An iPhone battery charging chart in iOS
Apple’s next progression in artificial intelligence could be hardware-centric, with the latest leak saying that it will be used to manage the battery life of the iPhone.
According to sources of Bloomberg on Monday, Apple is preparing to introduce a new artificial intelligence feature in iOS 19. That feature will be an update to the battery management system of iOS to work based on a user’s usage habits.
The proposed system will monitor the way that the user actually uses the iPhone, and use that as a basis for power management decisions. This can include making setting or configuration changes to conserve energy at certain times.
To train the AI as part of Apple Intelligence, Apple is reportedly using the battery data it has on hand that it collected from users. This will help the system initially predict when it should reduce the amount of power drawn for specific applications.
The lock screen will also have an indicator showing how long will be left to recharge the iPhone.
It is probable that the first sign of the feature will be visible at WWDC in June, due to it being the main venue for Apple’s software announcements.
Health continuation
This is not the first time that Apple has tried to include intelligent battery health features in iOS. But it is an extension of systems that are already in place for users to employ.
Introduced in iOS 17, the Charging section of Settings allowed users to turn on a limit to how much the battery will be charged. At the time, the limit was set to 80%, stopping the battery from being fully charged and preserving its life.
For iOS 18, Apple introduced a wider range of optional limits, ranging from 80% to 100%.
These were also separate to the Optimized Battery Charging setting, which by default stops the iPhone’s recharging cycle at 80% when being charged overnight. The feature would then continue to 100% just in time for when the user will wake up.
The main difference here appears to be in resource usage, rather than in charging. By determining and prioritizing power usage, the everyday battery life can potentially be expanded, while also preserving the lifetime of the battery itself.
An Air affair
One of the reasons put forward for the new battery feature is due to the new hardware lineup. The iPhone 17 range is expected to have the iPhone 17 Air, an ultra-thin model.
By going thinner, Apple is forced to use a smaller battery, which reduces battery life. By conserving energy, it’s believed that the feature could extend battery life to normal levels, despite the constrained capacity.
The battery life concerns have already led to rumors that Apple could revive accessories like the Smart Battery Case, which adds an external battery to boost capacity.
