Apple released the first iOS 16.1 developer beta on Wednesday, and it allows iPhone users with an iPhone 13 or 12 Mini, an iPhone 11 or iPhone XR to enable the new battery percentage indicator added in iOS 16, according to MacRumors.
Before iOS 16, iPhones with notches couldn’t see their battery percentage in the status bar, but Apple added the feature for some phones with notches with the last major software update. Many of us here on The edge are not a fan of the new design; the indicator puts a number in a battery icon, which is a smart way to save some space, but there’s no other visual indicator of how full that battery is. That means, for example, that if your battery is at 33 percent, the battery icon will still show “full”. (Here’s an idea on how Apple could improve the new design.)
Even if the feature doesn’t look great, it’s still a handy option to have, and it was disappointing that Apple didn’t make it available on the iPhone 13 Mini, 12 Mini, 11 or XS with the launch of iOS 16. But since it can now be used by those devices in the iOS 16.1 beta, hopefully it will be more widely available as part of the iOS 16.1 public release, which should happen soon.
I probably won’t turn the indicator on myself on my iPhone 12 Mini – I usually keep the battery percentages off because I find myself checking them constantly. But if Apple revamps the indicator design, maybe I’ll give it a shot.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.