Is iOS 14.5 'battery recalibration' going to be the ultimate battery drain fix? Probably not
Has your iPhone's battery been draining at an increasing pace since installing iOS 14? If it has, you might have come across news of a new battery recalibration procedure that will be built into the upcoming iOS 14.5 release.
Surely this will be the fix that users have been waiting for.
I'm not holding my breath.
Tech site Macrumors has uncovered a support bulletin on Apple's website that documents a battery recalibration process that will be rolled out in iOS 14.5.
Here's what you need to know about this:
- It will roll out in iOS 14.5 (due out sometime soon).
- The procedure will "address inaccurate estimates of battery health reporting for some users."
- Symptoms of this bug are listed as "unexpected battery drain behavior or, in a small number of instances, reduced peak performance capability."
- It applies to the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
- The process "might take a few weeks."
- You'll know that it's happening because the following message will be displayed in Settings > Battery > Battery Health: "Your battery health reporting system is recalibrating Maximum Capacity and Peak Performance Capability. This process may take a few weeks. Learn more..."
- If recalibration is unsuccessful, Apple will replace the battery free of charge.
Using iOS 14 to diagnose battery drain
Reading through the support document, talking to contacts at Apple, and having been following iOS battery issues for some time now, I'm convinced that this is less about battery drain, and more to do with iPhone 11 owners being told that their battery is worn and needs replacing.
There's even a bespoke message for iPhone owners who are told their battery is worn and needs replacing.
Your battery health reporting system is recalibrating Maximum Capacity and Peak Performance Capability. This process may take a few weeks. Unable to recommend service at this time.
Apple is also asking users who have paid for out-of-warranty battery service to contact AppleCare (presumably to offer a refund), and devices covered by AppleCare+ warranty will have their cover temporarily extended to cover the recalibration period.
And finally, this only applies to the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. iOS 14's battery drain issues go beyond these models.
This is not a miracle battery drain fix.