There's a lot to look forward to with Apple's upcoming iOS 16 launch—chief among them the potential return of the battery percentage icon.
Released this week to developers for testing, iOS 16 beta 5 includes a small but impactful feature that displays your device's remaining battery in numerical form (not just a decreasing bar), MacRumors reports(Opens in a new window). It previously appeared to the left of the battery icon, but Apple removed it from certain screens in 2017 with the introduction of iPhone X and its space-consuming notch.
Assuming the function makes it through to the final operating system rollout, this will be a welcome change for many iDevice owners, who currently have to(Opens in a new window) swipe down to the Control Center or use the battery widget for a precise measurement of remaining juice levels.
Those enrolled in the developer beta can toggle on or off the indicator via Settings > Battery > Battery Percentage. The icon, as described by Engadget(Opens in a new window), appears slightly larger than what most people are used to, but otherwise remains the same. It still turns green and displays a lightning bolt while charging and appears yellow when in low power mode.
Not everything Apple tests in beta becomes part of the final release, but we should find out about the battery indicator soon enough. Apple typically releases the final version of iOS each year in mid-September, though you can check it out now via the iOS 16 public beta. Additional features coming to Apple's mobile OS include Lock Screen customization, Live Text improvements, security enhancements, and the ability to turn your phone into a webcam.
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