How can I see the battery status of my iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch in AirBuddy?
AirBuddy 3 uses a new mobile-device engine to keep battery levels, charging states, and last-updated times available for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. In most cases, you don’t need to pair the device separately in AirBuddy.
Connect and trust iPhone or iPad
Connect an unlocked iPhone or iPad to the Mac with a compatible USB cable. If a trust request appears, tap Trust on the device and enter its passcode. After the device has trusted the Mac, AirBuddy can continue finding it over Wi-Fi.
Keep Wi-Fi on for both the Mac and the mobile device. Supported iPhone and iPad models can also provide battery updates over Bluetooth after they have connected to the Mac, which helps when Wi-Fi communication isn’t available.
Allow local network access
AirBuddy uses the local network to communicate with trusted devices.
- Open System Settings.
- Choose Privacy & Security > Local Network.
- Make sure AirBuddy and AirBuddyHelper are allowed.
More than one AirBuddy entry can appear after an app update. Allow every current AirBuddy or AirBuddyHelper entry.
Add or troubleshoot a device from AirBuddy
If a device still doesn’t appear:
- Open AirBuddy settings and select Devices.
- Click the Add button, then choose Add New Device.
- Select iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.
- Choose the connected device and follow the instructions.
Keep the device unlocked and connected until AirBuddy finishes. An Apple Watch may request its passcode while AirBuddy pairs it through its associated iPhone.
Apple Watch availability
AirBuddy receives Apple Watch information through its paired iPhone. The iPhone must be trusted by the Mac, and both devices must be available. Apple Watch updates can be less frequent than updates from iPhone or iPad.
If a device appears only while connected by USB
- Connect the iPhone or iPad to the Mac.
- In the Finder, select the device in the sidebar.
- Select Show this device when on Wi-Fi, then click Apply.
- Make sure Wi-Fi is on for the Mac and the device.
About update frequency
Mobile devices decide when battery information is available. Updates aren’t always real-time, and sleeping, locked, or low-power devices may update less frequently. AirBuddy automatically removes a mobile device from the current list after it hasn’t reported for a significant amount of time, which prevents stale information from remaining indefinitely.
Remove an unwanted mobile device
If another person previously trusted your Mac from their iPhone or iPad, that device may appear in AirBuddy. In the Dashboard, Control-click it and choose Remove from AirBuddy. This stops AirBuddy from displaying the device but doesn’t remove the trust relationship from macOS.
To let AirBuddy discover a device that was removed previously, open Advanced settings and click Delete Previously Removed Devices.