Protective Charging Mode: Apple Invents New iPhone Feature

Apple previously introduced a feature meant to protect batteries from degrading quickly. This feature, called “Battery Health Management,” allowed users to enjoy prolonged battery lifespan on their MacBooks. It seems that the company is bringing a similar feature to the iPhone.

A new patent application filed at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (and first spotted by Patently Apple) revealed that Apple is working on a new “Protective Charging Mode” that prevents an iPhone battery from getting fully charged for a period of time.

Smartphone batteries age quickly depending on the user’s battery charging habits. Batteries that tend to get overcharged and overheated will tend to degrade quickly over time as compared to batteries that aren’t subject to the same kind of charging habits.

Per the patent application, the new feature will monitor the iPhone battery’s charge levels then inform the user if it’s nearing a full charge. It will then ask users if they want to delay full-charging to a later time or if they want to fully charge the battery right then and there.

Patent illustrations show different interface designs, but all of them indicate the same thing: the feature is able to delay charging even if the iPhone is plugged into a power source. The feature will work regardless of whether the user is charging the iPhone using a wired charger, a wireless charging pad or a MagSafe charger.

The feature is seen to be an effective tool in preventing iPhone batteries from overcharging. This will be helpful for those who tend to charge their devices at night and plug their iPhones into a power source before going to sleep.

The patent application emphasizes that the feature will give users the ability to choose whether to delay full-charging or not. Users can set the feature to fully charge batteries by the time they wake up in the morning, protecting the device from overcharging and overheating, thus prolonging the non-removable battery’s lifespan and the device’s overall lifespan as well.

While the feature sounds exciting, it is still just a patent application and is awaiting approval. A timing to market remains unknown at the moment.