How to Show Battery Percentage on iPhone 12

Apple‘s decision to remove battery percentage from the status bar on the iPhone 12 line and newest models puzzled many users. But limitations in available screen space forced design concessions. By exploring the rationale, functionality, and alternatives though, you can better understand how to accurately check and monitor your battery.

Why No Battery Percentage in the Status Bar?

Recent iPhone models feature an encompassing "notch" at the top of the display that houses the front-facing TrueDepth camera system that enables Face ID and other advanced features.

This notch infringes on areas previously occupied by status icons and the battery indicator. Display width measurements confirm the tight squeeze:

• iPhone X/XS/11 Pro notch width: ~34 mm
• iPhone 12/13 Pro notch width: ~28 mm
• Remaining notification bar space on each side: ~7 mm

With only 7 mm for icons that previously had 20 mm, Apple faced tough choices on what to include. On one side sits the clock, lacking room even for AM/PM designation in many regions. The other holds critical connectivity and battery icons.

Simply put, adding battery percentage back would require text small enough most would find unusable, or further limiting space for other icons.

Under the hood, iPhones also switched from a single cell battery around the iPhone X generation to a two cell design allowing for greater capacities in less internal space. This likely influenced the change too.

While especially frustrating for long-time users, recognizing the design limitations provides context around why Apple eliminated this formerly helpful feature. But as you‘ll learn, viable workarounds exist…

How iPhone Batteries Are Measured

To accurately gauge remaining charge, it helps to understand specifics on how iPhone batteries are engineered and measured.

Lithium-ion batteries power all modern iOS devices. Their maximum capacity indicates the electrical charge it can hold when brand new. However phone software considers "Design Capacity" representing typical 100% charge in actual usage.

As a battery ages through charge cycles, its maximum capacity inevitably decreases while software aims to maintain full charge at the original design capacity by modifying full charge voltage curves.

For example, the iPhone 12 battery design capacity establishes 2095 mAh at 3.79V as the 100% battery level and baseline. But the actual maximum capacity exceeding this declines through the device‘s lifespan.

Accounting for this disparity in hardware capability versus expected software behavior, displaying an accurate percentage requires continuous battery monitoring and voltage measurements relative to reference levels.

Thus rather than directly measuring hardware maximum capacity, the percentage you see reflects the ratio of remaining charge to original design capacity set when new. This allows for a consistent scale.

Now onto the options available to view it…

How to Check Battery Percentage on iPhone 12

Despite lack of visible integrated percentage in current status bar design, users still have several dependable options to monitor level.

1. Swipe Down to View Control Center Battery Info

As covered already, swiping down quickly reveals granular battery data via Control Center. Both the current percentage and charging status display prominently alongside battery icon:

<iPhone 12 image showing Control Center battery details>

For casual checks throughout a day, this remains most reliable and simple solution to gauge where your battery level stands.

2. Add Battery Widget to Home Screen

Alternatively, spare home screen space lends itself perfectly for permanent battery fixtures. Adding a widget here keeps the data readily accessible down to precise percentage without fuss.

To add battery widget:

1. Long press and enter home screen edit mode
2. Tap "+" button to access widgets
3. Search for "Batteries"
4. Select widget style – medium or larger shows percentages
5. Drag widget to desired home screen location

Both single battery and stacked dual battery widgets exist. The latter helps when also pairing an Apple Watch.

Customizing widget parameters in the associated Batteries app offers added personalization, like toggling between percentage or visual battery level indicator. Some bonus perks over Android options include viewing case battery too if using a compatible model.

One minor nuisance – the percentage shown lives update only periodically instead of continuously. Expect some lag if battery drains quickly.

3. Have Siri Recite Current Battery Level

"Hey Siri, what‘s my battery at?" remains a convenient hands and eyes-free path to get the number spoken aloud courtesy of everyone‘s favorite assistant.

While not revolutionary, helpful when phone is out of view or you simply want confirmation without breaking concentration to manually look.

4. Download Battery Monitoring Apps

Third-party iOS apps providing detailed analytical battery usage statistics exist, like Battery Grapher and Battery Life. They break down consumption by app and hardware component over time.

However iOS restrictions prohibit background app refresh not directly initiated by user. So for ambiant percentage visibility still need to rely on widget or Control Center integration.

Additional Options for Monitoring Usage

Beyond basic percentage, expanding built-in analytics and third-party software can help provide a deeper understanding of power demands.

iOS Battery Usage Breakdown

For stats on which apps and system processes tax your battery most, delve into iOS Settings > Battery for usage breakdown since last full charge. Here see utilization on per hour, per app, and total usage basis.

Toggling on the Battery Percentage option aids visibility in this view only by showing batter level overlay across the usage graph.

This data ultimately helps identify any abnormal app behaviors undesirably consuming higher resources so corrective action takes place.

Third-Party Battery Analytics Apps

Tools like Battery Grapher by Truman Software surface more comprehensive long-term insights into battery performance not found natively, including:

• Historical graphs showing battery level fluctuations
• Projected usage vs. time remaining estimates
• Email reports exporting all tracking data
• App and system process usage per hour, day, week etc.
• Charge cycle and battery longevity monitoring
• iPhone and Apple Watch support

Serious battery geeks longing for more metrics can geek out on the advanced analytics while regular users stick with built-in options already covered.

What About Replacement Batteries?

All smartphone batteries gradually lose maximum charge capacity as they chemically age. iPhone batteries maintain roughly 80% of original capacity after 500 complete charge cycles.

Apple improved battery longevity performance through the iPhone generations:

So while battery percentage drops quicker over time, each iPhone offers roughly 20% longer span retaining higher capacity compared to the model from 2 generations prior based on lab endurance tests.

Replacement remains inevitable though, either via Apple Support starting at $49 USD up to $99 depending on model, or DIY for around $15-25 following online part supplier guides. iFixit provides excellent model-specific tutorials any moderately handy iPhone owner can follow.

Just be sure to source quality grade parts with sufficient design capacity meeting Apple‘s specifications for optimized performance.

More Battery Life Is on the Horizon

We close out by looking ahead at forthcoming battery advancements.

OLED screens rolling out across iPhone lineups sip power at nearly half the rate of antiquated LCD displays. Combined with beefier cells, longevity improves appreciably – the iPhone 13 series managed 1.5 hours longer runtime versus the iPhone 12 on single charge.

MagSafe wireless charging also debuted allowing 15-watt power transfer. While only half as fast as maximum wired speeds, convenient alignment freedom and compatibility with existing Qi pads keeps EarPods juiced up readily.

Finally, the latest iOS 16 update brings Battery Health insights to iPhones with dual batteries like mini/Pro Max. This allows monitoring the wear on primary vs secondary cells.

Expect rapid charging support, multi-day single charge endurance, solar supplementation, and battery analytics to all make leaps in the next few years.

So while the road ahead looks bright, hopefully this guide illuminated helpful ways to monitor battery percentage accurately on your iPhone 12 today using existing tools until more native options arise. Just stay charged!