While Apple has brought back the classic Battery Percentage display icon with iOS 16, it has also confirmed that this feature won’t be available on older generation iPhone models.
In a recently updated support document, the Cupertino giant has confirmed that the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 mini, and iPhone 13 mini won’t support iOS 16’s Battery Percentage feature.
In other words, these models won’t display the iPhone’s battery percentage directly in the status bar but will continue to show it in the Control Center. However, Apple hasn’t provided any reason as to why these smartphones will miss out on the new feature.
Battery percentage has always been visible in the status bar for the iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation), the iPhone 8 or earlier, and even the iPads (all models) from the beginning. However, the feature was removed to accommodate Face ID and other sensors in the essential redesign that came with the iPhone X.
Having said this, the iPhone XS series, the iPhone 11 Pro, the iPhone 11 Pro Max, the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Pro, the iPhone 12 Pro Max, the iPhone 13, the iPhone 13 Pro, the iPhone 13 Pro Max, and the iPhone 14 series will now show the battery percentage directly on the home screen without requiring users to specifically swipe down to Control Center.
In order to enable this feature, you need to go to Settings > Battery and turn on the Battery Percentage option. Once enabled, you will be able to see the battery percentage within the battery icon rather than adjacent to it.
The battery icon will show the battery percentage in white until the battery is about 20%. Once it is below 20%, one-fifth of the icon will turn red and continue to remain so until the battery is completely drained. However, if the Low Power Mode is turned on, the icon turns yellow.
Apple has started rolling out the iOS 16 update on iPhones 8 and above from September 12, 2022. This update brings several new features like a reimagined Lock Screen, updated Focus mode, Updates to Messages, New Tools in Mail, improved privacy options, and much more.
