To make space for the Face ID notch, Apple took away the old battery percent number from the iPhone’s home screen. But there are still many ways to get this useful information when you need it.
You don’t really need a percentage charge figure when it’s this low, but for the rest of the time, it’d be handy to know the detail.
The battery icon at the top right of your iPhone’s screen is good in a pinch. It’ll tell you whether the phone is fully charged, for instance, and therefore that you can relax. Or in what feels like the more common case, it’ll show you that the battery is close to empty. It’s just that in between the extremes, it’s not a great deal of use —it’s nowhere near as helpful as a percentage charge figure would be.
Certainly you can’t tell from the icon whether your charge is dropping unusually quickly. And instead being able to see that you’ve gone from 100% to 95% the second you step out of your door is important.
We lost the battery percentage when we gained the Face ID notch with the iPhone X, and all status icons were pushed to either the right of left.You’ll notice that the iPad and iPad Pro retain the percentage figure, but that’s because they don’t lose about half the top area of the device to the notch, as happened with the iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. There are rumors that we will see the notch reduced in the 2020 “iPhone 12,” which might let Apple give us this percentage figure back.
For now, though, it’s hard to argue that given the smaller available space, Apple was wrong to ditch the percentage, because it did keep the battery icon, plus Wi-Fi and cellular data. We wouldn’t swap the last two out, but it would be good to replace the battery icon with the percentage.
However, you can still find out the specific percentage charge when you need to. There are several ways to do it, and if none is quite so handy as being able to just glance at the top of your iPhone screen, one of them will suit you.
Use Control Center
Depending on what you’re currently doing with your phone, most of the time the fastest way to see your battery charge is through Control Center.
The battery charge percentage is always at the top right in Control Center
Swipe down from top right to launch Control Center
Read the battery percentage at top right
That’s it. Whatever app you’re in, or even if you’re not in an app, you can call up Control Center and immediately read the percentage.
Use Notification Center
This needs to be set up the first time you do it, but thereafter the battery level will be listed in your iPhone’s Notification Center. If you use that feature a lot, it may even be faster than going via Control Center.
Plus it might be handier, too, as the Notification Center version will not only show you the charge in your iPhone, it will list your Apple Watch, too. If your AirPods are connected, and either out of their case or that case’s lid is open, then it will show you the charge for those too.
To set this up for the first time, do the following, starting at your iPhone’s first home screen, or the lock screen.
Swipe left to go into Notification Center
Scroll all the way down to the bottom and tap on Edit
Swipe down to the section headed More Widgets
Find Batteries and tap the green plus sign next to it
This moves Batteries up into the top area, which is the list of which widgets are displayed in Notification Center. It’s also the list showing the order they will be shown. So if you want to see your battery charge at the top, do this.
Tap on the grab handle (three horizontal bars) to the right of Batteries
Drag upwards to rearrange
Let go when it’s in place
Lastly, tap Done to finish editing the widgets.
Once you’ve edited your widgets (left), just swiping to Notification Center can show you the battery charge percentage (right)
Now you’re set up to use Notification Center to show you all the battery percentages, so at any time when you want to know the exact charge left, do the following.
Swipe Left from the Lock Screen or the first home screen
There are different ways to phrase it, but “Hey, Siri, what battery charge do I have left?” always works.
You can also ask Siri on your iPhone to tell you what charge is left on your Apple Watch. However, you can’t ask Siri on your Watch to tell you the charge left on your iPhone.
Look quickly when you charge
If you have a Qi wireless charger near you, put the iPhone on that. The iPhone’s lock screen will display the current battery percentage.
It will do the same thing if you just plug the iPhone into a charger, but in both cases it only shows the percentage for a brief moment.
Your iPhone will show briefly show you the battery percentage when you put it on charge (left), or take it off again (right)
If you don’t catch it in time, though, you can take the iPhone off the charger, and that will again briefly get you the percentage charge figure.
One more way
For absolute completeness, let us also tell you that you’re able to create your own Shortcut to display the charge percentage too.
It’s a particularly simple Shortcut to create and it displays the percentage as a regular notification. That might be handy because a notification can stay on your screen until you choose to dismiss it.
Plus, you can use what the Shortcut finds to do something more. By default, your iPhone will prompt you with a Low Power Mode when the charge reaches 20%, but maybe you know that’s not going to get you through the rest of your day. You could create a Shortcut that whenever you run it, checks the charge, and if it’s below 50%, offer you that same Low Power Mode.
Left: a simple Shortcut to find and display your battery percentage. Center: that Shortcut running. Right: a more elaborate Shortcut offering you choices depending on what that battery percentage is
In this and every case, you have to positively choose to do something in order to find out your battery percentage charge. That’s never going to be as handy as just being able to glance, but it doesn’t look likely that Apple will bring back that option any time soon.
There is one thing, though. Back when Apple did give the option of showing a battery percentage, it was easy to get over anxious about it. You could keep picking up your phone to see how the battery was, and of course that action would then contribute to the battery going down. So even though you now have all of these different ways to find out the battery percentage, perhaps you should avoid doing it too often.
Video: Alex Answers Your Questions About Animal Crossing: New Horizons
There are only a few more weeks until the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Switch now. To tide you over until then, our lovely senior video producer Alex Olney has taken time to answer 21 of your questions, now that he has gone hands-on with it.
Unfortunately, he’s still under embargo, so he can’t answer every question just yet. The messages he has responded to were sent to him over on YouTube. Ever wondered if the grass gets trampled? What about the flowers? Are paintings and sculptures in the museum? You’ll just have to view the video above to find out:
And if you’d like a much more thorough rundown of what you can expect from the latest entry in the Animal Crossing series, be sure to read Alex’s full impressions, where he talks about terraforming and a bunch of other interesting things within the new game. Did you learn anything new? Tell us below.
Now that it’s the weekend, though, members of the Nintendo Life team have gathered to discuss their gaming plans. We’d love for you to get involved too via our poll and comment sections. Enjoy!
PJ O’Reilly, reviewer
This weekend I’m gonna be doing my bit to help stop the spread of Coronavirus by sitting on my couch all weekend and hammering the tutorial mode in Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late [cl-r]. It’s a fun name that isn’t it, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late [cl-r], fun to type, especially if you’re reviewing it and need to type it loads. Yes. Anyway, I’m a total amateur at the moment, making my way slowly through the easy challenges to help me build on the very basic Street Fighter 2 skills I’m currently packing, but the tutorial in this game is so in-depth I’ve no doubt I’ll be playing at Evo 2021 when it rolls around.
I’ve also just got around to picking up Super Mario Party so will be getting stuck into that with the kids, trying out the minigames and taking no prisoners as I assert my absolute dominance as the king of games in my household. Have a fun weekend, guys, and remember to wash your hands!
Ryan Craddock, staff writer
After spending the last couple of weeks shooting, shiving, and sneaking my way around infected in The Last of Us Remastered, I’m about to once again dive into the colourful world of Nintendo magic this weekend.
I thought I’d pick up Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX on Switch and give it a go, despite the fact that I already own the originals and have plenty of other things I could be playing instead – why must video games be so compelling? There’s something about Pokémon that I just can’t resist, and I’m looking forward to seeing my favourite ‘mon in the game’s cutesy art style probably more than I should.
Gavin Lane, staff writer
This week it’s Witcher 3 for me. I’m not even out of the tutorial section yet, but I can already tell I’m going to enjoy this immensely. After hearing that combat wasn’t brilliant I was prepared to tolerate some jank, but from what I’ve played so far it’s got its own flow and is far better than I expected.
I’ll probably finish off DOOM too, which I picked up for peanuts on sale. Originally I was put off not only by the Switch version’s dodgy frame rate but also the belief that original DOOM really needs a keyboard and a big ol’ space bar to ‘feel’ right. After 5 minutes with the patched-up Switch port, though, it almost feels like it was made for a gamepad. And the shotgun is still one of gaming’s finest weapons. Meaty.
Austin Voigt, contributing writer
This weekend I have a road trip across the country I’ll be headed out on, so I’ll probably end up playing nearly every game in my library out of sheer boredom. In fact, I’ve been tempted to restart Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and this may be just the trip to do so. I’m also (still) trying to finish Luigi’s Mansion 3, and I also have some post-game work to do in Pokemon Shield. And, of course, I’m sure the friends joining me on the trip will want to whip out Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for some couch co-op…
We all know this is one of the last weeks before my canned ‘What Are You Playing?’ response simply becomes “Animal Crossing… Animal Crossing… Animal Crossing“, so enjoy this while it lasts.
Ollie Reynolds, reviewer
In the run-up to the release of Ori and the Will of the Wisps, I’ve gone back to play Ori and the Blind Forest again on Switch. Like every other game ever released, I firmly believe it’s at its best on the Switch, and I’m having an absolute blast with it (even if it does make me tear up occasionally)!
I’m also plugging away at Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection – as a huge fan of Mega Man, missing out on the initial release of these games has played on my mind for a while, so being able to experience them all in one handy package is great. I don’t think I was quite prepared for how difficult they are, though!
Gonçalo Lopes, contributing writer
Lack of progress during the week on SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays annoys me to no end so expect to see me on that battlefield once more. Some nice arrivals including Metro Redux, Rune Factory 4 Special and the unavoidable Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX will also get some playtime. Or should I say “stream time”? That’s right, in (yet another) middle-age crisis, I’ve picked up one of those fancy video capture cards and am well on my way to becoming a part-time streamer.
My game of the week is Warface. Let’s face it: There are a ton of really great ideas on that package that help it stand apart from other FPS, so it’s attending my Call of Duty needs quite nicely.
As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to leave a vote in the poll above and a comment below with your gaming choices over the next few days…
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 03-08-2020, 08:17 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Resident Evil 3 Remake Won't Let Nemesis Break Into Safe Rooms After All
Update: Capcom has issued a clarification to GamesRadar stating that RE3 Remake will in fact have safe rooms, and clarifying an earlier report. Nemesis did break into a room with a progress-saving typewriter, but not all save points are safe rooms. A designated safe room will be identifiable by musical cues. The original story follows.
Since its inception, there's one aspect of Resident Evil that has never changed: safe rooms. They're a reprieve from the dangers on the other side of their entrances, but in Resident Evil 3 Remake you won't have a space for a breath.
In the latest issue of the Official Xbox Magazine, it's been confirmed that Nemesis will be the first enemy in Resident Evil history that can follow you into safe rooms, giving you no chance to heal up or save your game in peace. This is in addition to the persistent foe being far more nimble and deadly than Mr. X in Resident Evil 2, making it a far more imposing threat on the streets of Raccoon City.
Nintendo PlayStation Sells For Significantly Less Than Was Previously Offered
Update: The console has sold for $360,000, including the buyer’s premium. That means the $1.2 million previously offered by a private buyer would have made much more sense. You live and learn, clearly.
Only one bid was made, which suggests that Palmer Lucky could be the winning bidder. We’ll update this post once that is confirmed.
Original Story [Fri 14th Feb, 2020 10:45 GMT]: Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey is claiming to be the current high bidder for the mythical Nintendo Playstation console, which went up for auction this week.
Bidding started at $31,000, but now stands at a whopping $350,000, and Lucky is claiming on social media that his bid is currently in the lead. Given that the owners have already turned down an offer of $1.2 million, the price could rise dramatically.
When quizzed on Twitter why he wants to own this elusive piece of hardware so badly, Luckey replied:
Because I have the largest game console collection, and I am on a quest to digitize and preserve the history of physical videogames. Perfect VR will ensure the original experience lives on forever, but we need to keep these things alive and functional in the meanwhile.
Public availability is just a matter of time, I have been keeping things low key until then. I am preserving the original copies in the most advanced videogame storage facility ever constructed.
While it seems Luckey’s intention is to purchase this unit and ensure that it is documented and preserved, rather than seeing it fall into someone’s personal collection and be locked away forever, not everyone is thrilled at his altruistic approach:
Luckey – who has a personal fortune of around $730 million, so can certainly push that figure up higher if he needs to – is famous for founding Oculus VR, the company which spearheaded the recent Virtual Reality revival.
He sold the company to Facebook in 2014 for around $3 billion and was apparently fired from the firm in 2017 after it became clear that he had secretly supported Donald Trump in his run for the presidency.
He later founded Anduril Industries, which creates autonomous drones and sensors for military purposes.
The Company Responsible For E3 2020’s Creative Direction Just Resigned
Update [Fri 6th Mar, 2020 17:25 GMT]: The Entertainment Software Association has issued us with the following statement:
We can confirm that iam8bit is no longer part of the inter-agency group working on E3 2020. We greatly value their passion for the video game industry and the contributions they brought toward our vision for this year’s show. We have an innovative and experienced team in place including Endeavor’s creative agency 160over90, event innovators Mat+Lo and longtime E3 partners, GES, Dolaher Events and Double Forte—all collaborating to bring to life an exciting and authentic experience for fans, the media and the industry.
Original Story [Fri 6th Mar, 2020 12:50 GMT]: E3’s status as the gaming world’s premier expo has been rocked recently by a series of unfortunate events. Last year, the personal details of over 2,000 journalists were leaked by the ESA, the organisation which organises E3, predictably denting confidence in the show.
More recently, Sony confirmed that it would be shunning the event for the second year on the bounce, while video game celebrity and Game Awards host Geoff Keighley also stated publically that he would not be attending in 2020 – the first time he hasn’t gone in 25 years.
That scaling-back could well be responsible for the latest blow to E3 2020’s prestige – iam8bit, the company responsible for its ‘creative direction’, has resigned its position:
It’s with mixed emotions that iam8bit has decided to resign as creative directors of what was to be an evolutionary E3 2020 floor experience. We’ve produced hundreds of gaming and community events and it was a dream to be involved with E3. We wish the organisers the best of luck.
Random: Zelda Fan Beats Breath Of The Wild Without Link Taking A Single Step
Beating Zelda: Breath of the Wild isn’t especially hard, but it takes a moderate amount of effort – especially if you want to do it in style. That’s precisely what YouTuber PointCrow has done – he’s bested this classic action-adventure without allowing Link to take a single, solitary step.
Naturally, he couldn’t help it that Link walks during cutscenes – those steps don’t count – but for the rest of the game, Link uses other means of transport to get around. This includes hopping and backflipping, as well as using items like bombs to get where he needs to be. It’s not plain sailing, as you can imagine; there are a few points where Link is simply swarmed by enemies, and without the ability to avoid them, PointCrow dies several times over.
But! He keeps at it. Items such as Majora’s Mask make it harder for enemies for spot Link, while the Phantom Armour Set makes him more powerful, which means battles are easier. It’s still a hard slog – the total playtime is over seven hours – but it’s a pretty impressive feat nonetheless, and a really cool way to add some additional challenge to what is already a fantastic game.
You can watch the run below, but be warned, there’s some rather colourful language.
HBO's hit sci-fi series Westworld is about to return to television for Season 3. The new season consists of eight episodes, and Episode 1 begins airing on March 15. Now, critic reviews are rolling in, but what do they think of the brand-new season?
Much like previous seasons, Season 3 of Westworld is shrouded in a bit of mystery, and the majority of the reviews that are available online are currently spoiler-free. Currently, the Metacritic score for the new season is "to be determined" as the site collects the reviews. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the third season is rated at 77% based on 13 reviews.
Below, you'll find a few of the reviews floating around the internet for Season 3 of the show. These reviews are not for the full season, though. It's only for the first four episodes or the first half of the new season. Check them out below.
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments at 80% OFF
