Android Oreo 8.1 has a neat feature that lets you view battery levels for Bluetooth devices connected to your phone. The feature has a few shortcomings though, the most obvious being that not many devices are running Android 8.1 at present. The devices that have received this update are a very small niche. Most people are happy if their devices are running Android 8. That said, regardless which version of Android you’re running, so long as its Android 4.3 and above, we’ve got your covered.
Android 8.1 Devices
As stated, Android 8.1 will natively let you view battery levels for Bluetooth devices. All you need to do is pair and connect a Bluetooth device to your phone. Once you’ve done that, open the Settings app and go to Connect Devices. Tap Bluetooth (not the switch next to it). You will see a complete list of all connected devices and their battery level with some exceptions.
The screenshot below shows a Bluetooth speaker connected to a Nexus 6P running Android 8.1 but the battery percentage isn’t there. This might have something to do with the device in question. If this is happening with one of your devices, then check out the solution for users who do not have Android 8.1.
Non-Android 8.1 Devices
To view battery level for Bluetooth devices on Android devices running anything lower than Android 8.1, you need an app called BatOn. This app has been around for quite a while now and it works great.
BatOn is a pretty simple app. You have to pair and connect your Bluetooth device via Android’s built-in settings. The app will not do any of that for you. Once you’re connected to your devices, you can open the app or pull down the notifications shade to view battery level for Bluetooth devices.
The app has a few bugs of its own i.e. when it connects to a device, there are frequent disconnections before the connection stabilizes. This was a recurring problem though admittedly it might be something to do with the speakers used for testing.
It’s possible that there will still be some Bluetooth devices that BatOn cannot find the battery level for. These are likely to be exceptionally obscure devices, possibly off-brand ones that have been bought at a bargain but they’re bound to be in the minority. BatOn has most devices covered and if you use Bluetooth devices that don’t have an easy way to check the battery level, this app is a must-have for you.
