What macOS shows on its own
Turn on the Bluetooth item for the menu bar in System Settings, click it, and each connected accessory shows its battery. Nothing stays visible, and the low-battery warning arrives when it’s already low.
How Multimeter shows it
- Multimeter reads the battery level that accessories report to macOS (the same number the Bluetooth menu shows). Apple’s Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad report it.
- It checks once a minute. Accessory batteries move slowly, so that costs next to nothing.
- Pick the device by name in Customize; with no name set, the meter follows the first accessory that reports a battery.
- Alerts default to a warning below 20% and critical below 10%, so you can charge the mouse before the meeting, not during it.
Set it up
- Choose Add Meter… from any Multimeter meter’s menu and pick Bluetooth Accessory.
- Pick a face. Classic Battery Glyph and Segmented Battery were made for this.
- In Customize This Meter…, choose the device. Add one meter per accessory if you have several.
- Turn on the critical notification.
Every face works with every source it lists. See all 13 faces running live.
Limits
Headphones such as AirPods don’t report their battery this way, so Multimeter 1.0 doesn’t show them. When an accessory is off or asleep the meter shows that it isn’t connected.
Questions
How do I check my Magic Mouse battery on a Mac?
Click the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar (or open Control Center, then Bluetooth) and hover over the mouse. To keep the level visible all the time, use a Bluetooth Accessory meter.
Can I see AirPods battery with Multimeter?
Not in version 1.0. Multimeter reads keyboards, mice and trackpads that report their battery to macOS.