Have you reached for your phone, not giving a second thought as to whether it’ll power up, only to be greeted with a lifeless startup or black screen? We’ve all been there. The fact is, nothing was made to last forever, and our phones will likely outlast battery lifespan. From sluggish performance to unexpected shutdowns, we’ll cover some reasons your phone needs a new battery.

Does My Phone Need a New Battery?

A new iPhone battery should last two to three years under normal circumstances. It’s likely no coincidence that two to three years is the length of standard service contracts with major carriers. An older phone (iPhone 5s or earlier) will likely need a replacement due to age. However, your phone needs a new battery sooner than that if you notice these issues:

Your phone has unexpected shutdowns.

If your iPhone has experienced repeated shutdowns — or won’t power on at all — its battery health could be the culprit. Battery size also changes with use. Your phone may experience a shutdown because the battery has physically changed shape.

You have to keep your phone plugged in to use it.

Batteries weaken with age, and if you must remain tethered to an outlet, your battery has likely reached its peak performance.

Your phone’s physical structure is off.

A bulging screen, a soft feel to the screen, or separation of the seams of the phone may indicate your battery is corroded and needs to be disposed of safely. (Don’t use the phone in this condition, by the way.) A hot-to-the-touch phone is also a good indicator that the battery is working overtime and may need to be replaced.

Your apps are slow to open or load.

Some apps are power-hungry battery hogs, and weakened batteries can’t deliver the necessary peak power to support them. Also, overall sluggish performance is a red flag indicator of battery issues.

Your battery won’t charge completely.

Even after being on a reliable charger for hours at a time, if you notice that your battery isn’t at full capacity or the percentage of charge drops quickly with minimal use, it’s likely your phone battery health is declining.

You receive a “Performance Management has been applied” notification.

Specific to iPhones, this setting automatically kicks in if the phone experiences a shutdown. You can turn this off, but it will likely trigger again when the phone has another shutdown or you use a power-intense app.

Checking Battery Capacity for Yourself

Before heading to Apple for authorized service, you can know what you’re getting into as far as a new battery or repair needs by checking battery life on some iPhone versions. iPhone SE (iPhone 6) and later, running iOS 11.3 gives you this option. Simply go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health.

This screen will show your maximum capacity (how your battery is performing now versus when it was new) and Peak Performance Capacity (if the battery supports your phone’s functions or if that Performance Management notice discussed above is in action).

Get Your Phone Battery Replaced With Computer Repair Plus

Computer Repair Plus offers top-of-the-line smartphone, tablet, and computer repair to save you time and money from having to buy all new tech. Whether your battery was unable to support your latest app download or the phone experienced an unexpected shutdown, our experienced technicians can diagnose the issue and determine if your phone needs a new battery.

For more information about how to save your iPhone from water damage or any of our other services — including laptop repair — contact us today.