Latest iOS 16.1 Beta Tweaks Battery Status Bar to Show Visual Charge Level

Apple today released the second beta of iOS 16.1, introducing further tweaks to the battery percentage indicator that is located in the status bar.

ios 16 1 beta 2 battery
With today's beta, the battery level of the icon depletes as the battery depletes, providing a better visual indication of what battery level is at alongside the percentage.

If the percentage feature is enabled, you will now see the charge number as well as battery indicator that fills or depletes based on your current charge level. Prior to the latest beta, the battery indicator in the status bar showed percent, but the battery level was static, making it sometimes difficult to determine the iPhone's charge at a glance.

Battery percent was not present on iPhones that have ‌‌Face ID‌‌ in iOS 15 because of the lack of space on either side of the notch that houses the TrueDepth camera hardware, but Apple's updated ‌iOS 16‌ design added the specific battery level to the battery icon, with iOS 16.1 adding further tweaks. The iOS 16.1 beta also brings the battery percentage to the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 12 mini, ‌iPhone‌ XR, and ‌iPhone‌ 11, devices that do not support it in iOS 16.

Apple with the second beta has additionally tweaked the charging indicator on the Lock Screen. When plugging an ‌iPhone‌ into a Lightning cable or Qi-based wireless charger, it will now show the battery percent briefly above the time. iPhone 14 Pro models have a battery status indicator in the Dynamic Island as well.


There will be several more rounds of beta testing before iOS 16.1 sees a public release, but there is a public beta available for non-developers to test. The next public beta should be coming soon with the updated battery status bar icon.

Top Rated Comments

NARadyk Avatar
16 months ago
I don’t understand why this wasn’t the case to begin with but as they say, better late than never.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Saladin12 Avatar
16 months ago
Brilliant! What does this look like once it falls below the level covering the numbers?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kissmo1980 Avatar
16 months ago
I love it when Apple reinvents what it already killed. hmmm... cough ... magsafe.....
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jooish Avatar
16 months ago
Nice! That's exactly what I was originally hoping for.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
16 months ago
Nice! It's definitely getting better. I love this!
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LoveTo Avatar
16 months ago
Create problems and then solve them to become the hero.
Reminds me of that villain from megamind ??
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
anker new xmas 1

Anker's Cyber Week Sale Enters Final Days With Up to 60% Off Sitewide

Friday December 1, 2023 12:05 pm PST by
Anker's Black Friday/Cyber Week event is entering its final days this weekend, and it's still offering up to 60 percent off sitewide. There are also a few "mystery boxes" that can include hundreds of dollars in savings, if you're willing to risk not knowing what you're buying ahead of time. All of these sales will end on December 3. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you...
iOS 17

28 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in December's iOS 17.2 Update

Friday December 1, 2023 2:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 28 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released this December. 1. Help...
top stories 2dec2023

Top Stories: iOS 17.1.2 Released, NameDrop Misinformation, and More

Saturday December 2, 2023 6:00 am PST by
Apple employees are back to work following a Thanksgiving break, and that means this week saw a number of new operating system updates for both public release and beta testing. This week also saw some misinformation about Apple's new NameDrop feature making the rounds, while Apple and Goldman Sachs appear to be on the verge of a break-up in their Apple Card and savings account partnership,...
General Apps Messages

Green Bubbles on iPhone to Gain These 7 New Features Next Year

Thursday November 30, 2023 9:00 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but these conversations will still have green bubbles like...
m2 macbook air green

Get Apple's M2 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Pro for Record Low Prices

Friday December 1, 2023 6:59 am PST by
Best Buy is discounting a collection of MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models to all-time low prices today. We're tracking these deals below in addition to great discounts on the Apple Pencil 2 and Apple Watch Ultra 1. MacBook Air Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the...
iPhone 16 Mock Header Updated 1

iPhone 16 to Include Action Button Across Entire Lineup

Thursday November 30, 2023 4:08 pm PST by
The release of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max saw the introduction of an entirely new user-configurable button known as the Action button, and now, MacRumors has seen extensive evidence confirming Apple is planning to include the Action button on the entire iPhone 16 range. Designs and plans for the Action button date back to at least 2021, as the button was intended for release alongside hapt...