In the fifth beta of iOS 26, Apple appears to have subtly upgraded AirPods charging. Code in ‌iOS 26‌ says that the AirPods Charging case "now more clearly indicates charging status," and that the AirPods will remind you when it's time to charge.

A screenshot shared on social media shows an AirPods splash screen with the same wording and an image of what the light on the AirPods charging case means. There are two different shades of amber for Charging and Charge Case, along with a green for Charged status.

The AirPods charging case already uses an amber light when the case is charging and a green light when it's at full charge. When the AirPods case is open and the AirPods are inside, there's a green light that means the AirPods are fully charged and an amber light that means there is less than one full charge remaining.

It may be that the amber light indicating that the AirPods charging case needs to be topped up will show up even when the case is closed, since Apple's wording does suggest that there's something new in ‌iOS 26‌.

In prior ‌iOS 26‌ betas, Apple introduced an iPhone notification that alerts you when the AirPods are in need of a charge. The notification is sent even if the AirPods aren't in active use, so you can charge them up for later.

Source: Macrumors