Technologies

iPhone Batteries Will Get More Expensive Soon. How to Check Yours and Replace It

Starting in March, Apple is raising the price of phone batteries for all models except the iPhone 14.

Is your iPhone slow to charge? Does it have trouble maintaining a charge throughout the day, or unexpectedly shut down? If so, you might want to consider getting a new battery.

And you probably want to do it ASAP. Apple recently announced that starting March 1, you’ll have to pay $20 more to replace your battery through Apple’s existing services (except for the iPhone 14 models, since that price is staying the same).

So how do you find out if you really do need to replace your battery? We’ll show you how to check out your battery’s health via your iPhone settings, as well as what you can do to prolong your battery’s lifespan.

How to check on your iPhone battery’s health

Your iPhone battery becomes less effective over time, but you could also have a faulty battery on a brand-new iPhone. To quickly check if there’s an issue with your battery health, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. If you’re running anything below iOS 16.1, the latter will appear as just Battery Health.

At the top, you’ll see the maximum capacity of your battery, which should be 100%, or close to it, if you have a relatively new iPhone.

However, what you want to look at is Peak Performance Capability and the sentence underneath that. If you see Your battery is currently supporting normal peak performance, you don’t have any recognized battery issues and you shouldn’t need a replacement.

iOS setting to check your iPhone battery's health — Check what it says under **Peak Performance Capability** to learn if you need to replace your battery.

Screenshot by Nelson Aguilar/CNET

Do you need to replace your iPhone battery?

If you see any of the following messages, you may need to replace your battery, or at the very least make an appointment with Apple or an authorized service provider to check your battery out:

This iPhone has experienced an unexpected shutdown because the battery was unable to deliver the necessary peak power. Performance management has been applied to help prevent this from happening again, or You have manually disabled performance management protections.
This iPhone is unable to determine battery health. An Apple Authorized Service Provider can service the battery. More about service options.
Your battery’s health is significantly degraded. An Apple Authorized Service Provider can replace the battery to restore full performance and capacity. More about service options.

Depending on whether you have insurance (third-party or AppleCare Plus) or not, you may not have to spend any money at all to replace your iPhone’s battery. If your iPhone is new, you have at least a one-year warranty to replace a defective battery. If you do not have insurance, Apple charges an estimated $49 to $99 to replace your battery. Additionally, you can check out the Apple Service Programs page to see if any replacement or repair programs are available for your device.

An iPhone battery being replaced — You can even replace your own battery.

Andrew Lanxon/CNET

Is there anything you can do to prolong your iPhone battery’s life?

The quicker you go through your daily battery life, the quicker your battery’s overall lifespan degrades, so here are some tips to follow, according to Apple:

Update to the latest software available.
Adjust your screen brightness (manually or automatically) as needed.
Use Wi-Fi when available.
Enable Low Power Mode as needed.
Turn off Background App Refresh (overall or an on a per-app basis).
Turn off Location Services (overall or on a per-app basis).
Turn off Allow Notifications.
Turn on Airplane Mode when applicable.
When you charge your phone with your computer, make sure your computer is plugged in.

Two iOS settings to help keep your battery's health — You can toggle on auto-brightness (left) and prevent apps from refreshing in the background (right) to improve your battery life and lifespan.

Screenshot by Nelson Aguilar/CNET

If you need more battery-saving tips for your iPhone, check out eight ways to improve iPhone battery life, two iOS 16 features to disable to save battery and what happens if you keep your iPhone in Low Power Mode all the time.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Dec. 12

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 12.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Bullet ___ (insect known for its painful sting)
Answer: ANT

4A clue: Setting for the children’s book «Good Night, Gorilla»
Answer: ZOO

5A clue: Mixed-breed dogs
Answer: MUTTS

7A clue: Language that gave us the words «democracy» and «philosophy»
Answer: GREEK

8A clue: Untidy
Answer: MESSY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Brilliant shade of blue
Answer: AZURE

2D clue: Classroom jottings
Answer: NOTES

3D clue: «100%,» in slang
Answer: TOTES

5D clue: Longtime movie studio now owned by Amazon
Answer: MGM

6D clue: Chicago W.N.B.A. team
Answer: SKY

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Technologies

Speed Across the Galaxy Next Year in Star Wars: Galactic Racer

Step aside, Skywalker. This is more than just pod racing.

After a surprise reveal of Star Wars: The Fate of the Old Republic to start The Game Awards on Thursday, another Star Wars game made its debut. But this one has no Jedi, no lightsabers, just people racing through treacherous terrain.

Galactic Racer is developed by Fuse Games, a studio created in 2023 and made up of former Burnout and Need for Speed developers. In the game’s description, races are run-based, meaning that once your vehicle is blown up, your race is over.

Galactic Racer will be released in 2026 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles.

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When does Star Wars: Galactic Racer take place?

According to the Galactic Racer Steam page, the game takes place after the Empire is gone, when the galaxy is rebuilding. The Galactic League has formed in the Outer Rim, and underground races will lead to fame and fortune for those racers fast enough to survive.

The trailer introduces Shade, «a lone racer with a dream of glory and revenge,» Fuse Games co-founder Matt Webster told StarWars.com.

«Your aim is to survive long enough to earn your shot at becoming an elite racing pilot,» he said. «Our races are high-stakes competitions where racers do everything they can to get to the front in the solo campaign and in our awesome multiplayer gameplay.»

What kind of vehicles will be available to ride in Star Wars: Galactic Racer?

The game’s trailer was short, but Star Wars fans will recognize a couple of landspeeders, skim speeders and speederbikes. Each vehicle type will have its unique handling and feel, with some able to squeeze through tight spaces and hug corners at top speed.

As the players progress, they will be able to upgrade their vehicles to their preferred style of play. By continuing to win, the better the vehicle can be made and the more races across different worlds will be available to race in.

Technologies

Reddit Challenges Australia’s Social Media Ban for Those Under 16 in High Court

Two days after announcing it would crank up its safety rules, Reddit is going to court to fight the Australian law.

Reddit, the social media and community chat forum, announced on Thursday that it is challenging Australia’s under-16 social media ban in the country’s High Court.

A statement posted to X said that the new law, which bans Australians aged 15 and younger from using apps such as Reddit, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Snapchat, YouTube, Kick and Twitch, «has the unfortunate effect of forcing intrusive and potentially insecure verification processes on adults as well as minors, isolating teens from the ability to engage in age-appropriate community experiences.»

The move comes just days after the San Francisco-based company implemented age verification measures in Australia.

Initially, Reddit appeared to be complying with the Australian law without resistance. On Tuesday, Reddit said it would verify that new members and current account holders in Australia are at least 16. It also announced that account holders under 18 worldwide will get modified versions of the app that prevent access to NSFW and mature content, with stricter chat settings and no ad personalization or sensitive ads.

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A representative for Reddit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reddit calls Australian law ‘arbitrary’

Earlier this week, Reddit said the legislation limits free expression and privacy and «is arbitrary, legally erroneous, and goes far beyond the original intent of the Australian Parliament, especially when other obvious platforms are exempt.»

«We believe strongly in the open internet and the continued accessibility of quality knowledge, information, resources, and community building for everyone, including young people,» the Tuesday statement said. «This is why Reddit has always been, and continues to be, available for anyone to read even if they don’t have an account.»

Age verification rules — such as the UK Online Safety Act — are becoming the norm rather than the exception for governments and companies worldwide. The internet is increasingly being filtered to prevent children from accessing certain content online. It’s a battleground where privacy, access to information and online safety are huge factors.

Age prediction and verification

Reddit had earlier stated that it would use an age prediction model to determine if new and existing account holders in Australia are at least 16 years old. If the model predicts that one of their members is under 16, Reddit will request proof of age. As outlined by the company, people must verify their birthdate by providing a government ID or taking a selfie. The company said it would suspend accounts of those it determines to be under 16.

Reddit claimed it would only securely store age information and not the photos or documents used in the verification process. The information would not be visible to advertisers or sold to data brokers, and would reportedly only be used to «enhance content relevance and ad experiences.»

Reddit said it was planning to increase platform safety for those under 18. If you’re under 18, you won’t be permitted to moderate communities dedicated to NSFW or mature content. The site will disable ad personalization, and you will not see ads for alcohol, gambling or other sensitive topics.