How to Check Phone Battery Health on iPhone, Samsung, Pixel and Other Android Phones
Battery health is the battery’s current maximum capacity compared with when it was new. iPhones show it in Settings; on Android it depends on the brand. Here is where to find it on each, what the number means, and when a replacement is worth it.
iPhone
- Open Settings → Battery → Battery Health (on some iOS versions, Battery Health & Charging).
- Maximum Capacity is the health figure. A new battery shows 100%.
- On iPhone 15 and later, Settings → General → About also lists the cycle count, the date of manufacture and the date of first use.
Apple says a normal battery is designed to keep up to 80% of its original capacity after 500 full cycles on iPhone 14 and earlier, and after 1,000 cycles on iPhone 15 and later. If the battery can no longer deliver peak power, iOS may also slow the phone slightly to prevent sudden shutdowns; the same screen tells you when that is happening.
If the screen says the battery is not a genuine Apple part or can’t be verified, the reading may not be accurate. That matters when you buy a used iPhone.
Samsung Galaxy
- On recent One UI versions, look in Settings → Battery (or Settings → Device care → Battery) for battery information.
- The Samsung Members app has a diagnostics section: open Support → Phone diagnostics → Battery status. It gives a rating such as Normal, Weak or Bad and the remaining capacity on many models.
Google Pixel
Newer Pixel phones have Settings → Battery → Battery health, showing an estimated capacity and whether the battery is normal or should be replaced. Older Pixels don’t show a percentage in Settings.
Other Android phones
- Search Settings for “battery health” or “battery information”. OnePlus, Xiaomi and Motorola have added it to some models.
- On many phones, the dialer code *#*#4636#*#* opens a testing screen with a Battery information page. The “health” there is usually just Good or Overheat, not a percentage, and some brands block the code.
- Apps such as AccuBattery estimate capacity by measuring how much charge goes in during several charges. The estimate gets better after a few full charging sessions; the first reading can be off.
What a browser can and can’t tell you
Websites can’t read battery health or cycle count. On browsers that support it, a page can see the charge level and whether the phone is charging, which is what our battery test shows. That is still useful on a used phone: plug it in and check that it starts charging, then watch whether the percentage drops unusually fast with the screen on.
Signs the battery is worn
- The phone shuts down at 10–30% or when the camera starts, especially in the cold.
- The percentage jumps (for example from 40% to 15%) instead of falling steadily.
- It needs charging more than once a day with the same use as before.
- It gets hot while charging from a charger that used to be fine.
When to replace it
Around 80% is where most people start to notice shorter battery life and where phone makers usually recommend a replacement. Below that, a new battery is often the cheapest way to make an older phone feel usable again. Get a quote from the manufacturer or an authorised repair shop, and check that the new battery is a genuine or good-quality part: cheap cells often report capacity incorrectly.
Habits that slow battery wear
- Avoid heat. Don’t charge under a pillow or leave the phone on a car dashboard. Heat is the biggest cause of wear.
- Use the built-in charge limit if you charge overnight: Optimized Charging or the 80% limit on iPhone, Protect battery or Adaptive charging on Android.
- Don’t worry about every charge. Topping up during the day is fine. Letting it hit 0% often is worse than charging little and often.
To see which charger and cable give your phone its full charging speed, use the charger checker and the USB-C cable checker.