Apple iOS 16 has returned to its hideous battery percentage

With iOS 16 beta 5, Apple has returned the battery percentage to the status bar, a long-awaited feature. To make matters worse, it's ugly and unreadable.

Previous versions of the battery icon displayed the battery percentage to the left. The notch, however, made it impossible to cram it in, so Apple removed it starting with the iPhone X. 

It is currently necessary to swipe down to Control Center to find out the battery percentage. With iOS 16, Apple has 'fixed' that issue by placing the battery icon inside the figure. An eyesore that looks like something out of the year 2011. The numbers kind of look like numbers on sports jerseys from a distance. 

My aesthetic taste is different from yours, but I understand that. It is also important to note that this new battery percentage figure has some functional issues as well.

As the number appears within the battery icon, it must be fully charged at all times to be read. The icon itself still looks full even if your phone has less than 10 percent battery left.

During the few hours I've used this feature, my brain has been short-circuited. An icon that reads 55 when the battery is full? Those visual cues we've all become accustomed to just don't work. With the battery icon, you can quickly see how much battery power you still have at a glance. It's not easy to see the teeny tiny numbers and the 'full' battery. 

Particularly if your vision is already poor. Additionally, if you use a light background, the status bar has always been hard to read. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule.

It won't bother you much if you have 20/20 vision. There are a few Focus Mode lock screens with light backgrounds that I like because I have severe astigmatism and nearsightedness. The number of times I have misinterpreted 50% battery as 5G can't be counted.

All of this is in contrast to the depleting battery icon. It's easy to figure out a rough ballpark with the numberless icon, even though it doesn't say how much battery is left. The design is intuitive and doesn't require much explanation. 

In low-power mode or when your phone is plugged in, at least the battery icon changes colors. A yellow icon is displayed in the first case, whereas a green icon with a lightning symbol is displayed in the second case.

Apple almost seems to have done this on purpose. Despite whether the changes it makes are what the people want, the company has a reputation for meticulous control over product design. 

With the iPhone X, Apple removed the battery percentage from the status bar. Control Center provided us with what it deemed to be a satisfactory solution. Our phones were restored to their original battery percentage when we clamored for Apple to do so.

The battery percentage will likely be turned off again. In most cases, the depleting battery icon will work. In the future, when my battery runs close to zero, I will heave a heavy sigh, mourning what might have been.