Reasons why iPhone batteries are at 0% capacity.

A photo of an iPhone battery at 0% has gone viral online. Photo: Xiaohongshu .

A recent photo that went viral online showed an iPhone's battery status page displaying 0%. As soon as the photo appeared, netizens began questioning its origin, usage time, and even expressing disbelief.

Xiao Lei, a tech product enthusiast for many years, directly contacted Apple's customer service department. "Theoretically, it's possible, but in reality, I've never seen it. If the battery can drain to 0%, I really don't know how many years this phone has been in use," he wondered.

Apple has fairly clear design standards for batteries. iPhone 14 models and earlier can retain over 80% of their battery capacity after 500 full charge cycles. The iPhone 15 series is even more durable, maintaining 80% battery capacity after 1,000 cycles.

A full charging cycle is counted when the total usage reaches 100% battery capacity, not every single charge. For example, if you use 50% of the battery today and then fully charge it tomorrow, the sum of these two charges counts as one complete charging cycle.

According to Lei Technology, based on the usage habits of the average user, consuming only about 50% of the battery each day would only amount to just over 700 charging cycles in two years. Xiao Lei has used his iPhone 13 for nearly three years, with over 600 battery cycles and a battery health of 89%.

For heavy users, the battery level might drop a little more than that, but the fact that the battery dropped to 0% as shown in the photo is truly unbelievable. In reality, this can still happen to smartphone users.

Genuine Apple batteries have an encryption chip on the back. Photo: Weibo.

An acquaintance of Xiao Lei, who works as a phone repair technician, said that most cases of the 0% battery charge indicator stem from third-party battery replacements. Genuine Apple batteries have an encryption chip, essentially acting as an "identity card," allowing the system to read the actual capacity.

Third-party batteries lack this certification, leading to inaccurate information display. Alternatively, the phone might not display the battery status at all, or might show 0%, often accompanied by a small message indicating that the battery details may be incorrect.

Devices that can still power on even when the battery level shows 0% actually have some remaining charge. However, the actual battery capacity has dropped below 35% of its original capacity. Such devices can shut down unexpectedly at any time and even pose a risk of overheating and battery swelling.

Regarding battery replacement, Xiao Lei said that a friend of his, in an attempt to save money, bought a third-party battery from a roadside shop for 200 yuan (about $6 ). After about six months, the device started overheating frequently.

Finally, my friend had to take the device to an authorized store to have the battery replaced with a genuine one. Immediately, the battery health returned to 100%, and the usage time was almost exactly the same as when the device was new. Therefore, although the initial cost is higher, using a genuine battery will protect the device better and ensure safer use.

Source: https://znews.vn/ly-do-pin-iphone-chai-con-0-post1616497.html