You can now tell time with a dead phone— as long as you have an iPhone 15
UnsplashiOS 18 will make sure your phone can show you the time, even when it has run out of battery. However, the feature is limited to iPhone 15 lineup.
The iPhone has a Power Reserve function that saves a bit of battery so you can still use the Find My function and NFC unlocking when your phone’s completely dead. However, with iOS 18, Apple will also use this reserved power to show you the time.
As spotted by Reddit users (via MacRumors), with iOS 18 your iPhone can show the time in a small font at the top left corner, even when the battery is practically dead. The battery icon will still be visible, and it’ll say “iPhone is Findable” while there’s some reserve battery left.
The Power Reserve feature is available on older iPhones as well, but the handy clock feature is only on iPhone 15 and newer models. If you have an iPhone 14 or older, even with iOS 18, you won’t be able to see a clock on your phone when the battery dies.
It’s unclear what’s stopping Apple from making the feature available to older iPhones. Apple might release the feature on other iPhones sometime later, as iOS 18 is currently only in the developer beta stage. If you have an iPhone 15, you can give it a go by installing iOS 18 beta.
For those who may not be aware, iOS 18 was announced on June 10 during Apple’s WWDC conference. It introduces several welcome changes, including the option to customize the home screen by changing icon colors and placing icons anywhere on the screen.
The iPhone 15 Pro models will also have access to numerous AI features, including a completely revamped Siri that understands context. Apple is also offering access to ChatGPT as an opt-in service. iOS 18 is scheduled to begin public rollout in September 2024.