Assurant found that the average age of phones traded in or upgraded hit 3.7 years—an all‑time high.[^assurant-2024] That’s a polite way of saying what you already feel: you’re trying to keep your phone longer, because replacing it is expensive.

The problem is that one thing makes a perfectly fine phone feel suddenly “done”: battery wear. When capacity drops, you get more “low battery” panic, more midday charging, and more performance weirdness—so upgrading starts to feel inevitable.

Battery health apps help you fight back by doing three practical jobs:

  • Measure: estimate remaining capacity and/or show cycle count and charging behavior.
  • Diagnose: reveal what’s draining your battery (and when).
  • Change habits: reduce the wear you cause every day (heat + high charge levels + fast charging, depending on your device).

If you can keep the battery healthy—or replace it at the right time—you can often delay a phone upgrade without feeling like you’re “suffering” through it.

What “battery health” actually means (in normal-people English)

Battery health is basically: how much charge your battery can hold today vs. when it was new.

Apple explains it in the simplest useful way: the Maximum Capacity number is your iPhone’s battery capacity “relative to when it was new.”[^apple-battery-health]

Here’s a key stat worth knowing because it gives you a realistic timeline:

“Batteries of iPhone 14 models and earlier are designed to retain 80% of their original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles…”[^apple-batteries-service]

And iPhone 15 models are designed for 80% at 1000 cycles under ideal conditions.[^apple-batteries-service] That’s a big deal: it means on newer iPhones, normal use can stay comfortable longer—if you don’t cook the battery with heat and constant 100% charging.

Also, trend-wise: Apple is surfacing more battery detail directly in iOS. On iPhone 15 and later, you can see cycle count and other details in Settings.[^apple-iphone-user-guide]

So why even use apps? Because apps can make the data easier to interpret (and easier to act on), especially if you share charging habits across a household with multiple devices.

The “delay the upgrade” playbook (how apps fit in)

This is the approach I use when I’m trying to stretch a phone another 6–18 months:

  1. Baseline your battery (capacity estimate, cycle count if available).
  2. Find the real drains (one or two apps usually cause most of the pain).
  3. Stop charging like it’s 2012 (you don’t need to babysit, but you do need smarter defaults).
  4. Decide: habits vs. replacement
    • If health is still decent: fix drain + reduce wear.
    • If health is poor (often <80%): start pricing a battery replacement before you price a new phone.[^imazing-battery-guide]

Now, here are five apps/tools I’ve personally leaned on for those steps—split across Android, iPhone, and a couple of “household laptop” options that help you check iPhone batteries more deeply.

App #1: AccuBattery (Android)

AccuBattery is the Android “workhorse” for understanding how your charging habits translate into battery wear.

How I used it

  • I ran it for a few days, then used its Health tab to get a steadier estimate (it improves with data over time).[^accu-getting-started]
  • When I wanted a more “snapshot-style” reading, I followed AccuBattery’s own manual benchmark steps (the “charge overnight and calculate %” method).[^accu-benchmark]

What it’s good at

  • Capacity estimate over time (not just vibes)
  • Charging history + reminders (e.g., unplug at a target %)
  • Helping you compare “charging to 80%” vs. “always to 100%”

Pros

  • Clear, behavior-focused insight (you quickly see which habits cause the most wear).[^accu-getting-started]
  • Manual benchmark instructions are unusually transparent (it tells you exactly how it calculates).[^accu-benchmark]

Cons

  • Estimates can be noisy on some phones until you’ve collected enough sessions.[^accu-health-tab]
  • It’s a monitoring tool, not a magic fix—AccuBattery itself warns there are scam apps that claim to “fix” batteries (you still need to change what you do).[^accu-getting-started]

App #2: Battery Guru (Android)

Battery Guru is more of a “daily coach” than a deep battery lab. It’s the one I keep installed when I mainly want alerts and consistency.

How I used it

  • I set up charging and temperature alerts and checked the charging history when something felt off (like sudden faster drain after a busy week).
  • I treated it like a “house rules” app: same alert settings across family phones.

Battery Mentor (the project behind it) says Battery Guru helps you track battery temperature, charging history, and battery health over time.[^battery-mentor]

Pros

  • Great for household-level habits: alerts + history without much setup.[^battery-mentor]
  • Helps you notice heat spikes (heat is a silent battery killer).

Cons

  • Like most Android battery apps, accuracy depends on what your phone exposes; “battery health” is still an estimate, not a lab test.
  • You’ll get the most value if you actually respond to the alerts (if you ignore them, it becomes wallpaper).

App #3: Battery Life (iPhone + Apple Watch)

On iPhone, third‑party apps can’t access everything (iOS is intentionally restrictive), so I use Battery Life more like a quick dashboard than a medical exam.

How I used it

  • I used it mainly for runtime estimates and convenient watch complications, so I can see battery status without digging into Settings.
  • On weeks where I was trying to “baby” an aging phone, I used notifications to avoid accidental deep drains.

Battery Life describes itself as a battery analysis tool that monitors runtimes, paired devices, and notifications—plus Apple Watch complications.[^battery-life-app]

Pros

  • Convenient “at a glance” battery awareness across iPhone + Watch.[^battery-life-app]
  • Helpful if you’re juggling work/school runs/errands and just need predictability.

Cons

  • On iPhone, you should still treat Apple’s Battery Health screen in Settings as the primary truth for health/capacity.[^apple-battery-health]
  • “Battery apps” on iOS can be limited by design (that’s not the app’s fault—it’s the platform).

App #4: iMazing (Mac/PC tool for iPhone & iPad)

If your iPhone battery feels inconsistent—and you want more than Apple’s single percentage—iMazing is the most practical “grown-up” tool I’ve used.

How I used it

  • Plugged my iPhone into a laptop, opened iMazing, and checked its battery info window.
  • I used it to sanity-check whether the phone “felt old” due to battery health or due to a rogue app / settings issue.

iMazing documents how it categorizes battery health, including that “Poor” is under 80% and suggests considering a replacement at that point.[^imazing-battery-guide] It also shows charge cycles and technical fields like design vs. effective max charge.[^imazing-battery-guide]

Pros

  • Much more detail than most people ever see on iPhone (especially helpful for older iPhones).
  • Useful for families: you can check multiple devices from one computer.

Cons

  • It’s a desktop tool, so it’s not as “grab your phone and check” convenient.[^imazing-battery-guide]
  • Some iMazing features are paid; battery info is the main reason to install it, so check the free limits first.

App #5: coconutBattery (Mac tool for iPhone, iPad, and Mac batteries)

coconutBattery has been around for ages and focuses on battery diagnostics across Apple devices. The developer says it shows live information about battery quality for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and it’s only available from their site (not an app store).[^coconutbattery]

How I used it

  • I used it as a quick “second opinion” tool for cycle count and capacity-style readings when an iPhone felt like it fell off a cliff.
  • I also used it to compare multiple household devices side-by-side (helpful when you’re deciding whose phone actually needs help first).

Pros

  • Handy “one screen” battery view for multiple Apple devices.[^coconutbattery]
  • Useful if you already have a Mac in the house and want quick checks without digging through menus.

Cons

  • Different tools sometimes show slightly different numbers because they may interpret battery fields differently; don’t panic over tiny differences.
  • Downloading outside an app store is normal for this tool—but it does mean you should be extra careful to use the official site.[^coconutbattery]

Trends you’ll notice in 2026 (and why they matter for your wallet)

  • More built-in battery transparency: iPhone 15+ shows cycle count and more battery details in Settings.[^apple-iphone-user-guide] That makes “battery health” less mysterious—and makes it easier to decide on a battery replacement vs. a whole new phone.
  • Upgrade pressure is still real: YouGov found 25% of likely smartphone buyers expect to replace within 1–2 years (in 2025).[^yougov-2025] Battery wear is one of the easiest reasons to justify that—unless you measure it and manage it.
  • Battery tools are shifting from “cleaner/booster nonsense” to analytics: the useful apps focus on monitoring, alerts, and behavior change—not fake “repair” buttons.

A simple way to decide if you can delay the upgrade

If your battery health is still decent and your drain is caused by one or two apps or settings, you can usually buy yourself time by:

  • cutting background activity,
  • keeping the phone cooler,
  • and avoiding living at 100% charge all day.

If health is trending toward “replace me,” it’s worth pricing a battery service before you price a phone. Apple notes AppleCare battery coverage applies when capacity drops below 80%.[^apple-iphone-battery-replacement]

Conclusion

Battery health apps won’t magically reverse aging, but they do give you the two things that make delaying upgrades realistic: numbers you can trust and habits you can actually stick to. Once you can see what’s happening, keeping your current phone longer stops feeling like guesswork—and starts feeling like a plan.

References

[^assurant-2024]: Assurant (Aug 20, 2024), “Device age at trade-in or upgrade hits all-time high of 3.7 years.” https://www.assurant.in/newsroom-detail/2024/August/mobile-trade-in-program-trends-Q2-2024
[^apple-battery-health]: Apple Support, “Maximum battery capacity measures the device battery capacity relative to when it was new.” https://support.apple.com/en-tm/101575
[^apple-batteries-service]: Apple, “Batteries of iPhone 14 models and earlier…80%…500 complete charge cycles… iPhone 15…80%…1000 complete charge cycles.” https://www.apple.com/batteries/service-and-recycling/
[^apple-iphone-user-guide]: Apple Support (iPhone User Guide), iPhone 15+ battery health details include cycle count. https://support.apple.com/en-mide/guide/iphone/iphd453d043a/ios
[^yougov-2025]: YouGov (Dec 5, 2025), “25% of likely smartphone buyers expect to replace their smartphone within 1-2 years…” https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/53648-americans-plan-faster-smartphone-upgrades-and-fewer-expect-to-buy-budget-models
[^accu-getting-started]: AccuBattery Help Center, “Getting started guide.” https://accubattery.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/210224685-Getting-started-guide
[^accu-benchmark]: AccuBattery Help Center (Updated Jun 16, 2025), “How to: manually benchmark your battery health.” https://accubattery.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/213575425-How-to-manually-benchmark-your-battery-health
[^accu-health-tab]: AccuBattery Help Center, notes on how health is calculated and why shorter sessions can be inaccurate. https://accubattery.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/209507189-Tab-3-battery-health-screen
[^battery-mentor]: Battery Mentor site, Battery Guru feature summary (battery temperature alerts, charging history, battery health tracking). https://batterymentor.com/
[^battery-life-app]: Battery Life official site, features list (runtimes, paired device insight, notifications, watch complications). https://www.batterylifeapp.com/
[^imazing-battery-guide]: iMazing guide (May 29, 2019), health categories and the “Poor <80%” guidance plus technical fields and cycle definition. https://imazing.com/guides/how-to-check-iphone-ipad-battery-health-and-diagnostics
[^coconutbattery]: coconutBattery official page (availability + device support). https://coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/
[^apple-iphone-battery-replacement]: Apple Support, AppleCare battery replacement eligibility when capacity is below 80%. https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/battery-replacement