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What is the "real" reason battery percentage isn't available on the iPhone/iPhone 3G?

TheSpaz

TheSpaz

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jun 20, 2005
7,032
1
Okay, so why can't regular iPhone, iPhone 3G, or iPod touch users have the battery percentage? I mean, it's such a small feature... I can't imagine that Apple is trying to get people to buy the iPhone 3GS just to have battery percentage.

Now, I know that some people say that the battery isn't as accurate on the iPhone/iPhone 3G so having the percentage would only anger people because they'd think their battery is bad. If that is truly the case, then why are there a handful of apps on the App Store that show the iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPod touch battery percentage? If Apple really wanted to block that feature, they wouldn't allow those applications to run on the non-3GS hardware.

So my question is... why leave out such a tiny feature? It boggles my mind.

By the way, check out an app called "Battery Fluid". It's like those beer apps, but instead of filling up with beer, you see how much battery fluid you have. It also shows the percentage.
 
Perhaps they're using a new battery that has this feature built-into it? And all the JB'd phones with his feature are just 'faking' it by polling the battery every so often?

I dunno ... I really got no idea.
 
a) putting "real" reason implies that you're not looking for the REASON but a convoluted one

b) I don't think there's a conspiracy or some hidden agenda. It could be tons of reasons - such as not wanting an additional process going on with previous gens of the iPhone to bog up memory/resources. The 3GS is a more powerful device. Sure you could say how many resources could a battery indicator possibly use - but I would assume there's a logical reason. Based on 3GS user discussions - the percentage indicator makes the battery usage more prone to user OCD and obessions with small percentage decreases.

c) you sound like you're shilling an app
 
cellocello said:
Perhaps they're using a new battery that has this feature built-into it?
Click to expand...

This is possible.

It's also possible that this is something they saved to encourage upgrades to the 3GS. It seems like such a small thing I have a hard time believing that, but I could certainly see either way being the right answer.
 
samcraig said:
a) putting "real" reason implies that you're not looking for the REASON but a convoluted one

b) I don't think there's a conspiracy or some hidden agenda. It could be tons of reasons - such as not wanting an additional process going on with previous gens of the iPhone to bog up memory/resources. The 3GS is a more powerful device. Sure you could say how many resources could a battery indicator possibly use - but I would assume there's a logical reason. Based on 3GS user discussions - the percentage indicator makes the battery usage more prone to user OCD and obessions with small percentage decreases.

c) you sound like you're shilling an app
Click to expand...

a) I was looking for a logical reason

b) The iPhone knows the exact battery percentage at all times, it just doesn't display it. There's no more resources being used by having it displayed on the screen.

c) I don't know what that means.
 
There is a hack in cydia to show percentages for older iphones

It works very well.

I'm guessing Apple doesn't want you to know how bad the battery life in those models are.....It's bad
 
xsecretfiles said:
There is a hack in cydia to show percentages for older iphones

It works very well.

I'm guessing Apple doesn't want you to know how bad the battery life in those models are.....It's bad
Click to expand...

My iPhone 3G battery lasts a lot longer than the battery in my iPhone 3GS (when I had one).

Oh well. It's sad that you have to resort to hacks to get simple stuff like this.
 
I'm not a conspiracy theorist so I've no idea. I'm jailbroken on a 3g and installed the hack for the %. I hated seeing the actual number drain, so I disabled it. Eh, not a huge feature for me.
 
TheSpaz said:
a) I was looking for a logical reason

b) The iPhone knows the exact battery percentage at all times, it just doesn't display it. There's no more resources being used by having it displayed on the screen.

c) I don't know what that means.
Click to expand...


A) then no need for quotes.
B) Everything is a process. If you're displaying something, you're using a process. So additional resources (however small) are being used.
C) You can google "shill" to see what it means.
 
perhaps the reported % simply wasnt accurate enough? we wouldn't want a situation like microsofts attempt at predicting how long something will move/copy...

100% -> 2 hours later -> 90% -> another 2 hours later -> 65%

not a realistic example, but you get my point. people would start moaning about it.
 
jayenh said:
perhaps the reported % simply wasnt accurate enough? we wouldn't want a situation like microsofts attempt at predicting how long something will move/copy...

100% -> 2 hours later -> 90% -> another 2 hours later -> 65%

not a realistic example, but you get my point. people would start moaning about it.
Click to expand...

My point is... there's already a dozen apps in the app store that display battery percentage for ANY iPhone or iPod touch. Therefore, Apple IS allowing it.
 
TheSpaz said:
My point is... there's already a dozen apps in the app store that display battery percentage for ANY iPhone or iPod touch. Therefore, Apple IS allowing it.
Click to expand...

Ok. it's an Apple conspiracy which stems from Steve Jobs having a personal vendetta against YOU personally. Steve hates you TheSpaz - so he's doing all of these things like making your iPhone slower with 3.0 and tweaking the UI between 2.2.1 and 3.0, etc just to drive you batS@#$% crazy.

Perhaps not the answer you're looking for. But then again - no one here is going to be able to TELL you the answer. It's all conjecture.
 
samcraig said:
Ok. it's an Apple conspiracy which stems from Steve Jobs having a personal vendetta against YOU personally. Steve hates you TheSpaz - so he's doing all of these things like making your iPhone slower with 3.0 and tweaking the UI between 2.2.1 and 3.0, etc just to drive you batS@#$% crazy.

Perhaps not the answer you're looking for. But then again - no one here is going to be able to TELL you the answer. It's all conjecture.
Click to expand...

Negative much? I started the thread because I thought that maybe I was missing some piece of evidence or something.

1. 3GS has battery percentage built into the OS
2. 3G does not
3. There are dozens of apps on the App Store that provide the percentage
4. Apple allows the App Store to do it
5. Apple dis-allows the same iPhone users to have it built into their iPhone

Based on all that information, there's no reason why the other devices can't have the battery percentage too.

celticpride678 said:
http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211536

Check it out. Not lying.
Click to expand...

I saw it already but it says "unconfirmed". I could make something up right now about what's going to be in 3.1 and just call it "unconfirmed"... doesn't mean it will happen.
 
TheSpaz said:
Based on all that information, there's no reason why the other devices can't have the battery percentage too.
QUOTE]

There is a reason. You just don't have it. And neither does anyone here. Ask Apple via your developer account.

And if there "isn't" a reason -the reason is "because... that's just how it is."
Click to expand...
 
I think it's apples way of giving the 3gs more quirks. But on the flip side looking at the guts of both phones the 3gs does have additional connections to the battery so it could be a case it dosnt require the battery to be polled to check the battery life.
 
I think it's just Apple's way of withholding nice little quirks for future iPhone models.

I mean, think about it.

My iPhone 2G can obviously show the battery in %. It can also record video through Cycorder. It has the functions to do so, but it's not official.

However, it was released eventually through the 3GS and what not.


It's just a marketing plan.
 
TheSpaz said:
I started the thread because I thought that maybe I was missing some piece of evidence or something.
Click to expand...


I don't think you're going to find any answer here on this forum that will satisfy you.

In fact, I vote that this thread is improperly titled. It should really read "I don't think there IS a valid reason for not showing battery percentage on older model iPhones, and I wanted to complain about it."
 
Samcraig, what's you deal? Seriously, every thread that TheSpaz makes, you have to chime in with a usually nasty/unhelpful comment. Give it a rest?:rolleyes:
 
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