11 Ways To Customize the Status Bar On Your iPhone Without Jailbreaking

By default, you’ll almost always see the time, cellular signals, Wi-Fi icon, and battery in the status bar. On Touch ID models, it will also show the cellular provider, which users of Face ID models can see from the Lock Screen, Notification Center, or Control Center.

You’ll also see icons come and go automatically based on your activity, such as a navigation symbol when using driving directions, a green dot when your camera is in use, a lock when your iPhone is locked, a clock when an alarm is set, an airplane when Airplane Mode is enabled, and the AirPlay symbol when streaming media to another device. Other images you’ll see periodically include SharePlay, headphones, network activity, and Personal Hotspot’s chain.

Show the Battery Percentage

The biggest thing you can customize in the status bar is how the battery icon appears. It can appear as the battery icon by itself or with a battery percentage label. If you don’t need to know the exact power your iPhone has left, the solo icon works with its charge level indicator.

To know the specific charge left, you’ll want the battery percentage. The percentage will appear beside the battery icon on Touch ID models, complete with a % sign. On Face ID models, you can only see this depiction when you open Control Center, and it will show only the number inside the battery image in the main status bar.

You can enable or disable the feature via Settings –> Battery –> Battery Percentage. Face ID models must have iOS 16 or later installed, and no matter if Battery Percentage is on or off, you’ll still see the one with the % sign in Control Center. Touch ID models can be running iOS 16 or earlier.

Bold All Text

A little-known feature will let you bold all the text that appears in the status bar, such as carrier name, time, and battery percentage. It’s been around since iOS 15 when Per-App Settings was introduced, but it’s pretty hidden since that’s probably the last place you’d expect to find an option to change a system-wide preference.

The trick is setting your Home Screen to bold text. Doing so will make the text on your Home Screen bold, but the status bar is assigned to the Home Screen, so it will also make the status bar text bold everywhere — even on the Lock Screen. Check out our complete guideto see what else is affected by bolding the status bar.

Show the Location Services Icon

By default, the location arrow icon appears in your status bar whenever an app is currently using your location. For example, it should always be visible when apps like Maps are open, and it’ll appear briefly when you open Weather to check your local forecast. Any time an app requests your location, it’ll show up.

There’s not much you can change about that, but you can customize if the arrow appears in the status bar when various system services request your location. Visit Settings –> Privacy & Security –> Location Services –> System Services –> Status Bar Icon, and toggle it on or off.

When on, an arrow will appear in your status bar any time an enabled service listed above the Status Bar Icon switch requests your location. These include services like Find My iPhone, Wi-Fi Calling, and HomeKit.

Enable Low Power Mode

Turning on Low Power Mode will make the battery icon in your status bar yellow. It’s a small change, but a change nonetheless. If you have a Touch ID model, enabling Low Power Mode automatically enables the battery percentage, as seen above, so you can kill two birds with one stone.

Now, enabling Low Power Mode does have its ups and downs. It will disable itself once your battery increases to an 80% charge, but it won’t if you enable it when it’s already at or above 80%. It also stops or lessens features you may want or need to use frequently, such as some 5G access, screen brightness, the always-on display, screen refresh rates, and email fetch.