Apple is putting the final touches on iOS 18 ahead of its fall launch, and the Battery panel in Settings has undergone more changes compared to iOS 17. These updates aim to give users more information and make diagnosing battery charging issues easier.
In the latest iOS 18 public beta 3, users can see interesting changes that offer more detailed information. As always, features can change or be removed with beta software, which could also happen here.
Also: Apple iOS 18 public beta 3 adds satisfying ‘Thanos snap’ to hide distractions in Safari
Substantial changes related to prolonging battery lifespan have already been made in the iOS 18 beta, and now there’s more information about charging.
A visit to the battery screen — tap on Settings > Battery, and then go to Battery Health — reveals more granular information about charging. The chart shows battery usage over 24 hours, indicating periods when the iPhone was connected to a charger and charging, as well as when charging was paused by the Optimized Battery Charging algorithm.
iOS 18 public beta 3 Battery screen
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
There have also been rumors that early betas warned users if a low-power charger was being used, but I have not been able to trigger such warnings in the public betas. Personally, I think this information would be useful and would make diagnosing battery charging issues straightforward.
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Also, I’d like to see the battery usage and charging logs extended so we can access data going further back than 24 hours. Information concerning charge power or whether it was wired or wireless would also be a convenient addition to the battery screen.
Finally, the Insights tips could be made more visible, which would help alleviate people’s concerns about poor battery life following an update. Users shouldn’t have to dig into the Settings screen for this information.
These insights tips could be made more visible.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Also: Every iPhone model that will get Apple’s iOS 18 (and which ones won’t)
For those of you thinking of making the switch to the public beta of iOS 18 so you can get a preview of what’s coming, let me warn you that battery life has been awful for all the versions so far, and public beta 3 is no better.
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