Technologies

My Phone’s Battery Has Just Over a Year Left in It. Here’s How I Found Out

iFixit’s new app comes with all the information you need to prolong the lifespan of your phone — including an AI chatbot for specific guidance and a battery death predictor.

Nothing lives forever — and that includes your phone battery. Not only is it dying small deaths on an almost daily basis, but it’s also dying a longer, slower death that’ll eventually render your phone unusable if it’s not permanently attached to a power source.

Unless, of course, you swap out your old battery for a new one.

You may have a sense that your battery is degrading over time, but not know at what point to replace it. A new app from online community, advocacy group and parts retailer iFixit is here to help. The app includes a battery health predictor that shows where your battery is in its lifecycle and estimates when it’s time to break out the toolkit and give your device a new lease on life.

Repairing our tech rather than simply replacing it when it breaks can save us money in the long run and reduce our contributions to the ever-increasing mountains of electronic waste piling up around the world. And thanks to work of the «right to repair» movement, it’s easier than ever to get hold of the spare parts and guidance we need to fix our tech at home. Still, it can be an intimidating prospect for anyone unfamiliar with the inner workings of their devices.

«It’s never been easier to fix our own stuff, but learning how can be a bit bewildering,» says Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit. «We have so many different kind of gadgets in our lives now, how do you learn to fix it all?» The answer is the iFixit app, which comes with an AI helper «Fixbot» to walk you through any repairs you want to make, with access to iFixit’s full catalog of repair guides.

This isn’t the first time iFixit has had its own app, but back in 2015, Apple stripped it from the App Store after iFixit conducted an unfavorable teardown of the Apple TV. Now it’s back, and available on both the App Store and Google Play Store for iPhone and Android phone owners. I took it for a spin.

Predicting the death of my iPhone

My current phone is an iPhone 15 Pro Max. I’ve been using it for just over a year. In that time, I’ve definitely noticed it running out of juice more often, and I was keen to find out when I might need to replace it.

The battery health feature in the iFixit app is still in beta, and the process for getting a reading is slightly different depending on your phone manufacturer. (Spoiler: None are completely straightforward.)

Apple doesn’t currently allow access to battery stats via any of its APIs (iFixit tells me the APIs are there, but Apple won’t approve your app if you use them), so instead you have to ensure you have your phone analytics turned on and then import an analytics file into the app.

If that sounds complicated, be assured that it’s not. In the app is a guide that tells you exactly what to do and I found it easy to follow. I turned my analytics on in Settings and allowed it to gather data for one day before sharing the file with iFixit.

What I found surprised me. I consider myself a power user (my screen time is honestly embarrassing), yet in the year or so I’ve had this iPhone, I’ve completed only 266 full charging cycles. As a result, iFixit rated my battery health as «fair» and says it can now charge to just 86% of its original capacity.

It did add: «Your capacity is declining. Plan a replacement soon to maintain performance.» It turns out that «soon» is a relative term, though, as it recommended that replacement didn’t actually need to happen until February 2027.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much life this iPhone still has in it. It’s entirely possible I’ll replace the battery before then, simply because I like to get a full day of life out of one charge, and that isn’t happening right now. But after CNET editor-at-large Andrew Lanxon replaced his own iPhone battery last month, I feel confident in my ability to undertake open-heart surgery on my phone at home. Plus, I always have iFixit’s Fixbot on hand to help me out if I do get stuck.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Dec. 11, #444

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Dec. 11, No. 444.

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

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Put on your skates.

Green group hint: Get your racket.

Blue group hint: Dribble the ball.

Purple group hint: Kids love to do this.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Found at a hockey rink.

Green group: Last four men to win a tennis Grand Slam.

Blue group: Current women’s college basketball stars.

Purple group: ____ play.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is found at a hockey rink. The four answers are bench, boards, glass and penalty box.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is the last four men to win a tennis Grand Slam. The four answers are Alcaraz, Djokovic, Nadal and Sinner.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is current women’s college basketball stars. The four answers are Betts, Booker, Crooks and Strong.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ play. The four answers are bang-bang, power, trick and triple.

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Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories

The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.

That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently.

#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.

#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.

#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.

#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Dec. 11, #1636

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for Dec. 11, No. 1,636.

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

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a little tricky, with a double letter, to boot. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has one repeated letter.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has two vowels.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with G.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with S.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can mean to estimate or to suppose something.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is GUESS.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Dec. 10, No. 1635 was ERASE.

Recent Wordle answers

Dec. 6, No. 1631: WAIST

Dec. 7, No. 1632: FLUTE

Dec. 8, No. 1633: GRAVY

Dec. 9, No. 1634: SNIDE

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Dec. 11

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 11.

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? It wasn’t too bad, though 7-Across threw me until I solved some of the Down clues. Read on for the answers. 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.