How to add your iPhone’s battery percentage to the status bar in iOS 16

I followed these steps on two phones: an iPhone 11 running iOS 16.0.2 and an iPhone 14 Pro Max on iOS 16.1.

The first thing to determine is whether you can add the battery percentage to your iPhone’s status bar because not all models support it. iPhone 8 models and older include this legacy feature as well as second- and third-generation iPhone SE devices. iPhone X models and newer support it with the exception of these devices:

With a phone that does support the percentage indicator, there are just two quick steps to get it into the status bar:

You’ll know your phone doesn’t support the feature if you don’t see Battery Percentage as an option. Fear not, this is a job for widgets. 

If you’re running iOS 16, you can add a widget to your lock screen showing your phone’s remaining battery percentage. It’s not quite the same as having it always visible at the top of your screen, but it’s another way to get the same info at a glance. To add a battery indicator widget, follow these steps:

By default, the widget will show the remaining battery for other devices, like an AirPods case if you have one, but you can customize it to show remaining battery life for your iPhone.

To do this, double-tap the battery widget and toggle the Automatic setting off. A Devices menu will appear below the toggle; tap it and choose your iPhone if it isn’t automatically selected. Tap Done to save your new lock screen, and you’re all set. Every time you wake your phone’s display, your battery percentage will be right there to reassure or terrify you depending on how high or low it is.