Who designed the macOS 27 Golden Gate battery icon to have low contrast making it hard to read and why?
The icon is impossible to read from a distance and has many UX issues. I am sincerely curious what thought process went into the design choices made:
MacBook Pro (M5 Max, 2026)
On macOS 26 Tahoe, the percentage and the status icon were separate. It seems that Apple's intent is to save Menu Bar space by incorporating the percent into the icon display. That's also how the battery display on the iPhone works, so perhaps an additional part of the rationale was to harmonize the appearance.
As was suggested, “We” are users like you and have no power to implement any suggestions. To have Apple consider your feedback, submit it here:
Alternatively, there are 3rd party options that provide a different view of the battery status. For example, I use iStat Menus, which enables me to have custom colors for the charging status (charging, paused, discharging, full).
iStat Menus is on the left, the macOS battery display for Sequoia is on the right:
I normally keep the macOS Menu Bar item turned off, since I prefer the color-coding with iStat Menus, along with the fact that clicking the icon shows the battery health status:
Iamasadmunir wrote:
I am also seeing this icon after updating to macOS 27. Why?
It looks like the battery power icon in the status menu area. Why are you seeing it? Probably because you have not adjusted the settings to not show it in the menu bar.
This feedback was sent to Apple. But why not let me share it on this user forum as well and hear what others think? Thanks for pointing out the Apple Feedback form, which I am aware of.
For your enlightenment, see what you agreed to when you signed up here:
Apple Support Community Terms of Use
especially Section B.
How to de-tune Liquid Glass: Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community
Which of the 11 sections of section B are you referring to and why?
I am also seeing this icon after updating to macOS 27. Why?
macOS 27 Golden Gate battery icon in menu bar is difficult to read - why the design choice?
