battery health.
The battery page in Settings may also show a notification when it detects your battery could need replacing.