Apple is about to introduce a small change with a huge impact on the quality of life of iPhone users everywhere, who are tired of watching helplessly as the life drains from their device in immeasurable increments.
But there’s good news: In the latest iOS 16 beta, the battery icon once again displays the actual digital percentage of juice left in the iPhone or iPad’s battery, giving users a more accurate measure of how soon they’ll be left clutching a lifeless hunk precious metals.
The battery indicator returns in iOS 16 beta 5, but still needs to be enabled for anyone running the beta (via the Settings menu). The battery percentage toggle option is located in the “battery” corner of the settings menu, above the low power mode switch.
The update is limited to beta for now, but if history is any guide, it should make its way to a full iOS release. The battery percentage indicator made its debut back in the iPhone 3GS era before disappearing with the appearance of the iPhone X notch around iOS 11 in 2017.
As one of our regular Android apologists, it’s my duty to point out that Android’s battery indicator has never gone away and has indeed remained functional throughout the many recent changes to this operating system, but you already know that. As we all know, the Cupertino company is a fickle divine entity and does whatever it wants with the devices it issues from on high.
As our resident Appleman noted:
Apple doesn’t always support every beta feature in a final release — especially if early feedback pushes something away — but there’s a good chance the battery percentage icon will return in late September with the proper release of iOS 16.
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