How to Return the Remaining Battery Time Indicator to Your MacBook
Earlier this week, Apple removed the “Time Remaining” battery gauge from macOS. This indicator shows the constantly updated time of the remaining battery charge. Good news, it’s still pretty easy to check.
After upgrading to macOS 10.12.2, when you click the battery icon, the “time remaining” disappears and now you just get a percentage with a list of apps that are using significant energy. Presumably, Apple removed the time remaining indicator because it was too confusing for people as the times change when you open and use certain apps.
Depending on how often you have used this feature, you have several different ways to check the “time remaining” on the battery. For your own option, you can easily take a look at this estimate by opening the Activity Monitor and then clicking the Energy tab. At the bottom of the app, you will see an “Estimated Time Remaining” indicator.
If you’re looking for instant access to battery life without opening the app, you have several options. First, any respectable system monitor includes a battery indicator that also includes an estimate of the remaining time. We love Monity ($ 4.99) for this, although it puts those details in the Action Center rather than the menu bar.
If you liked the ability to load the remaining time from the menu bar, then the coconutBattery app (free, picture above) is what you need. CoconutBattery also contains other useful information about your battery, such as model, date of manufacture, boot cycles, and more.