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

Your Roku Device Is Getting a Free Content Discovery Software Update

Finding something to watch on your Roku will get easier soon. Here’s how to check for the software update once it’s ready.

Roku this week unveiled two updated streaming devices and three new TVs to its lineup for 2025, along with a new set of software features that will head to all Roku devices in the coming months, with a focus on discovering new content to watch.

In its own survey, Roku says that 57% of viewers give up and do something else after searching fruitlessly for something to watch. This new experience hopes to address the scroll fatigue that many streamers face when trying to find something to watch without specific content in mind.

Below, we’ll break down what the new software update is packing and how to manually check for a software update on your Roku device.

For more, here’s how to set up a VPN on your Roku device.

Here are the new features coming to your Roku

So what can Roku users expect with the upcoming update? A lot, actually. Here’s a breakdown of what’s coming.

Coming Soon to Theaters: A new row will be added that will keep you up to date with the latest films that are currently in theaters. If you’re more of an at-home movie watcher than a movie-goer, you can add the films you’re interested in to your Save List and you’ll get a notification when it’s available to stream.
Short-form video content: Roku’s getting on the short-form bandwagon and rows will appear in the All Things Food and All Things Home tabs to get recipes and quick home hacks in a flash.
New badges: In addition to new, paid and free badges, an Award Winner badge will be added to titles so you can prioritize quality content.
Personalized sports highlights: A new and personalized sports highlights in the Sports Zone section will give you the clips that are most important to you for easy viewing.
Sports Zone expansion: Roku is expanding its Sports Zone availability globally, giving you a dedicated spot to catch up on highlights for mobile. You can also select your favorite teams to get notifications when they’re playing.
Additional Roku mobile app updates: Roku is making its app a solid second-screen companion, allowing you to explore what’s on and use the app as a remote for your TV. Updated content details will bring cast and crew, IMDb ratings, trailers and more so you won’t need to switch to another app to get the information you want.
Daily trivia: Test your entertainment knowledge with up to 10 new daily trivia questions each day. From there, you can tap into the Trivia Vault for even more.
New Roku City tile: You’ll soon be able to jump into the side-scrolling Roku City with a press of a button, completely with the purple and orange vibes and plenty of easter eggs hidden throughout.

Here’s a video of Roku City in action in case you need something to mindlessly watch on repeat and are away from your Roku TV.

Roku did not immediately respond to our request for comment about the impending update.

How to manually check your Roku for software updates

If you’re wondering how you’ll be able to get the update (or any update) on your Roku when it’s available, checking to see if new software is waiting for you is a breeze. That said, as long as it’s connected to the internet, your Roku will eventually automatically update itself.

If you’re impatient, here’s how to check for new software updates on your Roku.

Press the Home button on your Roku remote.
Scroll to and select Settings.
Select System.
Select Software update.
Select Check Now to manually check for updates for your device.

If you’re having trouble connecting your Roku to the internet, you can also update the software via a USB flash drive.

For more, don’t miss our best streaming device picks for 2025.

Technologies

Netflix Rolls Out New Dialogue-Only Subtitles Option

Say goodbye to noise descriptions such as [phone buzzing] or [dramatic music swells], unless you want to still see them.

If you got easily distracted by reading subtitles of noise descriptions, like «car engine revs up» or «crowd shouts,» Netflix has a new subtitle option for you — dialogue only. The streaming video company announced the change on Thursday. The new format drops subtitles for sound as well as the names of who’s speaking, only showing the dialogue.

Earlier this year, Netflix increased its prices and added an additional cost for family members that don’t live in your household but are still on your Netflix account. The streaming subscription also added more original titles and upgrades to the service.

Read more: Best Streaming Services of 2025

Currently, the new subtitle option is only available in English, and only for new Netflix original titles. It begins Thursday with season 5 of You, a popular Netflix original thriller.

If you need or prefer to see the subtitles with speaker names and sound descriptions, select English CC in your Netflix settings. If you want the dialogue-only option, you’ll select English. You can customize the size and font of your subtitles, and choose from other languages — but only English will have the new version.

Technologies

Madden NFL 26 Release Date Announced, Skipping PS4 and Xbox One but Coming to Switch 2

Football fans on older consoles will need to update their hardware this year.

The NFL Draft is happening Thursday evening and EA made it official that Madden NFL 26 will be released Aug. 14 and, for the first time since 2013, the game will not be available for the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. It will, however, be launching on the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2.

EA had its reveal for Madden 26 on Thursday with details about the price, release date and the special MVP Bundle that includes the latest Madden game and College Football 26. Also announced were the platforms for the new Madden game, which will be PS5, PC, Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. The PS4 and Xbox One will not receive a version of the game when it launches on Aug. 14.

Out of all the major video game publishers, EA tends to drag its feet on dropping platforms, especially for sports games. The last Madden game for the PS3 came out in 2016, which was three years after the launch of the PS4. Although that wasn’t the last EA game for the PS3, which was FIFA 19 in 2018, five years post-PS4 launch.

Madden 26 marks the return of the franchise to a Nintendo console. Thanks to the upgraded hardware in Nintendo’s new console, it appears to be enough to handle the football sim. The last time a Madden game was available on a Nintendo console was in 2012 with the release of Madden 13 on the Wii U.

Madden NFL 26 will be released on Aug. 14 for $70 with a Deluxe Edition costing $100. Those who purchase the Deluxe Edition will get early access to the game starting Aug. 11, along with 4600 Madden Points and other digital content. The MVP Bundle costs $150 and comes with Madden NFL 26 Deluxe Edition and College Football 26 Deluxe Edition, which has its own early access starting July 7 before the game’s July 10 release date, as well as more digital content. College Football 26, however, will not be coming to the Switch 2.