iOS 16 adding ‘Clean Energy Charging’ feature for iPhone later this year

Chance Miller | Sep 12 2022 - 10:56 am PT

iOS 16 is now available to iPhone users everywhere, but there are still many other new features coming this year. At the bottom of its press release today, Apple teased a new “Clean Energy Charging” feature coming with a future update to iOS 16. Here’s how that could work…

Clean Energy Charging in iOS 16

“Clean Energy Charging aims to decrease the carbon footprint of the iPhone by optimizing charging times for when the grid is using cleaner energy sources,” Apple says.

We’re still waiting on more details on how exactly this will work. Based on Apple’s current explanation, it seems like iOS 16 will attempt to offload iPhone charging to a time when power grids are less constrained and more clean energy capacity is available. Notably, this comes amid concerns about power grid capacity in states like Texas and California.

This will be one of multiple charging optimization features Apple has added to iOS and the iPhone over the past several years. Most notably, the iPhone offers an “Optimized Battery Charging” feature that is designed to “reduce the wear on your battery and improve its lifespan.” This is done by reducing the time your iPhone spends fully charged.

Apple’s press release also confirms that iCloud Shared Photo Library will launch later this year, alongside features including Live Activities and support for the Matter standard in the Home application. We’re also still waiting on features like Apple Pay Later and the new Freeform app coming with iPadOS 16.

You can get the complete rundown of features that are included in today’s release in our complete coverage right here. Have you updated to iOS 16 yet? What are some of your favorite features? Let us know down in the comments.

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