With the release of iOS 16, we’ve shone the spotlight on several key new features. We’ve talked about Lock Screen customization and updates to Mail and iMessage. One new feature, though, might be worse on your battery life than all the others. Apple has recently cautioned the new keyboard haptic feedback could shorten your iPhone battery life.
Vibrating the Keyboard As You Type
The new feature is welcome to many, as it helps you know for sure that your iPhone’s keyboard is registering your taps. Turned on through Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Keyboard Feedback, the new feature makes your iPhone keyboard physically vibrate your device as you type.
Third-party keyboard alternatives have offered haptic keyboard feedback for some time. However, this is the first time the iOS native keyboard has implemented the vibration. Since privacy is at the front of many iOS users mind, sticking with the built-in keyboard can be important.
Once you’ve turned on Keyboard Feedback, you can turn off the sound effect and just rely on the haptic response. Furthermore, you can feel haptic feedback even when your iPhone is in silent mode (unless you turn all haptics off.) It seems there’s a catch to this new feature, though.
Apple Support Document Warns Keyboard Haptic Feedback Might Affect Battery Life
In a recently-updated support document for iOS 16, Apple describes how to change your iPhone keyboard sounds or vibrations when you’re typing. Along with advising how to turn keyboard sounds on or off, and keyboard vibration on or off, the support document issues a brief warning.
Turning on keyboard haptics might affect the battery life of your iPhone.
Interestingly, there’s no note yet that iOS 16 will disable this feature when in Low Power Mode. Perhaps that could come in a future update, or it may just be a sacrifice one has to make to utilize the keyboard haptic notification.