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

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.

ios 16 beta battery percentage icon
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.

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.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

berrymetal Avatar
25 months ago
if you want a battery percentage upgrade to iPhone 14, peasants!
Score: 65 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dschulian Avatar
25 months ago

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.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shakerstevens Avatar
25 months ago
"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
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kierkegaarden Avatar
25 months ago
I prefer no percentage — my life has become less stressful by not knowing the number.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unggoy Murderer Avatar
25 months ago
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.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
boak Avatar
25 months ago

Those models specifically have low DPI displays, so rendering something as small as that might make it look weird or illegible.
False. The 12 mini and 13 mini have the highest DPI of any iPhone. Ever.

And interestingly the smallest bezels too.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)