Changes to iOS 15 Battery Health Reporting

Apple introduced several refinements to its battery health and power management interface across the iOS 15 release cycle. These updates focused on providing greater transparency regarding component authenticity, refining battery usage analytics, and clarifying system notifications when capacity degrades. Rather than overhauling the standard Maximum Capacity percentage, iOS 15 changed how battery history is displayed and how users track their day-to-day power consumption.

Parts and Service History

The most substantial interface change arrived with iOS 15.2 through the addition of the Parts and Service History section located in Settings > General > About.

  • Genuine Apple Part: If an iPhone has undergone a battery replacement using genuine Apple parts and processes, the interface explicitly displays "Genuine Apple Part" next to the battery entry.
  • Unknown Part: If a replacement battery is non-genuine, was previously used in another device, or was not installed correctly, the system flags it as an "Unknown Part." When this occurs, the standard Battery Health menu cannot display the Maximum Capacity percentage.

Enhanced Battery Usage Graphs

In the primary Settings > Battery menu, iOS 15 refined the visual reporting tools to give users a clearer look at power consumption:

  • Screen On vs. Screen Off: The 24-hour and 10-day usage charts clearly delineate active usage into "Screen On" and "Screen Off" intervals, allowing users to see which background tasks drain the battery when the device is not in active use.
  • App-Specific Drain: Tapping on specific hourly or daily activity bars dynamically filters the app list below, displaying the exact percentage of power consumed by each app during that specific window.

Battery Health and Degradation Notifications

The interface for degraded batteries under Settings > Battery > Battery Health maintained the standard 100% capacity metric, but streamlined the accompanying warnings:

  • Service Messaging: When maximum capacity drops below 80%, an explicit prompt advises that the battery's health is significantly degraded and recommends authorized replacement to restore full performance.
  • Peak Performance Capability: The interface continues to state whether the battery supports normal peak performance or if performance management (throttling) has been applied to prevent unexpected shutdowns.