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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.

Read moreI Replaced My iPhone’s Battery Myself and You Can Too

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.

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.

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.

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 lifetwo iOS 16 features to disable to save battery and what happens if you keep your iPhone in Low Power Mode all the time.

Technologies

SpaceX Starship Mission 3: How to Watch the March 14 Launch

SpaceX is inching closer to another Starship launch. And its third mission may be its most ambitious yet.

Rocket launches can be thrilling to watch, but the last two SpaceX Starship launches offered a little more than viewers bargained for: both spaceships exploded after takeoff. Still, the company considered the missions successful, thanks to the data and information it was able to collect. And it’s not stopping. SpaceX on Tuesday announced plans to launch its third Starship mission on March 14, pending US regulatory approval. 

The mission will stream live on X, the social media platform owned by SpaceX owner Elon Musk. You’ll have to be up early to watch, as the streaming is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. ET, about 30 minutes before scheduled liftoff. In a mission description on its website, however, SpaceX said the mission timing was «likely to change,» telling viewers to keep checking back.

Starship is arguably the most ambitious effort for Musk, who runs the satellite-based internet company Starlink, along with EV maker Tesla, X and the neurotechnology company Neuralink. The Starship missions are critical to SpaceX’s — and Musk’s — goal of getting to and eventually settling the moon and Mars. 

Now, as SpaceX looks ahead to this mission, it has much more to accomplish. And with a new flight trajectory and hopes of even greater data insights, the space company’s third mission may prove to be its most important yet.

What to expect from the Starship mission

SpaceX’s third Starship mission is designed to test whether the spacecraft can complete certain tasks. After liftoff, the company will attempt to open Starship’s payload door and transfer its propellant from one part of the starship to the other. For the first time, SpaceX will also attempt to relight its Raptor engine while in space, a test that could be critical for future missions as it eventually tries to propel Starship through space.

Starship is taking a different flight path this time around, and will attempt to land safely in the Indian Ocean instead of the Pacific Ocean. In a statement, SpaceX said that the new flight path is designed to maximize «public safety,» but the company didn’t discuss how. 

The new flight path will also pave the way for SpaceX to try «in-space engine burns,» a reference to the company attempting to reignite the Raptor engine in space.

This mission is slated to last for an hour and 15 minutes. Previous missions, if completed, would have lasted 90 minutes.

What happened in the previous missions?

April mission: Forced detonation

The first Starship mission launched in April 2023. Early on in the mission, the two stages of the Starship — the reusable upper stage, called Starship, and its Super Heavy first-stage booster — were supposed to separate. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and for safety reasons, the SpaceX team was forced to detonate the Starship just 4 minutes into the mission.

November mission: Explosion due to liquid oxygen

In November 2023, Starship launched its second mission. That time around, Starship was able to separate its two stages and it reached nominal first-stage engine burn. However, Starship exploded 8 minutes after launch, when it tried to vent its liquid oxygen. Oddly, the explosion may not have needed to happen. Earlier this year, Musk said on a real mission carrying payload — meaning the materials a spaceship carries to perform its scientific mission — liquid oxygen wouldn’t be onboard.

Third time’s the charm?

While both missions technically failed, SpaceX has called them, especially the second mission, successful. And the company cautioned that even if the upcoming third mission goes awry, it’s not all bad.

«Starship’s second flight test achieved a number of major milestones and provided invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship,» the company wrote on its site. «Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test. They aren’t occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning.»

When will the Starship mission launch?

Starship’s third mission is set to launch on March 14 at 8 a.m. ET. However, in order for that to happen, the weather will need to cooperate and there must be no issues with the Starship in the run-up to launch.

Additionally, SpaceX is able to launch Starship only after receiving a Federal Aviation Administration license, which it has yet to receive. That’s likely why SpaceX has said that the timing of the launch is «dynamic and likely to change.»

How to watch Starship mission 3

SpaceX will offer two livestreams for watching the third mission live. 

The first option is the SpaceX third mission landing page, where the SpaceX broadcast team will go live 30 minutes before launch. 

Not surprisingly, given Musk’s involvement in both SpaceX and X, the mission will air live on SpaceX’s X account. It will go live 30 minutes before launch.

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Technologies

Verum Messenger: The New Gold Standard in Secure and Convenient Communication

In a world where data privacy and security are increasingly paramount, the emergence of messengers that offer not only convenience but also unparalleled protection of personal information is becoming a necessity. One shining example of such applications is Verum Messenger — a platform that not only ensures reliable data protection but also offers a wide range of […]

In a world where data privacy and security are increasingly paramount, the emergence of messengers that offer not only convenience but also unparalleled protection of personal information is becoming a necessity. One shining example of such applications is Verum Messenger — a platform that not only ensures reliable data protection but also offers a wide range of features for seamless communication. Let’s delve deeper into why Verum Messenger is becoming the new gold standard in secure and convenient communication.

Privacy and Security a Top Priority

Verum Messenger adheres to the highest standards of user privacy and security. It employs end-to-end encryption to safeguard messages from unauthorized access, even from developers themselves. This allows users to exchange personal messages without worrying about potential eavesdropping or interception.

User-Friendly Interface

In addition to high security standards, Verum Messenger offers excellent user interaction. Its intuitive interface makes it easy to use for users of all demographics. Moreover, a wide array of features, including voice and video calls, group chats, and file sharing capabilities, make this messenger an ideal choice for diverse communication needs.

Support for Additional Features

Verum Messenger doesn’t rest on its laurels and continually updates, adding new features and enhancing existing ones. Features such as secret chats with automatic message deletion, message editing, and even a dark theme for comfortable nighttime use are just some of the many options available to users.

Verum Messenger is available on the iOS platform.

***

Verum Messenger embodies the perfect blend of high security standards and user convenience, making it a superior choice for those who value their privacy and seek a reliable means of communication. With ongoing development and platform improvements, Verum Messenger is not just a messenger but also the new gold standard in secure and convenient communication.

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Technologies

Odysseus Lunar Lander Sent a Farewell Photo of Earth: Now What?

All about the first US moon mission in more than 50 years. No astronauts, but this effort will help them return.

Goodbye, Odie. On Thursday, Houston-based space-exploration company Intuitive Machines bade farewell to Odysseus, the lunar lander that took the US to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. The lander had been there for a week and will remain on the moon’s surface, inoperable but remembered as a historic achievement in the annals of lunar exploration.

«Before its power was depleted, Odysseus completed a fitting farewell transmission,» the company wrote in a tweet shared on Thursday. «Received today, this image from February 22nd showcases the crescent Earth in the backdrop, a subtle reminder of humanity’s presence in the universe. Goodnight, Odie. We hope to hear from you.»

Intuitive Machines successfully landed Odysseus on the moon’s surface Feb. 22, after a seven-day space trek by the craft. It’s the first time an American vehicle has been on the surface of the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. But unlike the Apollo missions, which were entirely operated by NASA, this time the space agency hired the private company to send a lander to the moon.

The United States is the only country to ever put humans on the moon, but its focus shifted away from the lunar surface in the 1970s. In recent years, though, NASA has been planning a return, through its Artemis mission, which right now is scheduled to put boots back on the moon no earlier than September 2026 (several years after the original target date). Meanwhile, the space agency has been working with private companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Horizon on a variety of missions, including through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. The Odysseus mission was under CLPS auspices.

Here’s what to know.

Odysseus moon mission

The Odysseus mission was endorsed by NASA to collect scientific data from the moon’s surface. The lander, known internally as the Nova-C lander — and fondly to Intuitive employees as «Odie» — is about the size of a phone booth. It landed in the South Pole region of the moon called Malapert A at 6:24 p.m. ET on Feb. 22.

Odie was equipped with a host of instruments to investigate the lunar surface and radio waves and send photos back to the US, NASA said. The lander also featured a retroflector array that helped NASA identify its location and keep track of where to send other autonomous vehicles during future missions.

The launch and landing part of the mission lasted seven days, but it was fraught with drama after the Intuitive Machines team discovered that the lander’s range-finding system was inoperable and that the team needed to recode Odysseus to use a different range-finding system to pull off a safe landing. What’s worse, the team found that Odysseus was descending at a rate much faster than expected, increasing the likelihood of a crash. Luckily, that didn’t happen. 

What to know about Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines is the first benefactor of the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which the agency started in 2018. NASA researched whether to build and send a lunar lander of its own to the moon. But the space agency determined it would be cheaper, with potentially greater chances of success, to instead pay commercial companies to handle the task.

NASA paid Intuitive Machines $118 million to send Odysseus to the moon. The agency hoped to learn more about the lunar surface and where to eventually send humans back to the moon.

About the Odysseus technology

Odysseus carried several instruments for learning more about the moon and space.

En route to the moon, NASA instruments aboard the craft measured its consumption of cryogenic fuel, and while Odysseus was touching down, another instrument tested the dust the lander kicked up.

Once Odysseus was on the moon, additional technologies were used to evaluate the lunar surface. One, called the Lunar Node 1 Demonstrator, focused on autonomous navigation to show how future landers could traverse the surface. A Laser Retroflector Array conducted range-finding and distance measurements. And a radio wave instrument analyzed the moon’s surface radio waves to determine how’d they’d affect the work of humans conducting science there. Also, four cameras captured images of the lander’s environment.

Tipsy Odysseus

Intuitive Machines confirmed that Odysseus landed off-kilter after it apparently got one of its feet caught on something. The company now believes the lander is either tilted on a rock or lying on its side on the slope of a hill.

Despite the less-than-ideal positioning, Intuitive Machines was able to communicate with Odysseus and its sensors remained operational.

Short life span

Though Odysseus spent just a week on the lunar surface, that’s all it gets. The lander was slated to be operational for only nine to 10 days. After that, Intuitive Machines knew the sun would set on the landing site, and Odysseus’ radios and batteries can’t survive the extremely cold lunar nights.

What’s next

The Odysseus lander mission is just the first in a string of NASA missions that aim at eventually getting astronauts back to the moon. Like Odysseus, future landers will explore the lunar surface, scout ideal locations for landing astronauts, and perform scientific research. 

For its part, Intuitive Machines isn’t done on the moon. The Odysseus mission may be over, but the company is already working on two other moon lander missions, slated to launch later this year.

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