- iOS 26 Developer Beta 5 introduces a new charging indicator on the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 case.
- The case will light up orange, likely when it is low on battery, even if it's not in use or opened.
- There is a new splash screen that shows what each LED color means on the AirPods case.
The latest iOS 26 developer beta 5 adds a new charging indicator for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4. It will now show two different shades of amber to alert you when your AirPods case needs charging, even when it’s not in use.
This new feature was first spotted by designer and creator, Minimal Nerd, who shared a post on X showing the new AirPods charging splash screen in iOS 26 developer beta 5. The image in the post shows what each LED indicator means. Green indicates fully charged, yellow is for charging, and orange signals that the case itself needs to be charged.
The AirPods case already displays an amber LED when it’s charging or when one earbud is not fully charged. So, what does this new orange LED indicate? My theory is that the case will light up orange even when it is closed and not connected to a charger. This will alert the user that the battery is running low.
This isn’t the only new addition in iOS 26 for AirPods. In previous betas, iOS 26 added an iPhone alert to notify users that their AirPods battery is low even when not in use. It seems Apple wants to ensure your AirPods are always charged, so your listening session isn’t interrupted by a low battery when you are out and about.
