iOS 18 can tell if you’re using a slow iPhone charger; brings expanded charging limits
Apple’s iOS 18 software update brings a handy new feature that can show you whether you’ve been using a slow charger to recharge your iPhone.
Apple used to bundle iPhones with a slow 5W charger, but not anymore. Some folks still have and use it, unaware that iPhones are capable of much faster wired charging when paired with a stronger power adapter supporting the USB Power Delivery protocol (USB-PD), like this handy travel charger from Satechi.
To help raise awareness about faster charging, Apple’s new feature in iOS 18 can reveal whether you’ve used a slow charger in the past 24 hours. However, you have to know where to look, and you don’t get a slow charger notification.
This is one of those quality-of-life improvements that Apple doesn’t think is worth mentioning in the official iOS 18 release notes, but we’ve discovered on Reddit.
What is the “Slow Charger” message on an iPhone?
Open your battery settings and look underneath the battery level graph for a “Slow Charger” message in orange. If you see it, you used a slow charger to juice up your iPhone. Hitting the ⓘ (Info) button opens a support page with more information and tips on charging your iPhone faster (we have similar tips of our own).
“With iOS 18, if iOS detects that your charging experience could be improved, you’ll see a Slow Charger message in Settings > Battery,” reads the page. “This doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with your iPhone or charger; it just means that your iPhone could charge faster by using a higher-wattage charger,” it explains.
Faster iPhone charging is also available with wireless Qi2 and MagSafe chargers at 15W. Only the iPhone 16 can do even faster wireless charging up to 25W when paired with a 30W power adapter and Apple’s updated MagSafe Charger.
In today’s multi-device world, everyone should use not a higher-wattage power adapter but a multi-port charger. If your USB charger can put out at least 18W of power, your iPhone will fast-charge from zero to fifty percent in about thirty minutes. After that, charging will gradually slow down to protect battery health.
Expanded charging limit options
To that end, Apple has also expanded the previous 80% charge limit feature; you can now drag the Charge Limit slider in Settings > Battery > Charging to choose between the 80%, 85%, 90% and 95% options. Keep in mind that limiting charging capacity only works on the iPhone 15 series and later.
You’ll want to set a charging limit if you frequently leave your iPhone plugged longer than necessary. “Your iPhone will charge to within a few percentage points of your chosen limit and then stop charging,” per Apple’s support page. “If the battery charge level drops more than five percent while connected to power, charging will resume, again charging to within a few points of your chosen limit.”
iOS also analyzes your usage habits and will send you a notification over time with a suggested charging limit to preserve the battery lifespan, which will also appear in the battery settings. For example, you might see “Based on your iPhone habits, a charge limit of 95% is recommended to help preserve your battery.”
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2024/11/06/apple-ios-18-settings-app-iphone-slow-charging-message/
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