Plug your iPhone in today, and sure, you’ll see the battery icon light up and the percentage start crawling upward.
But that’s pretty much it. No context. No estimate. Just a vague hope your phone will be fully charged before you head out the door.
That’s finally changing in iOS 26.
Announced at WWDC 2025, Apple is rolling out a small but genuinely helpful addition: your iPhone can now tell you how long it’ll take to finish charging.
The new estimate appears in the Battery section of Settings—and, more importantly, right on your phone’s Lock Screen when it is plugged in.
Whether you’re using a high-speed USB-C charger or a pokey old Qi pad limited to 5 watts, your iPhone will now let you know what to expect.
If you’re thinking, “Wait, didn’t Macs used to do this?”—you’re right. Apple used to show time-to-full-charge on MacBooks years ago, but quietly removed it.
Also: 7 brilliant new iOS 26 AirPods features that could make you rethink how you use them every day
Apple users have been asking for the return of that functionality, and now, in typical Apple fashion, it’s coming back—but on the iPhone first.
Developers can already test this in the iOS 26 beta, which dropped right after the WWDC keynote.
The public beta is expected in July, and if all goes well, the feature should officially launch with the full iOS 26 release this fall.
Now, you’ll no longer have to guess whether it’s worth plugging in for 15 minutes or whether your charger is doing the job.
Hopefully, it will make the final cut because it makes your phone feel smarter in the most practical way.
