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Apple released iOS 12.4 for all iPhone users worldwide on July 22nd. The new features were very clear – as our Summary But now a new feature has been discovered that Apple did not mention in the release notes.
The repair specialists at iFixit have published a new report on the topic of iPhone battery health under iOS 12.4 and explained their discovery. If the user opens the iOS settings and navigates to the menu item Battery, they can then select the sub-item Battery health. Two relevant indicators for the actual battery health are now displayed - maximum capacity and maximum performance. (Everything about the battery status of your iPhone can be found here) The user can thus track the status of his iPhone battery and act in a timely manner in an emergency – whereby iOS would of course issue a notification if a replacement is necessary.
The feature was already introduced in iOS 11.3 and is therefore available to every iPhone user. Or is it? This is now obviously changing in iOS 12.4. iFixit has discovered that if an iPhone battery is replaced by an unauthorized service center, the battery health indicator is no longer accessible—even if the battery is a genuine Apple battery. Instead of the usual graphic, only the text "Service" and an explanation are displayed. This tells the user that the iPhone cannot detect the built-in battery, which is why the indicator has been disabled. But why? Only the current generation of iPhones—i.e., the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR—appear to be affected.
step causes a lot of irritation
But how can that be? The 2018 iPhone series features a small chip for battery authentication. This enables communication between the iPhone and the battery – the result is then displayed to the user in the battery status area. If the battery is replaced, the chip must be reset. It appears that only Apple employees or authorized service partners will be able to perform this step in the future. The fact that independent repair shops will be further restricted in their work is a concern. The fact that the "Service" message appears is a major annoyance for users, as it can naturally cause irritation and is considered annoying.
The performance of the replacement battery is not affected by this - however, a direct query of the battery status is no longer possible - third-party solutions are now required for this. (How to fix iPhone battery life problems) The biggest irritation about the change is Apple's silence. So far, it has not been mentioned in the release notes or in Apple's battery replacement guidelines. Apple AirPods with wireless charging case on special offer on Amazon – only for a limited time
