Have you ever stopped the music and removed your headphones because of a low battery warning? It is not strange to hear your headphones warn you of low battery, but how often do you deal with that issue in a day? And can you get ahead of it by knowing how much battery juice is in the headphones?
Fortunately, there are easy ways to check the battery level of your headphones before it runs out. The same applies to other Bluetooth devices connected to your iPhone anytime. This article explains the steps to check the battery on different iPhone types. You do not want to exit your next online meeting because of your headphones.
Checking the Headphone Battery Status on Your iPhone
There are three key ways to check the battery status of your headphones through your iPhone. The first way is through the home screen, the second way is through Today View, and the third way is through the Control Center.
1. Checking the Headphone Battery Status through the Home Screen
Some iPhone models with new iOS allow you to check the battery status of your headphones through the home screen. If your iPhone uses iOS 14, you can check the battery through the widgets on the home screen. Yes, the operating system allows you to add the widgets to the home screen instead of going through Today View.
First Method
Go to the Today View screen and locate the battery widget. When you do, press it for some seconds until the screen begins to wiggle; this means the widgets begin to jiggle. This mode allows you to move any widget from the screen to the home screen.
So, drag the battery widget from the Today View screen to the home screen. Other home screen icons will make room for the new battery widget. Once done, you can let the widget go, so it settles in the desired space. From there, you can easily check the battery status even when the phone is idle.
Second Method
The second method allows you to add the battery widget to the home screen from the home screen. How is that possible? Tap and hold any icon on the home screen until the screen goes into the iPhone jiggle mode.
Once it enters this mode, you can move any of the app icons from one point to another. Locate the plus icon on the screen; it should be in the upper left-hand corner. Tap the icon, and it should open the widget menu where you have all the installed apps supported by your phone.
Search for the battery widget and select it by tapping on it. You should choose the widget size for the battery widget before moving it to the home screen. It eases the process of checking the battery status wherever you are.
2. Checking the Headphone Battery Status through Today View
Consider checking the battery status of your connected headphones through the Today View screen instead of dragging the battery widget to the home screen. You will get the exact battery life percentage, and accessing the screen is easy.
You will find widget support options from iPhone 8 and newer models. The widget support gets better with newer iPhone models; we already talked about how you can move widgets to the home screen in iOS 14. You can resize the widgets and stack them on the home and Today View screens.
Take the following steps to check the battery through Today View:
Step One
Unlock your phone if it is locked and swipe left from the home screen. That should take you to the Today View screen.
Step Two
Tap and hold any widget until the iPhone goes into jiggle mode. Locate the + icon at the top left corner of the screen to open the widget menu. There, you will see all the installed apps supported by your iPhone.
Step Three
Scroll down the options until you find the battery widget. Tap the widget and follow the system prompts; you will be asked to choose your desired battery widget size. You can choose large, medium, and small sizes, although the medium size is usually ideal for this purpose.
Step Four
Afterward, tap Add Widget at the bottom of the screen to add the battery widget to the Today View screen. You can check your headphone’s battery status through the widget that shows the headphone icon.
The widget size may allow you to see your headphone’s name if you use the large size. That way, you can correctly select the correct device and widget when checking the battery status.
3. Checking the Headphone Battery Status through the Control Center
Another way to check the battery status of your connected headphones is through the Control Center. Follow the instructions below to learn how to use this feature.
Step One
Check to ensure the headphone is still connected to your iPhone. You can reconnect it if it is disconnected. Next, swipe the home screen down through the top right corner to open the Control Center. Gently swipe the home screen again if you do not get it right the first time.
Step Two
You will see the earphones’ battery percentage once you open the Control Center. The screen does not show the exact battery percentage, so you have to determine how much power it has by guesswork. However, this method may be the easiest way to find the battery status of the connected device.
Other Steps to Take
Ensure you connect the headphones and check if they show on the phone. Try checking how much juice the device has without a proper connection, but it may not work. Disconnect and reconnect the headphone, and check the battery using the above methods.
However, try finding the battery widget if the headphone is correctly connected. Remove and re-add the widget if it does not show the battery percentage correctly. To remove and re-add it, swipe your phone’s screen to the right from the left to enter the widget screen.
Next, scroll to the end of the screen and find the last widget. You will find Edit at the bottom of the screen and find the Batteries option. Tap it and select Remove; that should delete the widget from the screen. Finally, tap Done to complete the process.
To re-add the battery widget, swipe the screen to the right from the left. Next, scroll down the widget list to the end and find the Edit button. Tap the button and find Batteries under More Widgets; that should be lower down the screen. Tap the + sign beside Batteries, and tap Done at the top of the screen.
1. Reboot Your iPhone
Rebooting your iOS device after adding the battery widget to the active widgets is crucial. There may be minor errors or bugs preventing the battery widget from working, and rebooting should fix them. Different iPhone models have various reboot methods, so ensure you follow the correct steps for your model.
- iPhone 6s and Earlier Models: Locate the sleep/wake and Home buttons. Press both simultaneously until you see the Apple logo on the screen. This may take a few seconds, so do not let the buttons go during this time.
- iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Models: Locate the Power and Volume Down buttons on the phone. Press and hold both buttons until you see the Apple logo on the screen. Then, you can release the buttons to complete the reboot process.
- iPhone 8, iPhone X, and Later Models: Quickly press and release the button that increases the volume. Do the same with the button that decreases the volume. You must do this in quick succession; delays may interfere with the process. Then, press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo on the screen.
2. No Battery Widget
Sometimes, you may not find the widget, meaning you may not have it as an active widget. Installing it should help you conveniently check the battery status for connected devices. Find Batteries on the second half of the screen and tap + beside it to add it as part of the active widgets.
3. Consider a Total Reset
If none of the above steps and methods help you check your iPhone’s headphone battery, consider resetting all the settings. Locate the Settings icon and tap it to find the menu. Select General and click the Reset option; it should give you other options, so select Reset All Settings.
The system will request the password; enter the password and confirm you want to reset all settings. Your phone will automatically reboot to accommodate the changes. Then, you can fix the battery widget issue following the methods above.
Wrapping Up
Checking the headphone battery on your iPhone is straightforward. Use the Control Center, Today View, or Home Screen to find the battery widget and check the percentage. If that does not work, try removing and re-adding the widget to get it up and running again.
Otherwise, reset the settings and reboot the phone to fix minor errors and bugs that may interfere with its functionality.