It’s a little nerdy, but it’s also a really useful feature.
Apple is preparing to launch iOS 26.4, a software update that will introduce several new features and ways to customize your iPhone.
One of them is designed to extend the long-term battery life of your iPhone.
New charge limit
If you’re not already familiar with the Shortcuts app, the new features will make you familiar. -Image credit: Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol
When Apple launches iOS 18 in the fall of 2024, it introduces a little-known feature called “Charge Limits,” which gives users more control over the charging percentage of their iPhone, whether it’s 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95%.
The idea is that, like all devices with lithium-ion batteries, it’s not good to continuously charge your iPhone to 100% because its performance drops faster. This is one of the main reasons why older iPhones cannot charge for long periods of time.
Charging limits are designed to benefit users who keep their iPhone charged throughout the day, as they don’t need to maintain a 100% charge at all times.
(For those who don’t charge their iPhone most of the day, it’s best to just turn on Optimize Battery Charging, a separate setting that charges your iPhone to 80 percent. Then, after learning your habits, your iPhone will only charge to 100 percent before you unplug it from the charger.)
The Shortcuts app will have a new option “Set Battery Charge Limit”. -Image credit: Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol
Here, you can set your iPhone to charge to a specific level based on specific variables. -Image credit: Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol
Set battery charge limits
When iOS 26.4 launches, it will introduce a new way to customize your iPhone’s charging limits. Specifically, the software adds a “Set Battery Charging Limit” option in the Shortcuts app.
This will allow you to automate and specify expense limits for various situations. So when you’re traveling, sleeping, or not connected to Wi-Fi, your iPhone will automatically charge to these levels based on the specific charging limits and scenarios you set.
Admittedly, this is a rather nerdy or pro-user feature, since not everyone understands shortcuts in depth, but it extends the charging limits to a variety of simple or weird specific scenarios. It also gives you more control over your iPhone’s battery settings.
The next software update, iOS 26.4, is expected to roll out at the end of this month. Shown above is running the public beta. -Image credit: Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol
When will you come?
The public beta of iOS 26.4 is now available.
Apple is expected to officially launch iOS 26.4 to the public sometime in spring 2026. It could be released as early as next week. Think about March 23rd.
Want to stay up to date with the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as your preferred source to ensure our independent journalism appears at the top of your Google search results.
