The big picture: Apple’s introduction of the notch on the 2017 iPhone X significantly decreased the available screen real estate for status bar elements. The battery percentage indicator that Apple had to conceal behind a swipe down for the Control Center was one of the more useful bits of information that could be seen at a glance. The function has now been reinstated in iOS 16’s most recent developer build, but with a somewhat modified implementation.
As part of iOS 16 beta 5, Apple has restored the battery level indicator to the status bar of notched iPhones. The feature is back and can be toggled on and off under Settings > Battery, much like on earlier devices like the iPhone 7 and 8. It’s interesting to note that not all notched devices have the option; beta testers have noted that it isn’t present on the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, and iPhone 12/13 mini.
On compatible models, Apple has also altered how the battery percentage indication is displayed. Older iPhones without a notch displayed the battery % as a number with a percentage symbol next to the battery icon, which depleted or filled depending on the battery level.
For those who own more recent iPhones and worry about their batteries, Apple’s most recent approach shows merely the number inside an always-full battery indicator. According to an iOS developer, the latter only runs out (and turns red) when the battery level approaches 20%.
In order to ensure legibility, this number also changes colour in accordance with the background. When the battery icon is black or green, it turns white, and when it is white, it turns transparent or clear. According to The Verge’s Victoria Song, the implementation isn’t always successful.
It seems sense that this feature isn’t available on the iPhone miniseries because the notch and a smaller screen would make it harder to read. The iPhone XR and iPhone 11, however, seem to have ample screen real estate for this feature despite having larger notches. These models’ lower pixel density and lower contrast LCD screens may be at blame, which may have forced Apple to limit the availability of this feature to high-resolution, OLED iPhones.
The iOS 16 developer-only beta 5 now has the battery percentage indication; a more stable public beta is on the way. This fall, Apple is slated to release iOS 16, which is likely to include features like the always-on display option that will only be available on the iPhone 14 and the ability to edit or unsend texts using the Messages app.
