Apple Confirms iOS 16 Battery Percentage Display Not Available on Certain iPhone Models

[MacRumors]

Following iOS 16's public release, Apple has confirmed that users of older generation iPhone models will miss out on the ability to show their iPhone's battery percentage directly in the status bar.

In an updated support document, Apple says that the new battery percentage display is not available on the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, the iPhone 12 mini, and the iPhone 13 mini. Apple provides no additional information about why these devices will miss out on the new feature.

Apple added the battery percentage display icon in an iOS 16 beta over the summer. The new toggle, which can be found within Settings and Battery, lets users always see their battery percentage directly in the status bar without having to swipe down into Control Center.

• iOS 16: How to Display iPhone Battery Percentage in Status Bar

Ever since the iPhone X with the notch, users have asked Apple to make it easier to see their iPhone's battery level directly in the status bar. Still, Apple's recent implementation has proven to be controversial.

The new icon includes the battery percentage within the icon rather than to the left of it. The white battery icon remains completely filled in until the battery reaches 20% or lower, at which point a fifth of the icon turns red and the rest of the icon becomes translucent.

Article Link: Apple Confirms iOS 16 Battery Percentage Display Not Available on Certain iPhone Models

 

[berrymetal]

if you want a battery percentage upgrade to iPhone 14, peasants!

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

Suspect it's text legibility. The Xr / 11 screens don't have the pixel resolution to effectively display the numbers, and the mini's are probably either too tight on space, or the text would be too small.

 

[Agneev]

Those models specifically have low DPI displays, so rendering something as small as that might make it look weird or illegible.

 

[alien3dx]

The most reason is , they only sell 12 and above. if figure small iphone se also small.

 

[Hammerd]

if you want a battery percentage upgrade to iPhone 14, peasants!

Yokels with a 13/13 Pro are tolerated

 

[The Game 161]

Yeah sadly missing on my XR

 

[Bento.Box]

Suspect it's text legibility. The Xr / 11 screens don't have the pixel resolution to effectively display the numbers, and the mini's are probably either too tight on space, or the text would be too small.

The resolution hasn't changed. It was possible before.

They probably migrated something and weren't able to implement the battery percentage indicator in time. Such stuff happens a lot in the software industry.

 

[heystu]

I have it on the 11 Pro but quickly switched it off again, each to their own I guess but I'm happy to see a visual representation and swipe down if I want to see exactly how much juice is left in the old gal.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

I prefer no percentage — my life has become less stressful by not knowing the number.

 

[Jim Lahey]

This is an issue that should never have happened to begin with. If a multi-trillion dollar tech firm couldn’t dream up a workaround for this right from the beginning then they may as well have just shut up shop and turned the lights off on their way out.

 

[Seanm87]

I don’t get this obsession with knowing the percentage. You can see how much is left in the icon.

Why do you need to know the exact percentage?

 

[Novius89]

I have it on the 11 Pro but quickly switched it off again, each to their own I guess but I'm happy to see a visual representation and swipe down if I want to see exactly how much juice is left in the old gal.

Exactly my thoughts, not that i have a choice with my 12 mini 😂

 

[NMBob]

How hard can it be?: [74}
I better call my patent attorney in the morning.

 

[dschulian]

Those models specifically have low DPI displays, so rendering something as small as that might make it look weird or illegible.

My iPhone 4 could display that. And I could read it without thinking: Hum, this looks weird?!

It’s a shame those small UI updates are now exclusively for newer models too.
Feels like Apple is running out of ideas on how to motivate people to upgrade their phones. So they come up with the most ridiculous ways to cripple the OS/UI.

 

[shakerstevens]

"users of older generation iPhone models will miss out on the ability" - my iPhone mini 13 was still the latest model until a week ago with a better 476 ppi screen than the normal size iphone 13. Hmmm

 

[ELman]

My Xs is showing it.

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

The resolution hasn't changed. It was possible before.

They probably migrated something and weren't able to implement the battery percentage indicator in time. Such stuff happens a lot in the software industry.

It's not the same. The text was on its own line and not contained within a pill, it would definitely struggle to fit.

 

[Bento.Box]

I don’t get this obsession with knowing the percentage. You can see how much is left in the icon.

Why do you need to know the exact percentage?

It's important to know how much is left in the battery. Numbers are easier to handle than icons.

E.g. if you're doing something and you went from 15 to 10% in 15minutes, you know you have around half an hour of runtime left. Would you get the same estimate easily by counting pixels in the icon?

 

[Bento.Box]

It's not the same. The text was on its own line and not contained within a pill, it would definitely struggle to fit.

So then it's deemed unfit and goes back to the design stage.

 

[IG88]

In an updated support document, Apple says that the new battery percentage display is not available on the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, the iPhone 12 mini, and the iPhone 13 mini. Apple provides no additional information about why these devices will miss out on the new feature

Easy. Because they want you to buy a new phone if you have an XR or 11.

 

[Stiksi]

This again reaffirms my conviction that the iPhone SE is Apple’s best model.

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

It's important to know how much is left in the battery. Numbers are easier to handle than icons.

E.g. if you're doing something and you went from 15 to 10% in 15minutes, you know you have around half an hour of runtime left. Would you get the same estimate easily by counting pixels in the icon?

Or, you know, you could swipe down and see the exact percentage. Not exactly a huge amount of effort, and we've been doing it on notched iPhones for years.

So then it's deemed unfit and goes back to the design stage.

Can't really see how else they'd do it. They could have a vertical battery with the text next to it maybe, but it would then break the visual consistency in that area.

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

Easy. Because they want you to buy a new phone if you have an XR or 11.

iPhone XS gets it too.

Also, I'm sure the number of people who upgrade their phones due to a missing battery percentage readout that they can get anyway with a single interaction will be well into the astonishing double-digit range.

Talk about people making a mountain out of a molehill. Sheesh.

 

[Bento.Box]

Or, you know, you could swipe down and see the exact percentage. Not exactly a huge amount of effort, and we've been doing it on notched iPhones for years.

That's a bad idea in terms of usability.

Can't really see how else they'd do it. They could have a vertical battery with the text next to it maybe, but it would then break the visual consistency in that area.

It was fine in the version before. Just rollback. Not that difficult.

Many design ideas fail in initial testing.