Getting the most out of a phone's battery is arguably one of the most important features for a smartphone. And the upcoming iOS 14.5 update from Apple has a new tool to ensure accurate information about battery capacity

This feature is the Battery Health Recalibration tool, which was just released for developers in iOS 14.5 beta 6 It first appeared in iOS 14.5 beta 6, which has just been released to developers. (Update: iOS 14.5 beta 6 is also now available as a public beta; see below). This recalibration feature, discovered by 9to5Mac, appears anytime the iPhone's battery becomes sluggish.

While this feature is not yet live, Apple already has support documentation that explains how the battery health recalibration tool works and what it does. According to Apple, the tool corrects "inaccurate estimates of battery life reporting."

Currently, the "Battery Status" page in the "Battery" section of the "Settings" app in iOS 14 displays the maximum capacity of the iPhone battery. Inaccurate numbers and inaccurate battery percentages make it difficult to diagnose battery drain or poor performance.

From Apple's description, this recalibration is done without your intervention. A message will appear in the "Battery Status" section telling you that the system reporting the battery status is undergoing recalibration and that the process may take several weeks. A message will also appear stating that if the fix is not successful, you may be advised to send it in for repair.

According to Apple, this feature works on the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. There is no indication as to whether the battery health recalibration will be limited to only these models or whether it will be extended to older models. Also, no mention was made of the iPhone 12 model.

iOS 14.5 will be released at some point this spring and will offer quite a few new features in what would normally be a maintenance upgrade. In addition to a battery recalibration tool, it is expected to offer a new way to unlock the iPhone with the Apple Watch, many Maps improvements, and the ability to share Apple Cards among multiple users.