Although iPhones offer great performance, it does degrade over time and before you know it, your battery is giving way and basically letting you know it is at its end of life. Here are some warning signs you need to know that it’s time to replace your iPhone battery.
6 Signs You Need an iPhone Battery Replacement
6. Your Battery Physically Outgrew Your iPhone
This one is the most obvious sign you need to replace your iPhone battery and take immediate action to dispose of the battery safely.
Do not, for any reason, puncture the battery pack since this can release its toxic contents and become a health hazard.
If the battery of your iPhone starts to bubble the phone case, or a hazy white screen tints your display, or there’s this softness when you press down on your screen, it is time to go to the nearest Apple Service Center to have it properly disposed of.
5. Unexpected Shutdown
If you find that your iPhone suddenly shuts down by itself when the battery is still halfway full, the calibration of your iPhone may be off.
To try and fix it, use your iPhone until it shuts itself down because of low battery. Go ahead and plug the iPhone into a reliable charger and let it charge uninterrupted until it reaches the full 100 percent.
Once the iPhone is fully charged, perform a soft reset by holding the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button (or the Volume buttons for iPhone X models or newer) until the Apple logo shows up.
If your iPhone’s battery still shuts down the device unexpectedly, it is a sign that it requires changing.
4. Your Older iPhone Model Feels Sluggish
If you own an iPhone 6 or older model and it is running on iOS 11.3 or later, you may be a victim of throttling. To prove or disprove this, go to Settings, select the Battery option in the list, then tap on Battery Health (beta). If under the Peak Performance Capability you read a blurb that says the battery was “unable to deliver the necessary peak power. Performance management has been applied,” and that “your battery’s health is significantly degraded,” your iPhone is being throttled and it is best to get a battery replacement.
3. iPhone 5s or Older
All batteries have a shelf life and as it ages, it just does not perform the way it used to. If your own an iPhone 5 or earlier, it is most likely just the natural wear of the battery that is causing the less-than-optimal performance of your iPhone. If it can only run two hours at a time before needing to be charged again, it is time to replace it.
2. Your iPhone Only Works When It Is Plugged In
This one is pretty obvious. If your iPhone battery cannot sustain its charge and needs to be constantly plugged into a power supply to function, your battery is simply old and needs to be changed.
1. Overheating
Your iPhone can get warm once in a while when the battery exerts effort more than its normal performance. However, if your phone is abnormally too hot to touch, it is time to consider replacing its battery.
Although the battery is the culprit most of the time, iFixit said it is best to also check if it could be a different problem by heading to Settings > Battery and look at the Usage and Standby numbers. Press the Power button and put your device on standby mode for 10 minutes uninterrupted. If the 10 minutes have elapsed and the Standby time should have gone up by 10 minutes. However, if the Usage increased by more than 1 to 2 minutes, the problems are not with the battery itself and could require further diagnostics to find out the root of the overheating.
It is also best to get into the habit of back up your phone’s data just in case anything goes wrong with your device, you can still recover your photos and other important data. And although replacing your iPhone battery by yourself is doable, it is best to leave it to the experts as you may cause more damage than good to your device.