One of the few features I’ve always wanted Google to borrow from Apple’s iOS had been the native ability to track battery levels of Bluetooth devices. While some OEMs have begun to include this in their custom skins (as they continue chase iOS’ features), stock Android has always lacked this utility. Fortunately, a new app has popped up in the Play Store that lets you easily keep tabs on battery lives of connected Bluetooth devices.
It is intuitively called BatOn and is a quite straightforward app designed for a single purpose. The app lists down your paired Bluetooth devices with their respective battery percentages left. You also get persistent notifications whenever a particular headset or speaker connects. However, the app isn’t compatible with every Bluetooth-equipped gizmo out there. It can only function that have handset functionality (i.e. accept/reject calls) or a GATT profile (usually Bluetooth 4.0+ Low Energy devices). That being said, it should work perfectly for most users out there who are merely looking to track a wireless earphones’ battery or a Bluetooth speaker, even some smart watches.
To get started with BatOn, head over to the Play store and download it. In spite of being one of a kind, the developer has decided to list it as a free app. Once done, launch it, and grant the location permission that might seem unnecessary at first but Bluetooth API on Android is part of the Location API which is why it is required for the app to work.
Moving on, you’ll be greeted with the list of all your trusted devices you’ve already set up. Go ahead and connect a device, BatOn will immediately show up the battery level, and add a dedicated entry in the notifications. Heading into the settings from the left navigation drawer (swipe from left edge to right), you can tweak a couple of preferences. One of these is “measure frequency” which basically, allows you to customize the time period in which the app refreshes the battery levels. The thing is BatOn doesn’t continuously update its metrics thanks to the lack of native integration. Instead, you will have to tap the notification in order to get the latest number or define the appropriate frequency to avoid battery drains. You can also disable the notifications completely or only when the device has been disconnected.
BatOn currently suffers a series of bugs and has caused connection issues with some Bluetooth devices. In my personal use, though, it worked fine and accurately displayed my wireless headset’s and speaker’s battery levels, but not my Pebble smartwatch.
That’s all you need to know about BatOn. If you’ve any issues, or stuck at some step, leave a comment down below.
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