How to Check the Battery Level of All Your Apple Devices With One Widget
Those of us who are fully integrated into the Apple ecosystem have a lot to think about; you can have MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch and AirPods to download, each consuming precious portable power just by sitting there. Instead of constantly switching between products to see if you need them to charge your chargers, you can sync all your products in one widget.
Let me introduce you to Cloud Battery : the app is free to download and once configured, it can sync battery levels across all connected devices into one easy-to-view list. You can use it as an app, widget, menu bar utility, or an Apple Watch complication.
How to use Cloud Battery
To get started, you need to download the Cloud Battery app on all compatible devices. This includes iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS. Note. While there is a watchOS downloadable app, your Apple Watch should automatically add Cloud Battery as an app when you download it to your connected iPhone. If you don’t see it, open the Watch app on your iPhone, scroll down to Cloud Battery and enable Show App on Apple Watch. “
Requirements for setting up Cloud Battery
There are some iCloud requirements for this app: you must have iCloud Drive enabled and you need to enable iCloud for cloud battery. It is possible that both of these iCloud criteria will be met when you download the app to your device, but here’s how to check it:
- iOS: Open Settings> iCloud ; the switch next to iCloud Drive must be turned on. Scroll down and make sure the switch next to Cloud Battery is turned on as well.
- macOS: Go to System Preferences> Apple ID> iCloud; you must check the box next to iCloud Drive . Click Options … and make sure the checkbox next to Cloud Battery is also checked.
The app recommends that all devices be in the same iCloud account, but this is not required. This is only a requirement if you want to be notified about the battery level. You will also need to make sure background app refresh is enabled on all iOS and iPadOS devices – if you usually want to leave this disabled, just turn it on for cloud battery under Settings> General> Background App Refresh .
How to set up Cloud Battery on Apple devices
Let’s take a look at how it feels to get started with the app on iPhone. On first boot, give the app permission to use Bluetooth and also notifications (if you want to be notified about battery level alerts). When I finished browsing the introductory pages, my connected Apple Watch was already listed on my device list, but they were the only ones.
If you don’t see your watch, or to add your iPhone to the list, click the (+) in the upper left corner. Here you will see your current device, as well as any devices that the app accepts via Bluetooth, such as AirPods or Apple Pencil. Tap your device and Cloud Battery will add it to the list for all connected devices.
The instructions on macOS are basically the same: the app is in the menu bar, where you can always see your Mac’s battery percentage. Just select “Add Device” to add your Mac to the list. After you add all of your devices to each of their Cloud Battery apps, you have a complete list, no matter which app you are using.
Bonus features and settings
Cloud Battery has a widget for macOS and iOS; It comes in three sizes (Small, Medium, and Large) that you can place on your Home Screen, Today View (iOS), and Notification Center (macOS) to keep track of the battery level of your devices. You can also change how the device list is sorted by clicking the arrows at the top of the screen (or Sorting on macOS) and choosing an option.
On iOS, if you select one of the devices on your list, you can customize its settings. Tap the pencil icon in the upper right corner to change its name; tap the pencil next to Device Type to change the device type; or use the sliders at the bottom of the display to set battery limits to trigger notifications for that specific device. The battery slider notifies you when your device drops below that percentage, and the charge slider notifies you when your device reaches that percentage.
If you want access to a lot of Cloud Battery UI customization as well as ad-free, you’ll need to pay $ 2.99. But if you’re just looking for a reliable way to keep track of the battery level of all your devices, the features that come with the free version are more than enough. And if you ever get stuck, the app developer’s website is jam-packed with details.