How to check iPhone battery health and disable performance throttling

Apple has roll out new update iOS 11.3 for iPhone users to monitor their smartphone battery health. This new update includes battery health info and the ability to disable battery performance throttling. Users can take advantage of this feature in iOS 11.3 see if their battery needs replacement and turn off the controversial system throttling feature that causes unexpected shutdowns on iPhones with a weak battery.

How to Assess iPhone Battery Health

You can check the status of your iPhone battery in the new Battery Health section, which will tell you details about the age of your battery. Here's how to do it:

Download and install iOS 11.3

Navigate to the Settings app after the install is complete

Scroll down to "Battery" and tap it

Tap Battery Health (Beta)

Everything you need to know about the battery is listed here. Maximum Capacity will let you know how your battery is performing overall. Peak Performance Capability will tell you if a worn-out battery has resulted in performance slowdowns. However, all iPhone on iOS 11.3 will have "Performance Management, which allows the device to unexpectedly shutdowns if it cannot sustain maximum performance.

Currently, performance management may be enabled or disabled on iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 Plus. If you have an iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, or iPhone X, you will never see a "Disable" option because apple as already implements the hardware fixes.

How to Disable Performance Throttling

After experiencing an unexpected shutdown, performance management is turned on automatically on your iPhone. Disabling performance management will turn off any throttling and leave your device vulnerable to future unexpected shutdowns. To disable:

Ensure that your iPhone is updated to iOS 11.3.

Navigate to "Settings" and click tap on "Battery. Here you will see "Battery Percentage" switch, "Low Power Mode" and "Battery Health beta

Tap on Battery Health, and if your battery capacity is below 95%, you will see an option named "Disable" in the ‘Peak Performance Capability' section

Tap on the ‘Disable' option to turn off performance management

Note that you will not see the option to disable performance management until your iPhone has experienced at least one sudden shutdown, and once you disable performance management, there is no option to turn it on again.

Effects of System Throttling

You may experience the following when throttling is disabled:

Backlight dimming

Lower speaker volume

Longer app launch times

Lower frame rates while scrolling

Flash might disable in the Camera app

Gradual frame rate reductions in some apps

However, this performance management feature may not impact key system areas like:

Apple Pay

Location accuracy

GPS performance

Cellular call quality

Photo and video quality

Keep in mind that the only permanent solution is to get a new battery if you have a device that is experiencing frequent unexpected shutdowns and subjected to Apple's performance management. Having your old battery replaced will restore your iPhone to full working order, with maximum performance and capabilities.