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Your iPhone Is About to Get a Helpful New Charging Feature

Honestly, you’ll wonder why Apple hasn’t rolled out a similar feature sooner.

iOS 26 battery charge estimatesPhoto by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

By Tucker Bowe

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When Apple rolls out iOS 26 in just over a month’s time, it’s going to give your iPhone a pretty simple — yet really useful — new charging feature that you’ll use all the time.

Specifically, when you start charging your iPhone, it will tell you exactly how long it will take until it’s fully charged.

Charging time estimates

iOS 26 battery charge estimates
With iOS 26, you’ll be able to see how long it’ll take to recharge your iPhone to 80% right from the Lock Screen.
Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

Apple has already released the public beta of iOS 26, providing us with our first experience of the upcoming features. One of these is the new charging estimate feature.

When you start charging an iPhone running iOS 26, either via a wired or wireless connection, the Lock Screen will display the current charge level and the estimated time to reach 80% charge. This way, you can leave your iPhone charging and come back exactly when it’s ready to go.

However, there’s one caveat: Once the iPhone’s charge gets 80% or higher, the charge estimate disappears from the Lock Screen.

iOS 26 battery charge estimates
You can view more details in the revamped Battery section of the Settings app.
Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

Have no fear. If you’re someone who needs to know exactly how long it will take to reach a 100% charge, you can open the Settings app, select Battery, and it’ll tell you. (Note: the last 20% takes longer to charge, which is done to help preserve your iPhone’s long-term battery health.)

Maybe the coolest thing about this feature is that you can instantly see the effects of using a more (or less) powerful wall adapter — the iPhone 16 can charge up to 27 watts (non-Pro) and 45 watts (Pros) when using a wired connection.

It also makes you realize how much slower wireless charging is. Although improved, the newest iPhone 16 models (specifically the Pros) can wirelessly charge at up to 25 watts when using a MagSafe charger and a compatible 30-watt (or greater) adapter.

iOS 26 battery charge estimates
The last 20%, from 80% to 100%, takes longer to fully charge. It’s designed to help preserve your iPhone’s long-term battery health.
Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

When’s it coming?

iOS 26 is expected to roll out to the general public in September, following the announcement of the new iPhones.

If you’re anxious to try the new features, you can download the public beta now — but, as always, make sure you back up your iPhone beforehand.

About the Author:

Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. As a Tech Staff Writer, he tracks everything in the consumer tech space, from headphones to smartphones, wearables to home theater systems. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

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