Battery Percentage: One Switch, Unless You Have a Galaxy

To show your battery percentage, open Settings, tap Battery and turn on Battery Percentage — the same switch, under the same name, on an iPhone, an iPad and a Google Pixel. On a Samsung Galaxy running One UI 8.5 or later there is nothing to turn on, because Samsung keeps the number in the status bar.

To see the number once without changing a setting: swipe down from the top-right corner of a Face ID iPhone or an iPad to open Control Center, pull down the notification panel on a Galaxy, or open Settings on a Pixel, where Battery shows how much charge is left and about how long it will last.

This page is about charge — how full the battery is right now. If you meant whether the battery itself is wearing out, that is battery health, a different reading in a different menu.

Where each maker puts it

Device	Switch it on	Where the number shows	Models that can’t
iPhone with Face ID (iPhone X and later)	Settings › Battery › Battery Percentage	Inside the battery icon; Control Center without the switch	None named; needs iOS 16 or later
iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation), iPhone 8 or earlier	On by default; if not, the same switch	Status bar	None named
iPad	Settings › Battery › Battery Percentage	Beside the battery icon; Control Center even with the switch off	None named
Google Pixel	Settings › Battery › Battery percentage	Status bar; Settings, under Battery	None named; Google says some steps need Android 14
Samsung Galaxy, One UI 8.5 or later	No switch: the number stays on	Status bar; notification panel	None named
Samsung Galaxy, Android 10	Settings › Notifications › Status bar › Show battery percentage	Status bar	—

Apple’s rows are from its “Show the battery percentage” article and the iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 User Guides; Google’s from Pixel Phone Help; Samsung’s from its US One UI 8.5 article, its UAE battery-percentage page and, for Android 10, its UK page, which was last updated in March 2022.

Why an iPhone shows only the battery icon

On a Face ID iPhone, the percentage lives in Control Center. Apple’s support article says that with iOS 16 and later you can also turn it on so it appears in the status bar, where the iOS 27 User Guide says it is drawn inside the battery symbol rather than beside it.

So an iPhone showing just the icon has one of two explanations: the switch under Settings › Battery is off, or the phone is on iOS 15 or earlier. Apple’s current page names no iPhone that cannot show the number. The iPhone X, XS and XR — the oldest Face ID models — are all on Apple’s iOS 16 compatibility list, and every iPhone that runs this year’s update is well past that line: iOS 27 starts at the iPhone 11.

On the iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation) and the iPhone 8 and earlier, Apple says the number shows all the time. If one does not, the fix is the same switch.

iPad is where Apple’s pages disagree. The support article says every iPad shows the percentage always; the iPadOS 27 User Guide says an iPad shows the icon without a percentage by default. The guide is the one written for the current software, and the fix is the same either way: Settings › Battery › Battery Percentage. Control Center shows it regardless.

Samsung: the number is not optional any more

From One UI 8.5, Samsung’s “Show battery percentage” switch became “Show battery background”. Samsung says the numeric percentage “remains displayed” either way; turning the new switch off, under Settings › Notifications › Status bar, removes the battery outline and leaves only the number.

That is the opposite of what owners of older Galaxy phones may remember, when the switch hid the number. Samsung’s own step-by-step for those versions is thin: its UK page covers Android 10 (the path in the table) and Android 11 and 12 (Settings › Notifications › Advanced settings › Show battery percentage), and its UAE page, updated this June, says only to look under “Advanced settings or Display, depending on your device model”. We found no Samsung page giving the exact path for the versions between, so we have not given one.

Your watch, earbuds and stylus

Apple’s Batteries widget puts every charge on one screen. The iOS 27 User Guide says it monitors the iPhone and connected accessories, including AirPods, and Apple’s Apple Watch page says it shows a connected watch’s charge too. It goes on the Home Screen or the Lock Screen; on iPad, Apple adds Apple Pencil to the list.

• AirPods alone: open the case lid or take them out, then Settings › Bluetooth, and tap the Info button beside their name. Apple also sends a notification at 20, 10 and 5 percent.
• On the watch itself: press the side button to open Control Center, which shows the percentage.
• Pixel: Google’s battery widget shows the phone and nearby connected devices that report their battery over Bluetooth or Fast Pair. It needs Android 12 or later.

If the number falls faster than it should

That is a different problem from finding it. If the percentage started dropping quickly after this month’s iPhone update, Apple’s battery screen can flag an update still finishing in the background, and that is worth checking before anything else. If the drop has been gradual over years, the health reading linked above is the one to look at.

Questions people ask

What is my battery percentage right now on my phone?

On a Face ID iPhone, swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, which shows it. On a Pixel, open Settings, where Battery shows the charge left. A Galaxy on One UI 8.5 or later already shows the number in the status bar. To keep it on screen on iPhone or Pixel, turn on Battery Percentage under Settings › Battery.

How do I see my battery percentage?

On iPhone, iPad and Pixel, open Settings, tap Battery and turn on Battery Percentage; the number then stays in the status bar. A Samsung Galaxy on One UI 8.5 or later shows it without a setting.

Why can’t I see battery percentage on iPhone?

Either the Battery Percentage switch under Settings › Battery is off, or the iPhone runs iOS 15 or earlier, where Face ID models show the number only in Control Center. Apple’s current page names no iPhone that cannot show it on iOS 16 or later, and every Face ID iPhone can run iOS 16 or later.

How do I show battery percentage on Samsung?

From One UI 8.5 you do not need to: Samsung says the number stays in the status bar, and the old Show battery percentage switch became Show battery background, which hides only the icon behind the number. On Android 10 Samsung gives Settings › Notifications › Status bar › Show battery percentage.

What percent is my tablet?

On an iPad, open Control Center: Apple says it shows the percentage even when Battery Percentage is off in Settings. To keep the number beside the battery icon, turn on Settings › Battery › Battery Percentage.

How much battery is left on my phone?

The status-bar percentage is the charge left. For more, Pixel’s Settings shows under Battery how much charge remains and about how long it will last, and Samsung Galaxy phones show the number in the status bar from One UI 8.5.

How do I check my AirPods or Apple Watch battery on my iPhone?

Add the Batteries widget to your iPhone’s Home Screen or Lock Screen; Apple says it shows the charge of a connected Apple Watch and of accessories including AirPods. For AirPods alone, open the case lid, then go to Settings › Bluetooth and tap the Info button beside them.