Your iPhone shutting off with battery left may seem unusual, but this is a common problem with gadgets that run on batteries, particularly smartphones.
However, this problem can be fixed by recalibrating or replacing the battery in most cases. Extreme temperatures and humidity are other reasons why your phone suddenly shuts down.
Your phone is the portal with which you connect to the world. Therefore, your iPhone shutting down suddenly when it still has some battery is a nightmare come true.
The iPhone is not supposed to shut down with even one percent battery left; however, as time goes by and the battery degrades, your iPhone might turn off earlier than anticipated.
To begin, we’ll cover the scenarios under which your iPhone may intentionally shut down to protect the hardware.
In addition, we will troubleshoot how to fix the battery issue that makes your phone shut down randomly.
Your iPhone suddenly shutting down is not a bug; it’s a feature!
When your phone shuts down even though it says you have battery life left, the reality is that you’re actually out of battery – even though your phone display says differently.
This can be an indicator that you may need a battery replacement in the near future.
Apple users have made several complaints about their phone shutting down suddenly even though it had some battery.
You may find your iPhone turns off at 15 percent, or your iPhone shuts down at 10 percent.
Apple responded to those letters saying that iPhones are programmed to shut down when the device might take damage for low voltage induced by cold weather conditions.
Using an electric device such as a smartphone in frigid temperatures will damage your phone as resistance rises and the voltage drops.
In addition, iPhone is designed to turn off when its temperature rises beyond 95 degrees automatically.
Such measures prevent hardware damage caused by extreme conditions. In this case, the phone will display a thermometer, and you should avoid using the phone until it cools down.
Finally, iPhones will turn off if they get wet and the water seal is broken. Again, this is a fail-safe procedure to avoid short circuits.
So, if your iPhone has become wet and shuts down, do not attempt to use it until you have entirely dried the cellphone.
Then, you can either put your phone in a sack full of dry rice or use a cold hairdryer.
Though, there may be cases where your iPhone keeps shutting down despite having a substantial amount of battery life remaining.
iPhone sudden shutdowns with battery left
Suppose your phone shuts down repeatedly when the battery percentage is above 10, or it is not too hot or cold.
In that case, you’d better check the battery. Let’s explain why this is common in smartphones before explaining the solutions.
Battery deterrence
The lithium-ion battery that powers your iPhone will lose its total capacity over time.
The culprits include overcharging, improper chargers, depleting the battery down to zero percent, and other reasons.
Your battery health is important if you want to maximize the usage of your device.
What are the symptoms of a dying battery?
Your phone shows high percentages, but the battery level drops faster than before.
As a result, the charging time reduces, and your phone lasts shorter.
Finally, your iPhone will suddenly shut down at battery percentages above 10.
When you try to turn it on again, it either shows the low-battery icon or shuts down shortly after.
All cases mentioned above indicate that the battery has lost its capacity.
If your smartphone or tablet doesn’t have these issues, try restarting the phone. If the problem persists, restore the phone to the factory setting.
Alternatively, you can contact Apple support to fix your phone. We don’t recommend you repair your phone at third-party service providers since it violates the warranty.
Fixing sudden shutdowns by recalibrating iPhone battery
An iPhone 12 Pro holds up to 2815mAh, but as mentioned above, the capacity might degrade. Let’s assume your iPhone can only hold 2600mAh now.
In that case, the power manager application would think that your phone has about 200 mAh left, yet the battery is empty.
Calibrating your battery will let the power manager program reevaluate your battery capacity and accurately show your battery percentages.
How to calibrate an iPhone or iPad
Note that iPhone 11 and later devices that run on iOS 14.5 or later do not need manual calibration.
The process includes draining the battery, fully recharging, and repeating once or twice.
- You have to drain your battery. To do so, you can let the battery die or increase power consumption for fast discharge. Turn on your flashlight, connect your iPhone to Bluetooth devices, use your cellular data to watch online streams. In addition, maximum brightness will use more battery.
- Charge your iPhone using a wall socket and wall charger. Note that laptop outputs might not be able to fully charge your phone, especially with a faulty battery. When the battery reaches 100 percent, use one or two percent of the battery, then charge it up again. Let the phone sit for a few minutes in charge when it shows 100 percent battery. This helps improve the accuracy of the calibration.
- Repeat the previous two steps once more for better results. Now, you have successfully calibrated your iPhone battery.
Note that calibration will not restore the lost battery capacity. It will only show the battery percentage more accurately.
To have a battery at full capacity, you need to replace the battery. You can contact the nearest Apple Store to change the battery.
Changing the battery
Suppose your battery doesn’t hold much charge, or it shuts down even after calibrating the battery.
In that case, you have to change the battery. Do not change the iPhone battery yourself.
Once you break the seal, Apple will no longer support your phone for maintenance.
Also, giving your iPhone to third-party service providers is not recommended.
Instead, take your phone to the nearest Apple Store, and they will take care of your device.
Changing the battery will likely make your iPhone run faster if you’ve been using it for some time.
Before you change your battery, you should be sure to force restart your device and update iOS too. This will ensure that a software issue is not causing problems with your iPhone battery.
Once you force restart, wait until the Apple logo appears and then check whether your iPhone dies when the battery begins to get low.
Conclusion
Smartphones are more than communication devices; people use them for many applications, such as navigation, streaming, and business.
Therefore, if their phone shuts down suddenly, they might get into trouble. Your iPhone may shut down if it is in a potentially dangerous state.
Although it is unlikely that the battery will explode, the inner components of the device might break down.
Make sure your phone is adequately conditioned before turning it on in such situations.
On the other hand, like any other lithium-ion battery, iPhone batteries will lose their overall capacity in time.
The chemical reaction that leads to this issue is irreversible, but you can at least readjust the phone, so it can warn you before your phone dies.
Ultimately, you have to replace the old battery with a new one to restore your battery capacity.
You can get a replacement battery online or book a Genius bar appointment for a specialist to take a look.
