An iPhone reports two numbers about the health of its battery: the maximum capacity and, on newer models, the cycle count. Both are in Settings.
Battery health on the iPhone
- Open Settings on the iPhone.
- Tap Battery.
- Tap Battery Health. Older versions of iOS name it Battery Health & Charging.
Maximum Capacity is how much charge the battery holds now, compared with when it was new.
Cycle count
iPhone 15 and later show Cycle Count on the same Battery Health screen, with the date of manufacture and the date of first use. On earlier versions of iOS 17, these are in Settings, General, About.
iPhone 14 and earlier do not show a cycle count in Settings.
What the numbers mean
A charge cycle is 100% of the battery’s capacity used, not one time plugged in.
Apple designs the battery of iPhone 14 and earlier to keep 80% of its capacity at 500 cycles. For iPhone 15 and later, the figure is 80% at 1000 cycles.
What iOS does not show
iOS gives you today’s numbers. It keeps no record, so you cannot see how fast the capacity falls.
Track iPhone battery health from your Mac
BatteryBud reads the maximum capacity and the charge cycles of your iPhone from your Mac, and charts how they change over time. It does the same for your iPad and for the Mac itself. For the Mac’s own numbers, see how to check battery health on a Mac.
You can set an alert for battery health. BatteryBud then tells you when the maximum capacity drops below a level you pick.
To see the level of the iPhone too, read how to show your iPhone battery on a Mac. The page about a battery monitor for Mac lists everything BatteryBud shows.