Battery health on used phones

A “94% battery” line in an ad is the seller’s claim. Check the number on the phone itself, in person, not in a screenshot.

iPhone

• Open Settings → Battery → Battery Health. It shows Maximum Capacity, measured against the battery when it was new.
• Apple says iPhone 14 and earlier batteries are designed to keep 80% of their original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles under ideal conditions, and iPhone 15 batteries at 1,000 cycles. A brand-new phone can read slightly under 100%.
• On iPhone XS, XR and later, a message that iPhone is “unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple battery” means the battery was replaced with one Apple cannot verify, and the health figure may not be accurate.
• A “Performance management applied” note means the phone has already shut down unexpectedly because the battery could not deliver peak power.

Android

Many Android phones do not show a battery health percentage in Settings, and third-party apps only estimate it. Treat an Android battery percentage in an ad as a claim you cannot easily verify.

What to watch during the meeting

• A phone with 100% after two years of “heavy use” deserves a second look.
• Replacement batteries can be poor quality even if the percentage looks fine.
• Watch the temperature and any shutdowns during your inspection, not only the number.

Mobile Market does not measure batteries. If the number matters to you, check it on the device before paying.

Sources

• Apple Support: iPhone battery and performance (published 1 June 2026)