DeviceGuide

How to Check Your Phone Battery Health

5 min readUpdated 2026-10-06

Short answer: on iPhone, Settings → Battery → Battery Health & Charging shows Maximum Capacity. On Android it depends on the manufacturer — Samsung has it under Device care → Diagnostics, Pixel under Battery, and many phones do not report it at all, in which case you need an app. Below 80 percent is generally considered due for replacement.

If your phone doesn't report this on its own, the Battery Percentage app adds the health, temperature and voltage detail the built-in settings leave out.

Where to Check: Android vs iPhone

AndroidiPhone
Built-in pathVaries by manufacturer — Samsung: Settings → Battery and device care → Diagnostics; Pixel: Settings → Battery; many others don't expose it at allSettings → Battery → Battery Health & Charging
What it showsManufacturer-dependent; often nothing beyond charge levelMaximum Capacity (% of original) and Peak Performance Capability
If not shown nativelyA battery app that reads the system's health valueNot applicable — always available in Settings

Why Battery Health Matters

Your phone battery degrades over time. After 500 charge cycles, most lithium-ion batteries retain about 80% of their original capacity. Monitoring battery health helps you:

  • Know when to replace your battery or phone
  • Understand why your phone dies faster than it used to
  • Optimize charging habits to extend battery life

How to Check Battery Health on iPhone

Built-in Method

  1. Open Settings
  2. Go to Battery > Battery Health & Charging
  3. Check Maximum Capacity — 80%+ is good
  4. See if Peak Performance Capability is normal

What the Numbers Mean

  • 100%: Brand new battery
  • 90-99%: Excellent — normal wear
  • 80-89%: Good — still functioning well
  • Below 80%: Consider replacement — Apple's threshold for service

How to Check Battery Health on Android

Built-in Method (Limited)

  1. Open Settings > Battery
  2. View current level and usage breakdown
  3. Some manufacturers show health in Settings > About Phone > Battery Information

Using a Battery App

For detailed battery info, use Battery Percentage:

  • Health status — Good, Overheat, Dead, etc.
  • Temperature — current battery temperature
  • Voltage — battery voltage reading
  • Technology — Li-ion, Li-poly
  • Charging speed — AC, USB, wireless
  • Time remaining — estimated time to full or empty

Signs Your Battery Is Degrading

  • Phone dies before reaching 0%
  • Battery drops quickly from 100% to 80%
  • Phone gets unusually hot during normal use
  • Battery percentage jumps around erratically
  • Phone shuts down unexpectedly
  • Charging takes much longer than it used to

How to Extend Battery Lifespan

Charging Best Practices

  1. Avoid 0% and 100% — keep between 20-80% when possible
  2. Don't overnight charge regularly (modern phones handle this, but it still adds cycles)
  3. Use original charger or certified alternatives
  4. Avoid fast charging when not needed — slower charging generates less heat

Temperature Management

  1. Avoid extreme heat — don't leave phone in direct sun or hot car
  2. Remove case while charging if phone gets warm
  3. Avoid using phone while charging to reduce heat buildup

Usage Habits

  1. Lower screen brightness — the display is the biggest battery drain
  2. Use Wi-Fi over cellular when possible
  3. Close background apps that you're not using
  4. Enable battery saver mode when running low
  5. Turn off unnecessary features — Bluetooth, NFC, Location when not in use
  6. Pick a lean flashlight app — some of the apps in our best flashlight apps comparison run heavier background services than others, which adds up over a full charge cycle

When to Replace Your Battery

HealthAction
90-100%No action needed
80-89%Monitor regularly
70-79%Plan replacement soon
Below 70%Replace battery

Most manufacturers offer battery replacement services. Third-party repair shops are also an option for many phone models.

Download Battery Percentage to monitor your battery health on Android.

Battery Percentage app icon

Battery Percentage

Monitor battery with multiple themes

Frequently asked questions