Reduce your battery anxiety the easy way!
When I upgraded my iPhone to a newer model, I noticed that the battery percentage was gone.
This was a little unsettling.
I love seeing the battery percentage on my iPhone. Without it, the small, white battery icon is just not precise enough, and it rarely serves to give an accurate representation of how much longer my iPhone will last.
However, I soon learned that the battery percentage was not gone; it just moved. As a result, there are now multiple ways to show your iPhone battery percentage.
Here are five of my favorites.
1. The Status Bar
If your iPhone has a physical home button (iPhone 6, 7, 8, SE), you can show battery percentage in the iPhone status bar. It will be visible in the top right-hand corner of your screen next to the battery icon.
If you don’t see the percentage, open the Settings app, tap Battery, and turn on the switch next to Battery Percentage.
Unfortunately, newer iPhones without a physical home button (iPhone X, 11, 12) do not have this option. That’s because the notch at the top of the screen that houses the Face ID sensor does not leave enough room for the battery icon and a percentage.
However, there are several other methods you can use to show the battery percentage on your iPhone.
2. Control Center
All iPhones show the battery percentage in Control Center, and this handy settings screen is just a swipe away.
If your iPhone has a physical home button, you can access Control Center by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. If you have a newer iPhone, swipe down from the top-right-hand corner of your screen.
If you are using a larger device like the iPhone Pro Max, the top right-hand corner can be a bit of a stretch. Thankfully, there is a handy shortcut to summon the Control Center by double-tapping the back of your iPhone.
Here’s how to set that up:
- Open the Settings app
- Tap Accessibility and then tap Touch
- Next, scroll down and tap Back Tap
- Select Double Tap, and then choose Control Center
From now on, you can tap twice on the back of your iPhone to bring up Control Center. It’s an easy way to show your battery percentage and have quick access to other settings like brightness, airplane mode, and media controls. Try it out!
3. The Battery Widget
iOS 14 brought new customization options for iPhone users in the form of widgets. Android customers have enjoyed these for years, so it was great to see Apple implement their own interpretation of this popular feature.
There are a number of system widgets that can be added to your home screen, but the battery widget is a must-have addition if you want to keep an eye on your available battery power.
There are several different battery widgets to choose from. The larger widgets will display your iPhone battery percentage and the percentage of any connected devices like AirPods or your Apple Watch.
Watch the video below to learn how to add widgets to your iPhone.
4. Show Battery Percentage While Charging
You’ve probably seen this before, but when your iPhone is charging, you can check your battery percentage from the home screen. Then, all you need to do is tap the screen to wake it up or press the power button.
The current battery percentage can be seen under the clock on your lock screen. To speed up your charging, consider a more powerful adapter. This will fast-charge your iPhone 8 (and newer) to 50 percent battery in around 30 minutes.
Fast charging works when you use a Lightning to USB-C cable and pair it with a power adapter rated at 18W or higher.
5. Ask Siri
Did you know that Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, can tell you how much battery you have left? This is a useful option if you don’t have any free hands or are rushing around to get out the door.
Say, “Hey Siri, what is my battery percentage?” to hear the current charge level read aloud to you and to see it displayed as a number on the screen of your iPhone.
Siri doesn’t get a great reputation for being one of the more useful virtual assistants, but for quick tasks like this, it is the perfect tool for the job.
Bonus Tip: The Apple Watch
The Apple Watch has an excellent complication that helps you keep track of the battery life on your Apple Watch, but what about the iPhone?
There are many useful apps in the App Store that were created for that exact purpose. Once launched, these watch apps will show the battery percentage of your iPhone from your wrist.
Free apps like Battery Watcher or Charge will do the job, but if you want additional options like low battery notifications, or watch face complications, check out Juice Watch. It’s a paid app, but it has some helpful ways to monitor the battery life on your Apple Watch and your iPhone.
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