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iOS 16 brings battery percentage back to the status bar after five long years

You can finally see how much battery percentage is left in the status bar

Adam Vjestica

Aug 9, 2022

(Credit: Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

➡️ The Shortcut Skinny

👏 iOS5 16 beta 5 now lets you see the battery percentage in the status bar
🙈 The feature was removed when the iPhone X launched as there wasn’t enough space thanks to the notch
👇 Currently, you can check the battery percentage by swiping down to the Control Center
🔋 However, a percentage figure will now appear in the battery icon if you enable it

Apple has returned the battery percentage to the status bar as part of iOS 16. The feature was removed when the iPhone X launched in November 2017 but is now available to iOS16 beta 5 users.

Apple axed the battery percentage indicator due to the iPhone X’s notch, which has been a staple ever since. The battery percentage used to appear to the left of the battery icon, but Apple gave it the chop as there wasn’t enough space to fit it in.

The current solution for iPhone users is to swipe down into Control Center, but soon you’ll be able to see a numerical indication of how much battery remains in the status bar.

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The new (or old) battery percentage feature isn’t enabled by default, so if you’re part of the iOS 16 beta and can’t see it, you’ll need to head to Settings and turn on the ‘Battery Percentage’ toggle in the Battery menu.

iOS 16 battery percentage toggle — (Credit: MacRumors)

When your iPhone is disconnected from the power, you’ll see the percentage number inside the battery icon, and it will also show in low power mode and when the phone is charging.

As it stands, the batter percentage option is unavailable on the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 mini, and iPhone 13 mini.

Just in time for the iPhone 14

Apple is gearing up for the iPhone 14 release date, which is rumored to be Friday, September 23. There’s a chance that the iPhone 14 may be announced one week earlier than expected, as September begins on a Thursday this year. Will Apple count that as the first week in September? We’ll have to wait and see, but it could speed up the iPhone 14’s announcement.