Apple Says iOS 16's New Haptic Keyboard Option Might Affect Battery Life

[MacRumors]

iOS 16 introduced a new haptic feedback option for the default keyboard. When enabled, the iPhone makes a slight vibration after each key tapped while typing, providing physical confirmation that the key was pressed. The feature is a useful addition to the iPhone, but keep in mind that Apple says it can potentially impact battery life.

"Turning on keyboard haptics might affect the battery life of your iPhone," says Apple, in a support document published last week. Apple does not provide any additional details, so it's not clear exactly how much battery life the feature uses. Note that Low Power Mode does not disable haptic feedback, so the only option for users who are concerned about potential battery life impact is to keep the feature turned off.

Any software feature on an iPhone obviously consumes battery life, but that Apple felt it was worth explicitly mentioning for haptic feedback is notable.

To enable haptic feedback for the keyboard, open the Settings app, tap Sounds & Haptics → Keyboard Feedback, and turn on Haptic. The same toggle switch can be used to turn off the feature at any point. The feature is available on the iPhone 8 and newer running iOS 16 or later and utilizes the Taptic Engine inside iPhones.

(Thanks, Dean Lubaki!)

Article Link: Apple Says iOS 16's New Haptic Keyboard Option Might Affect Battery Life

 

[MrGimper]

I'm pretty much 100% certain it will.

 

[hcherry]

Makes sense.

Had the function on for a day (on my 12 mini). Nothing noticeable so far.

Overall, it’s not a “wow” feature and odds are I’ll deactivate within a few days.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Well who would’a guessed.

 

[dannyyankou]

I didn't even know this was a thing

 

[nfl46]

I have a 14 Pro Max. We were built for this. Lol. Turn it onnnn!

 

[fwmireault]

This is to be expected. It is enabled on my iPhone 14 PM, and I can comfortably reach two full days of moderate usage with always on and haptic keyboard enabled. still amazing battery life compared to my iPhone 12 PM

 

[Motionblurrr]

Another Android feature that wastes battery life?? No way!

 

[Woyly]

yesssss. treat me like a 5 yo and explain to me why....

 

[FattiesGoneWild]

Well duh. Exactly why I don’t use any haptic feedback.

 

[AMTYVLE]

Why wouldn't this be turned off in LPM? Doesn't make sense.

 

[zachz]

Have had it on my 13 mini for a few days and it’s been great, haven’t noticed any battery issues but my capacity is at 91% so it’s been dying faster regardless.

Now I feel closer to the blackberry dream of an iPhone with a physical keyboard! Ha I wish

 

[Think|Different]

Hmm, ok, well I'm never going back! You can't take it away from me!

 

[Mr. Awesome]

I appreciate having the option, but even ignoring the battery life concerns having the haptic feedback throws off my typing muscle memory somehow.

 

[Octavius8]

I LOCE IT!. My typing success rate has improved. Or at least my perception about my typing.

 

[David1964]

Tried it out and then disabled it on the very first beta.No plans to switch it back on.

 

[testcard]

“Apple advises that you should type no more than a short paragraph per day with haptic feedback to avoid affecting battery life.”

 

[DTphonehome]

Turns out you need to use energy to power a tiny motor. Who knew?!

 

[temende]

You're typing it wrong.

 

[Ted Lasso]

Interesting. Turned it on as soon as I got my iPhone 14 PM. Might turn it off to see just how much battery life it saves.

 

[Joe Rossignol]

Turns out you need to use energy to power a tiny motor. Who knew?!

I get this reaction but Apple doesn't often go out of its way to state that a certain feature may have a battery life impact, so perhaps the narrative here is that users should be aware that the feature might consume more battery life than they might have anticipated. Hard to test!

 

[atiffarooq]

News story coming tomorrow: Using AOD on iPhone 14 Pro models consumes battery life.

 

[alex2792]

Taptic feedback for keyboard is by far the best iOS 16 feature. Not sure what took apple so long since android had this for years.

 

[TinyMito]

Well, it uses power and energy to vibrate. Nothing is free of power, and I actually don't mind since I don't type all day on my phone. It is a good haptic on keystrokes.

 

[G5isAlive]

I get this reaction but Apple doesn't often go out of its way to state that a certain feature may have a battery life impact, so perhaps the narrative here is that users should be aware that the feature might consume more battery life than they might have anticipated. Hard to test!

How many new features involve moving physical mass are announced each year?