Here’s how to show the battery percentage on an iPhone

By Simon Hill Published May 12, 2021

When you’re trying to make it through the day without running out of juice, it’s handy to have a clear idea of exactly how much battery life you have left. You don’t want to miss a message or a call because your iPhone is dead.

Turning on the battery percentage is one of the first settings you need to change when you get a new iPhone. That’s why we’ve put together this quick guide.

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Note: Adding your battery percentage to your status bar is easy if you have an iPhone 8 or an older iPhone, but if your iPhone has a notch, then there isn’t room to accommodate that percentage, so you’ll need an extra step.

How to show the battery percentage on an iPhone

How to show the battery percentage on an iPhone — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The short answer is: Go to Settings > Battery and toggle on Battery Percentage.

That’s going to work just fine for you if you have an iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or any earlier model of iPhone, but if you’re rocking an iPhone X or something newer with a notch, then you’re going to need a different method to find the information you want.

How to check battery percentage on an iPhone X or newer

Because there’s less room up top with the notch, you can’t add the battery percentage to your status bar on the iPhone X. Instead, you’ll have to use one of the methods below to check up on it. All of these methods, except the first one, will also work with other iPhone models.

Swipe down from the top-right corner of your display to open the Control Center and the battery percentage will appear at the top right. This only works with iPhones that have a notch.
Say “Hey Siri, what’s my battery percentage?” and Siri will tell you.
Plug your iPhone into a charger and the current battery percentage will pop up clearly on your screen.
If you have an iPhone 8 or newer you can also place it on a wireless charging pad to see the current battery percentage.

If you often have issues with your iPhone running out of power, then consider investing in one of the best portable chargers or check out our guide on how to save battery life on your iPhone.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Simon Hill is an experienced technology journalist and editor who loves all things tech. He is currently the Associate Mobile…

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