Your AirPods and AirPods Pro are getting even better with iOS 26. As well as new features like camera remote and sleep detection to pause media, Apple is also improving the charging experience.
With the new update, your iPhone can automatically remind you when your AirPods are running out of juice. These alerts can show even when your AirPods are not currently in your ears, but stored in their case, that is running low on battery. This is perhaps relevant for the new AirPods Pro 3, which have a smaller case battery size than the previous generation.
We’ve all been there before. You are on your way out of your house, when you pick up your AirPods only to notice they are nearly dead.
Top comment by Alex X
How many SF geniuses it took to notice this issue…
And work hours to implement.
Will the notification be also shown on disconnect? (I.e. when AirPods are put out of the ears into the case).
So the user would have the percentage value instead of the vague amber/green LED (0% and 60% are the same colour), even two values (the LED is unclear about the level of the pods vs the case’s), – and could plan their charging and use for the day.
Previously, the iPhone would show battery status notifications when you first put AirPods in your ears, or when the earbud battery depletes as your are actively listening to media. But the big improvement in iOS 26 is you also get alerts to charge the case, even if you haven’t touched your AirPods for a while.
As well as battery low notifications, the iPhone can also now prompt you when AirPods charging is complete, so you know when they are finished and ready to be unplugged.
If you don’t want these notifications, you can turn them off in AirPods settings when the AirPods are connected to your phone. You can find this screen by navigating to the Settings app -> AirPods -> Battery, and then toggling the preference for ‘Charging Notifications’.
iOS 26 is available now. After updating your phone, you also need to wait for your AirPods to install the new firmware. This can happen almost immediately, but it can also take a couple days.
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