AirPods Pro 2 Charging Case Can Broadcast Battery Status With or Without AirPods Inside

Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro are now in the hands of customers, and one notable new tidbit that has come to light is that the MagSafe Charging Case can broadcast its charging status to the iOS Battery widget even when the AirPods are in your ears.

airpods 2 batteries widget
With other AirPods models, including the first-generation AirPods Pro, users have to place the earbuds in the Charging Case to get a reading of the battery status of the case itself. With AirPods Pro 2, the Battery widget will now show you the status of both the Charging Case and the AirPods, regardless of whether the earbuds are in the case.

The AirPods Pro 2 case includes a built-in U1 chip that enables Find My with Precision Finding so that it can be exactly located. It seems likely therefore that the U1 chip is enabling the Charging Case to broadcast its battery status over high-frequency Ultra Wideband, rather than having to rely on a Bluetooth connection via the AirPods.

Priced at $249, AirPods Pro 2 are available to order from Apple's website and to pick up at Apple Stores. Are you a new owner of AirPods Pro 2? Let us know what your initial impressions are in the comments.

Related Roundup: AirPods Pro 3
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
imac video apple feature

Apple Makes Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever

Tuesday February 3, 2026 12:45 pm PST by
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014. This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...

Top Rated Comments

UltimateSyn Avatar
44 months ago
Finally! That's awesome.


Why didn't they advertise this during the Apple Event?
Because it would just make people think "Wait, why didn't it do that before?"
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MayaUser Avatar
44 months ago
Very nice little touch
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
44 months ago

I’m confused, I have 1st gen APP and on the widget in iOS 14.8 it shows the battery of both the AirPods and MagSafe case when the AirPods are in my ears. ?


Since the AirPods in your screenshot are at 100%, you probably just took them out of the case. The brief moment they were open, they sent the battery status of the case to your iPhone. It stays there for a little bit, but after keeping the AirPods in your ears for about a minute the case charging status disappears.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spaceboi Scaphandre Avatar
44 months ago
Why didn't they advertise this during the Apple Event?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eldaerenth Faexidor Avatar
44 months ago
Great stuff this. I have the APP2 in my ears for 5 hours straight now and they are definitely more comfortable than the APP. Spatial audio is so nice in combinatie with ATV4K. I absolutely love them!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unregistered 4U Avatar
44 months ago
Thomas, post: 31540568, member: 1021539"]
Yes, the battery indicator as a whole is a joke... can't even display the charge of your other Apple devices, let alone any 3rd party accessories or electric cars...
Does your car show the charge of your devices?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)